CA and NV - Real Estate Blog by Olivia McClellan, Agent

Construction has commenced in downtown Las Vegas on the $70 million Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, designed by world renowned architect Frank Gehry. The Institute,which is just a few blocks from downtown, comprises approximately 67,000 square feet and is Gehry’s first building in Las Vegas.

Headed by Dr. Zaven Khachaturian, PhD, and supported by internationally acclaimed researchers, the Institute will lead the fight against neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s.

The project is funded by Las Vegas-based Keep Memory Alive Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to brain disease research, founded by Larry Ruvo, Nevada's senior managing director of Southern Wine & Spirits. The building is named after Ruvo's father, who died of Alzheimer's.

The Institute is scheduled to open in late 2008.

Club Renaissance bought out of foreclosure for $3.5 million as reported on March 23 on the ReviewJournal.com Website.

This project has been twisting in the wind for a while with rumors floating the plans to potential investors around the valley. It's time has come to make way for a development that might actually get built downtown.

According to the article, financing was its biggest problem. More to come on the genesis of the Renaissance.