LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — You may not know it, but back in the 1900s, the Union Pacific Railroad fueling and maintenance yard sat on 61 acres in the heart of downtown Las Vegas.
Now we know that area as Symphony Park.
It all started with Smith Center for the Performing Arts opening in 2012.
Now 12 years later, we show you how Symphony Park is once again bringing something unique to downtown.
"Daniela, when did you move to Symphony Park?" I asked.
"In March of this year," Daniela Galarraga said.
"Why did you choose to live in Symphony Park?" I asked.
"It looked really nice and we wanted to be downtown" she said.
Galarraga likes living in Symphony Park, an area that is changing fast.
"We wanted to have the Vegas experience,"
Multiple developments are in the works, including Las Vegas' first fine art museum.
Right now you can see cranes in the sky as this high-rise condo building is going up. A hotel is under construction and more mid-rise apartment buildings are also being built.
And yet another high rise will soon go vertical and will almost be as tall as Circa Hotel.
"This is the kind of development that people have been thirsty for," said Brian Krueger, senior vice president of Coldwell Banker Realty.
We caught up with Krueger at the sales officer for Cello Tower.
"It is a very convenient lock-and -eave lifestyle," he said.
The development is called Origin and the high rise tower called Cello is already 20% pre-sold. They plan to break ground in early fall.
"Cello Tower is a 32-story luxury condominium tower, first to be built in nearly 15 years since the city center project in the heart of the Strip," Kreuger said.
Cello Tower condos are for purchase, mid-rise apartments for lease and there are also restaurants and shops with a promenade.
Some you may be wondering about safety in the area. Krueger said the Symphony Park master plan privatizes the streets and sidewalks, something different from other areas.
"The developers own to the curb, meaning that the sidewalks are privately owned, which means we can enforce a transient-free environment, which is unlike anything we have seen here in Vegas or again in any other urban plans in the U.S.," he said.
Prices for the condos at Cello Tower start around $700,000, and penthouses can cost several million dollars.
There are already plans for a second tower here that would be the tallest downtown, making for a big change in our skyline in just four years.
"What do you think this says about the area since the pandemic couple of these buildings were built during the pandemic and it was sort of on a pause and now you see cranes?" I asked.
"One of it, Joe, is that Vegas has turned the corner quicker than other cities in terms of its desirability," Krueger said.
"The downside to living here is getting groceries," Glarraga said. "I do go to the Summerlin area for shopping."
While downtown continues to expand, one of the amenities it lacks is a grocery store, but we've also learned that soon, the Origin development plans to announce a new market for the growing area.
"Overall, I love it here," Galarraga said.
First phase of the development is slated to finish end of 2026.
Krueger said in addition to the grocery store announcement that will be coming other restaurants will also be announced for the property.
He also said there are plans for a Vegas loop stop in the Symphony Park area too.
