| Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health |
|
|---|---|
Photo of the South West side of the building in December 2010 |
|
| General information | |
| Type | Research Center |
| Address | 888 West Bonneville Avenue Las Vegas, Nevada 89106 United States |
| Construction started | February 9, 2007 |
| Completed | Open for Patient Care - July 13, 2009 Completed May 21, 2010 |
| Cost | est. $100 million |
| Design and construction | |
| Owner | Keep the Memory Alive Foundation |
| Main contractor | Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. |
| Architecture firm | Gehry Partners |
| Structural engineer | WSP Cantor Seinuk |
| Civil engineer | G.C. Wallace |
The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health (LRCBH), officially the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, opened on July 13, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada that is operated by the Cleveland Clinic [1] and was designed by world-renowned architect, Frank Gehry of Gehry Partners in Santa Monica, California.
Contents |
Keep Memory Alive (also known as KMA) was founded by Larry Ruvo, senior managing partner of Southern Wines and Spirits, in memory of his father, Lou Ruvo, a victim of Alzheimer’s Disease, together with his wife Camille, Mirage Resorts CEO Bobby Baldwin (who also lost his father to Alzheimer's Disease), and Bobby Baldwin's wife Donna. KMA supports the mission of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and has held several star-studded galas, attended by celebrities and notables from around the world. It has become one of Las Vegas’ most important charity initiatives and a key participant in the nation fight against Alzheimer’s disease. Since its inception, the event has raised more than $20 million towards achieving its goal – the realization of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Funds committed by such supporters as the Spector Family Foundation, the Roland and Terri Sturm Foundation, Steinberg Diagnostics, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and America Online will be utilized for the construction and operation of this incredible state-of-the-art facility. The Center is planned to become a national resource for the most current research and scientific information for the treatment of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington 's Diseases, and ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) as well as focusing on prevention, early detection and education.
The ceremonial groundbreaking of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health occurred on February 9, 2007. Dignitaries who attended the groundbreaking ceremonies for the $70 million project included founder Larry Ruvo, Frank Gehry, U.S. Senator Harry Reid and John Ensign; U.S. Representative Shelley Berkley, Jon Porter and Dean Heller, Gov. Jim Gibbons, Mayor Oscar Goodman, former Gov. Kenny Guinn, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin Spacey, John Cusack.[2][3] The Center operates as an outpatient treatment and research facility in downtown Las Vegas on land deeded to Keep Memory Alive, the fund raising arm of LRCBH, by the City of Las Vegas as part of its 61 acres (25 ha) Symphony Park. The Center is approximately 65,000 sq ft (6,000 m2) and includes 13 examination rooms, offices for health care practitioners and researchers, a “Museum of the Mind,” and a community auditorium. The Center will also serve as the headquarters for Keep Memory Alive, the Las Vegas Alzheimer’s Association and the Las Vegas Parkinson’s Disease Association.
On his blog, New Urbanist and architecture critic James Howard Kunstler named the Lou Ruvo center his "Eyesore Of The Month" for April 2010. Kunstler sharply criticized the Center's design, writing: "It seems to say: This is your brain on Frank Gehry". Kunstler suggested that the architecture was inappropriate for the building's purpose: "If I had a problem with my brain, I would not be reassured arriving at this place. The implicit sadism is impressive".
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||