We’re on the road again and sorry, the Hoover Dam deco jokes can flow like Lake Mead use to.  As Anthony noted in our prior article, we recently were on the road seeking deco. Just not together.

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While he attended the Modernism Show in Virginia, I flew to Las Vegas for a family reunion. Thankfully, my niece is super at organization and handled most of the details. This included a tour of the Hoover Dam.

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If you are lucky enough to go, the Hoover Dam Comedy Tour is the way to go. With  about an hour drive from downtown Vegas, our guide entertained us with facts and, yes, a whole lot of (Hoover) Dam jokes – all family appropriate in case you wonder.

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A Brief History

In 1900, a dam was proposed by Congress to provide water to seven states. California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming rely on this natural but hard gotten resource. And, a dam would free the courts of seemingly endless cases about which state had the right to what amount of water.

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The Boulder Canyon was the first proposed site. But after testing the sub straight they found that the land straddled a fault line. Therefore, not ideal for a dam! Also, the available land was not sufficient for needed spillways.

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The Black Canyon farther south and straddling the border of Nevada and Arizona, provided the ideal location for the new structure.

In 1928  congress authorized the project and funding. There was just one problem, the job was much too big for any one company.  This was at the beginning of the depression and companies were scrambling to secure work to stay open. In order to submit a competitive bid, six smaller companies merged to create the Six Companies, Inc. They won the contract with a $49 million dollar price tag.

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One stipulation from the government:  the job had a finite timeline and the winning company would be penalized for each day they went over that deadline.  Six Companies, Inc. brought the job in under budget and ahead of the deadline.

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Construction started in late 1931 under President Herbert Hoover. And, the government took possession on March 1, 1936. Not only does the dam provide a source of water for Nevada, Arizona and California, it provides hydroelectricity as well.

Originally called the Hoover Dam,  President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Boulder Dam on September 30, 1935. However, the structure was always intended to be called the Hoover Dam. But Roosevelt was not a fan of the former President. And as a not-so-subtle dig, dedicated it as The Boulder Dam.  It wasn’t until the Republican controlled Congress officially changed the name to the Hoover Dam in 1948.

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Casualties

Working on the dam was grueling work. And with little in the way of heavy equipment, all the work was done with blasting, pickaxes and shovels. Officially, 112 people lost their lives over the course of construction.  In reality, Six Companies, Inc. only reported deaths that occurred on the job site.  Many of the seriously injured were quickly transported to a local hospital to die. And therefore not be counted.

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Also, an unusual number of workers died from “pneumonia”. In fact, the lack of safely equipment meant that the men were breathing in noxious dust. This irritated the lining of the lungs and caused pneumonia-like symptoms. And ultimately their death. But, they didn’t die on the jobsite. And therefore, not counted as casualties of the dam.

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One of the most heartfelt loss was of the dam’s mascot.

 

An interesting tidbit. One worker, frustrated with bits or rock falling on his head dipped a hat into some tar. He place another hat inside and let it dry. Soon, the other men started to do the same. The unknown worker had inadvertently invented one of the first hardhats!

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Design

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Less concerned with decoration as with functionality, the original design was full of Gothic balustrades and eagles. Fortunately, this was nixed as too underwhelming and unremarkable for the ambition project.

Gordon B. Kaufmann redesigned the external spaces. Kaufmann was a fan of the new streamline look. Elegant turrets rise seamlessly from the dam. Art Deco clocks show the time of both Nevada and Arizona. As Arizona does not observe day-light savings, one clock only has the correct time 6 months out of the year!

Kaufmann requested and was granted permission to hire Denver artist Allen Tupper True to design the decorative element.  True cleverly, and with some resistance, incorporated elements of the Navajo and Pueblo tribes in the designs. Some of the best examples are see in the terrazzo floors.

 

Complimenting Kaufmann’s and True’s work, sculptor Oskar J.W. Hansen designed the statuary. A bas-relief panels over one of the original elevator towers memorialize the workers killed in the building of the dam. And the other celebrates what the dam means to area it serves.

Most famously, he designed the large bronze statues known as “Winged Figures of the Republic”. And being so large and heavy, they were placed on ice blocks and guided into place as the ice melted. Once highly polished, the statues have gained a beautiful green patina over the years.

A current restoration is underway to restore them to their original highly polished bronze. I’m not sure how I feel about that.

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No detail was too small to receive a deco touch.

And for the ladies.

And before you ask, no, I did not go into the ladies restroom for these pictures.

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I was fortunate enough that a woman on our tour was going in to use to facilities.  Other than the photos of the entrance vestibule, she was kind enough to snap these pictures for me.

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Relatively new, the visitor’s center was sensitive to the prevailing architecture.

If you do visit, and I hope you do, enjoy that (Hoover) Dam deco!

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But, be aware they take security extremely seriously. You will go through the same process you would at any airport checkpoint. But it is well worth it.

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Thanks for joining me on my DrivingForDeco adventure!

Chris (one half of the Freakin’ ‘tiquen Guys)