My favorite part of visiting Las Vegas is visiting the Hoover Dam, an art deco masterpiece. Boulder Vacation: Hoover Dam’s Deco! is located in the middle of the desert. Close to Death Valley, the hottest place on earth, it comes to mind during the start of our winter’s cold.

Boulder Vacation: Hoover Dam’s Deco!

So many current or past massive construction undertakings are over budget. The Boulder Vacation: The Hoover Dam was built under budget and ahead of schedule.

Hoover Dam Art Deco, Boulder Vacation!                                             pic Lenny Lensworth Frieling

The Hoover Dam shows off one of our finest examples of Art Deco.  Art Deco, popular from the 1920s to the 1940s, is an architectural and design style known for its bold geometric shapes, rich colors, and luxurious materials. It emphasizes symmetry and streamlined forms. It inescapably incorporates motifs inspired by modern technology, ancient cultures, and the natural world. Thus it displays elegance, beauty, and innovation.

The Hoover Dam showcases Art Deco’s influence through its striking, streamlined design. It merges form with function in a way that embodies both the power of modern engineering and aesthetic sophistication. It was constructed during the 1930s. The dam is adorned with geometric motifs, sleek surfaces, and symbolic sculptures that reflect the era’s admiration for progress and resilience. It was a government project intended to and succeeding at aiding the economic recovery between the two World Wars. It succeeded.

Art Deco and the Hoover Dam

Notable are the stylized statues and patterns on the dam’s towers and intake structures, which incorporate classic Art Deco elements such as angular forms and symmetrical lines, symbolizing strength and stability. Architect Gordon Kaufmann’s use of Art Deco principles at Hoover Dam not only emphasizes its monumental scale but also transforms the structure into a testament to the era’s ideals of beauty and optimism in technology, marking it as a functional yet artistic achievement in American infrastructure.

Boulder Vacation: Hoover Dam Deco!                                 pic Lenny Lensworth Frieling

Art Deco and the Hoover Dam

The engineering achievement is beyond compare, ranking with the Wonders of the World. This particular bas relief sculpture is one of my favorites at the Dam. The attention to detail extends to the Dam’s elevator button panel. No surface is left unadorned. And contrary to common belief, no workers are buried in the concrete of the Dam. When concrete cures, it generates heat. The dam was poured in layers, inches at a time to deal with that problem.

Las Vegas

When I visit Las Vegas, the tourist bus ride to the Dam and the visit to to the Dam is always, for me, the highlight.

Locate The Artwork On The Casino’s Exterior. Good Luck!    pic Lenny Lensworth Frieling

I estimate that the half day plus time for a nap afterwards is a money-saver. The six hour adventure saves untold hundreds of slot machine contributions. I won’t confess to owning at least a chandelier in Caesers Palace. A mere 110°F, 44°C characterized my visit. It was during early July, during a heat wave. I am not laying claim to sanity!

Lake Mead, Immediately Above Hoover Dam, At Its Lowest    pic Lenny Lensworth Frieling

During the worst of the recent drought, Lake Mead reached its lowest level. It was at 27% of capacity! Currently it is about 25 feet deeper. The “bathtub ring” shows the normal level of Lake mead. 1000 boat ramps became 1 boat ramp at the lowest level.

Lenny Lensworth Frieling

Shared Knowledge Is Power!

Leonard Frieling Pen Of Justice

• Multi-published and syndicated blogger and author.
• University lectures at University. of Colorado, Boulder, Denver University Law School, Univ. of New Mexico, Las Vegas NM, and many other schools at all levels. Numerous lectures for the NORML Legal Committee
• Former Judge
• Media work, including episodes of Fox’s Power of Attorney, well in excess of many hundreds media interviews, appearances, articles, and podcasts, including co-hosting Time For Hemp for two years.
• Life Member, NORML Legal Committee, Distinguished Counsel Circle.
• Photographer of the Year, AboutBoulder 2023
• First Chair and Originator of the Colorado Bar Association’s Cannabis Law Committee, a National first.
• Previous Chair, Boulder Criminal Defense Bar (8 years)
• Twice chair Executive Counsel, Colorado Bar Association Criminal Law Section
• Life Member, Colorado Criminal Defense Bar
• Board Member Emeritus, Colorado NORML, and prior chair during legalization, as well as pre and post legalization
• Chair, Colorado NORML, 7 years including during the successful effort to legalize recreational pot in Colorado
• Senior Counsel Emeritus to the Boulder Law firm Dolan + Zimmerman LLP : (720)-610-0951
• Board member, Author, and Editor for Criminal Law Articles for the Colorado Lawyer, primary publication of the Colorado Bar Assoc. 7 Years, in addition to having 2 Colorado Lawyer cover photos, and numerous articles for the Colorado Lawyer monthly publication.
• http://www.Lfrieling.com