Residence Building for Mrs. Hattie May Pavlo

2014.1.1258.1-8

07/21/1959

Hattie May Pavlo

Hugh Taylor designed this desert modern ranch style home for Mrs. Hattie May Pavlo in July of 1959 in the exclusive Desert Inn Estates. The home was located at 40 Country Club Lane and unfortunately, it was demolished in January of 2001 following the sale of the Desert Inn Estates to make way for the Wynn Resort and Casino.

The house consisted of three bedrooms and three bathrooms, including the maid's room. Taylor included luxurious amenities into this 3,846 square foot home, including sunken tubs, skylights, a stone fireplace, indoor gardens, and a bar to entertain guests. The rear of the home was conceived as the center of entertainment with views of the golf course from the living room and the adjacent "playroom", designed with floor to ceiling glazing.

The front elevation was accented with hammered glass flanking the front entryway, a Formica panel atop the front door, a stone veneer on the east wall, and a decorative block screen on the west wall to shade the garden. The rear elevation was comprised of floor-to-ceiling glazing and a covered terrace with decorative 2" pipe columns with a metal grille. The east and west elevations were finished with stucco and fresh air grilles built into the top of the walls for the AC units. Finally, the built-up flat roof was finished with white rocks and a tropicool sealant.

This home is a marvelous example of the desert modern ranch style of the 1950's. Taylor was well versed in the mid-century architectural style of Southern California, incorporating angular forms, flat rooflines, decorative screen blocks and columns, and contrasting glazing with rough stone veneers.

Mrs. Hattie Mae Pavlo was born on November 26, 1901 in Georgia. She is the daughter of Anton Louis Delkin and Hattie Mae Delkin, jewelry owners and Las Vegas pioneers who established the Delkin Building in 1927 in Downtown Las Vegas.

Hattie Mae married Dr. Emanuel Lionel Pavlo in 1930, who became a prominent civil engineer and a specialist in suspension bridge design during the mid-twentieth century. After founding the Pavlo Engineering Company in Manhattan in 1947, Dr. Pavlo became involved in over "a billion dollars' worth of bridge and highway construction projects" (obituary, NY Times Sept 28, 1989). His business success granted him and his family a very lavish lifestyle in New York City with frequent trips throughout Europe.

Mrs. Pavlo divorced her husband in July of 1954 after 24 years of marriage. She moved to Las Vegas, following her divorce, and became the owner of the Hamilton House Motel located on Freemont St in the early 1960's. She hired Hugh Taylor in July of 1959 to design a lavish desert modern ranch home in the exclusive Desert Inn Estates located at 40 Country Club Lane. Here, Mrs. Pavlo hosted cocktail and dinner parties to entertain celebrities, politicians, foreign officials, and socialites throughout the 1960's and 70's.

In 1959, Mrs. Pavlo developed the "Gypsy Press", a small traveling ironing board for which she received a British patent in 1959 and a US patent in 1961. The board was released for sale at major department stores in 1966, with promotional events in which Mrs. Pavlo would conduct demonstrations to customers.

For many years Mrs. Pavlo traveled across the US and Europe as a businesswoman, writer, and lecturer. She passed away in Sept of 1988 in Clark County, NV.

Sheet 1: Foundation Plan

Sheet 2: Floor Plan

Sheet 3: North, South, East, & West Elevations, Eave Detail, Fireplace Detail, Fireplace Elevation

Sheet 4: Plot & Roof Plan, Footing Detail

Sheet 5: Section AA, Section BB, Various Detail

Sheet 6: Cabinet Detail, Eave Detail, Various Wall Detail

Sheet 7: General Notes, Room Finish Schedule, Skylight Section, Shoji Screen, Other Details

Sheet 8: Lighting Plan, Light Fixture Schedule

9. Las Vegas Sun, December 4, 1966: Hattie Mae displaying the "Gypsy Press"

10. Las Vegas Sun, September 22, 1963: Hattie Mae, center, with the Motel Owners Association.

Any use, reproduction or publication of this item requires written permission from the Nevada Preservation Foundation.

All information regarding Hugh Taylor's clients has been obtained from publicly available sources such as newspaper archives, census records, marriage records, obituaries, public libraries, and local assessors records.