Marcia and Dan Turner moved from Summerlin to Las Vegas’ urban core about six years ago.  They love its central location and enjoy being a part of the downtown revitalization movement.

Dan is a pilot and flies F-18s in the Navy Reserves.  He also runs a real estate business that specializes in the “vintage Vegas” neighborhoods.  Dan explained that after living in a vintage home in the Scotch Eighties for six years, he’s really grown to appreciate the classic beauty of these older neighborhoods with their ranch-style homes and big yards.  “While we’ve had our share of renovation projects,” said Dan, “it’s been so fun to see the transformation of our home over time as we endeavor to bring out its original character.”

The Turners also enjoy watching the renaissance of downtown Las Vegas. In just the past six years since they became urban dwellers, they’ve witnessed the birth of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health; The Smith Center for the Performing Arts; Suite Charity in the World Market Center; Downtown Vintage Guitars in the Arts District, and many other new urban-core gems.

For Marcia, who serves as a Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences System of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), she’s not only witnessed but has helped manage the development of another great project in the neighborhood, the Clinical Simulation Center at NSHE’s Shadow Lane Campus.  “We were able to renovate a space within an existing building the size of a football field to create a “mock-hospital” for nursing students from UNLV and NSC to train side-by-side, along with residents from the University of Nevada School of Medicine. This project adds critical training facilities for our programs, and it is a nice addition to the City’s Medical District. On a personal note, it was fun as a neighbor, to be able to play a role in the Center’s development,” Marcia added.

In addition to enjoying all the renovated and new additions to the neighborhood, they also love to see the preservation of the old downtown mainstays like Luv-its Frozen Custard, and as a result, are thankful for the arrival of the 24-hour Fitness in the Molasky Center just a mile away. They also appreciate the mix of long-time residents and newcomers to the neighborhood.  Marcia said, “We are lucky to have such a great group of neighbors.  Although we all come from different backgrounds, we all share a soft spot for our vintage neighborhood, and a desire to build a sense of community.”

Photo: Marcia and Dan Turner