A Planned Community: Boulder City

When we hear the term "planned community" we often think of developments like Del Webb Communities or Green Valley. But did you know that Boulder City is a planned community as well? When the plans for Hoover Dam were being developed, an urban architect named Saco Rienk DeBoer was tapped to design the area where the workers would live during the construction.

The community first sprung up when men who traveled to the area began setting up shacks and tents along the Colorado River. This area was frequently referred to as "Ragtown". Mr. DeBoer created a company town adjacent to the Boulder (now Hoover) Dam. His work included creating the original townsite layout, which we now refer to as Old Town. There were residential homes, government offices, and commercial spaces within the original townsite. This became known as Boulder City, and the dam workers came to populate the city.

The construction of Hoover Dam was an important project for the country still reeling from the Great Depression. Mr. DeBoer was tasked with making the new town a clean-living environment with plenty of public space and green landscaping throughout. His design was very symmetrical and formal in nature. It featured a large park and the Bureau of Reclamation building at the top of the hill, overlooking what would eventually become Lake Mead. He submitted this plan in 1930 and it was scaled down after the costs were calculated. Boulder City, at the time, was referred to as "Nevada's Garden City".

The Bureau of Reclamation figured that approximately 5000 men would need to be housed in the residential areas. There were no plans for schools, since the town was originally going to be comprised solely of single male employees. Of interesting note, there was also no plan for a hospital – which is remarkable considering the nearest hospital in Las Vegas was 33 miles away, over some very rough and bumpy roads.

The city offered no gambling and alcohol was prohibited within the city limits. Illegal alcohol sales occurred in the area now known as Bootleg Canyon, which led to the colorful name. Boulder Theatre was constructed in 1931 so that workers in the town would have an entertainment option. Prohibition was still the law in the United States at that time and society believed that the less "sinful options" present, the better the employees would adapt to the harsh working conditions. People not working at the dam were only allowed to visit with a permit and a gatehouse was constructed in 1932.

Mr. DeBoer emigrated from The Netherlands to the United States in October 1908 to receive treatment for tuberculosis in Maxwell, New Mexico. The Bethesda Sanitarium eventually moved to to Denver and Mr. DeBoer planned the landscape for the new location. He became partners with M Walter Pesman and they went on to develop many projects, including landscape design in many parts of Denver.

Following his work in Boulder City, Mr. DeBoer created many city parks and hundreds of private gardens across the United States. Many places in Denver are evident of his design. He became the Denver City Planner and helped write the first zoning code. He also consulted for other Colorado cities like Greeley, Grand Junction, Boulder, Golden, Longmont, Aurora, Fort Collins, and Englewood. He worked on other areas as well and spent more than a decade in comprehensive planning With National Resource Planning for Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

During his lifetime, Mr. DeBoer was honored in many ways. He was given a Distinguished Service Award from the American Institute of City Planning in 1960, an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Colorado Nurserymen's Association in 1961, a Distinguished Service Award from Americans by Choice in 1966. The American Planning Association in Nevada named its annual awards program, the DeBoer Awards for Excellence in Planning, after him.

So when you look around town, especially the older neighborhoods and park spaces, remember you're looking at one of the oldest planned communities in the United States. We are so lucky such careful attention was paid to the initial construction of our town.