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Tour our Frank Gehry Designed Campus

A Las Vegas Landmark

In 2006, Keep Memory Alive® chairman and founder Larry Ruvo engaged acclaimed architect Frank Gehry to design a medical facility to treat brain disorders. From that beginning, an architectural icon took shape in the desert, its unique appearance and welcoming, light-filled atmosphere ensuring that Mr. Gehry had achieved his goal of creating something memorable.

“The mantra is ‘Keep Memory Alive,’’’ noted the 1989 recipient of the prestigious Pritzker Prize for architecture. “I’m trying to make a building that people will want to visit, remember, talk about and enjoy and, ultimately, will want to partner with us at the center to help cure brain diseases.”

Just the Facts

The structure is a leader among other unconventional and world-renowned Gehry designs, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Here are a few numbers that document the uniqueness of Cleveland Clinic Nevada and the Keep Memory Alive Event Center:

  • 199 windows, none of them alike
  • 18,000 stainless steel shingles, each cut to unique measurements
  • 65,000 hours of engineering
  • 2 continents, 1 body of water and 1 desert: distance covered during transportation of the building’s components, which were fabricated in China and shipped to Las Vegas
  • 3 years, 3 months and 12 days: length of time from groundbreaking (Feb. 9, 2007) through official opening day (May 21, 2010)

In Frank Gehry’s words, “What does the building mean? It symbolizes hope.”

Want a closer look? Download more fun facts about the building or click on the video below and enjoy a virtual tour of Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. We hope this online excursion will encourage you to visit and explore this iconic structure in person.

Watch our building construction in this rapid-fire video.