LADWP’s presence in Boulder City became permanent in October 1936 when the Department began operating the Hoover Power Plant and the adjacent Los Angeles Switchyard, under a 50-year contract with the federal Bureau of Reclamation. LADWP also owned, operated, and maintained the Boulder Transmission System on its own behalf. LADWP personnel were charged with direct responsibility for operating the huge turbine-generators, including all eight on the Nevada side of the plant and five in the Arizona wing.
There were 16 LADWP operators assigned per shift for a total of 48, although this number was later reduced to seven per shift when some manual functions were eliminated. These personnel covered three shifts 24 hours a day for 50 years and operated both the generator controls in the main control room and the turbine controls in the governor gallery. Another LADWP on-site group was responsible for maintenance and repair of the generating equipment at Hoover Dam. Major overhaul work required as many as 60 employees to be temporarily brought in from Los Angeles.
Beginning with about 85 employees in the initial years of operation, LADWP Boulder City staffing grew as additional Hoover Power generating units were brought online. The normal staffing level was 125, but peak operations required as many as 150 LADWP personnel to reside in Boulder City to support power generation for defense manufacturing industries during World War II.
When war production was at its peak in 1943, every Hoover generator operated around the clock. No unit was idle more than a total of 18 days during the year. One generator fell short by only eight hours of operating continuously, night and day, for 365 consecutive days. The two war industry giants in Los Angeles were the aluminum and synthetic rubber factories. In July 1943, the aluminum plant used 50 percent more electric power than all 550,000 homes and apartments in the entire City of Los Angeles, and almost as much as all the other industries in the city combined.
Unit N-8 was the final Hoover generator to come online in December 1961 and was the 13th unit under LADWP’s direct control. In the final years leading up to the expiration of the 50-year federal contract, LADWP attempted to negotiate an agreement that would have allowed the Department to operate four Hoover units for an additional 10 years. Despite LADWP’s best efforts, an agreement could not be reached, and the Department initiated a gradual downsizing, while ensuring that every employee had an opportunity to transition to other roles within the organization. On June 1, 1987, the 50-year contract expired and LADWP’s staffing in Boulder City was reduced to just 45 personnel. Between 1986 and 1989, LADWP began to remove itself as a landlord by auctioning off nearly all 80 remaining Boulder City residential properties.
Today, about two dozen Nevada-based LADWP employees are assigned to the Boulder City area, with roles that primarily encompass extra high voltage station operations and maintenance, transmission patrol, telecommunications, and fleet maintenance. LADWP’s transmission lines, the McCullough and Marketplace Switching Stations, and the Boulder Patrol Headquarters continue to be operated and maintained by Department employees. LADWP also continues to own and operate the historic Boulder Lodge.
Former LADWP Boulder City Properties
Over the 50-year contract to operate Hoover Dam, LADWP owned more than 100 buildings and properties in Boulder City, which encompassed nearly 10 acres. This included approximately 70 homes, 20 temporary cabins, 12 cottages, five duplexes, four hillside dwellings overlooking Lake Mead, two large construction dormitories, one small apartment complex, two parks, and a headquarters building. In 1936, LADWP acquired 15 properties from Six Companies, Inc.
These properties included the Six Companies Executive Lodge, Hoover Dam Construction Superintendent Frank T. Crowe’s hilltop home, and the Six Companies office building with a large adjoining construction dormitory and club room. Due to the fact Boulder City was federally controlled, LADWP was unable to take ownership of the underlying land until Congress passed the Boulder City Act of 1958, which transferred approximately 33 square miles of land and enabled the City of Boulder City to incorporate as a municipality in January 1960.
LADWP acquired 14 homes in 1936 from the B&W Company, and in 1938, the original 100-room B&W Company construction dormitory was acquired for Department employees involved in construction of the third Boulder Transmission Line. The 14 homes included the hillside residences of B&W Company Superintendent R.S. Cambell and B&W Company Physician Dr. Julius Kehoe. Designed by architect E.D. Wagner of Akron, Ohio, these homes were located at 2 and 3 Hillside Drive.
LADWP sold 2 Hillside Drive when it was no longer needed, and in 1991 it was demolished by a private owner. LADWP continued to own 3 Hillside Drive until 1997, and it was last used by the LADWP Superintendent for Boulder City and his family. Today, it is the only former B&W Company residence that remains. Twelve of the other B&W Company homes were removed in 1987 to make way for the new Boulder City Post Office. While 11 were demolished, one was moved to the Clark County Museum, where it remains on display for public tours to this day.
While 1983 National Register of Historic Places designation did not save several original structures from demolition, most of the former properties LADWP acquired and built inside and outside of the Boulder City Historic District boundary have been preserved and well-maintained.
Former LADWP Headquarters
On May 20, 1940, LADWP moved into this 28,000 square foot Late Spanish Colonial Revival building located at 600 Nevada Way. Designed by LADWP architect Jacques “Jack” de Forest Griffin and built by contractor Paul Stewart Webb, this headquarters building contained Department offices, a radio-telegraph-teletype station, auditorium, kitchen, vehicle maintenance facilities, a warehouse, and garages for employee vehicles. The most notable design feature is the octagonal entry lobby tower, which emulates the official LADWP seal of the time.
In 1945, a 65-foot radio and telegraph antenna tower with 1,000-watt transmitter was added to the building. This would function as a redundant communication system to Los Angeles in case an earthquake or other disaster disabled the existing wired telephone, teletype, and carrier communication systems. When the Hoover Power contract expired in 1987, a new headquarters was built nearby at 690 Wells Road on a larger 2.5-acre parcel that provided more space for fleet vehicles.
Through a land swap agreement, LADWP transferred title of the building to the City of Boulder City in 1995. It is currently leased to a non-profit and is also used to host special events.
Sun Dial Park
Sun Dial Park is a prominent Boulder City landmark situated along Nevada Highway and across the alley from LADWP’s former headquarters building. This .23-acre public park property was owned and maintained by LADWP until it was sold to the City of Boulder City in 1990. This park sits at the corner location of the original Six Companies Boulder City Company Store during construction of Hoover Dam.
Frank T. Crowe Memorial Park
Frank T. Crowe was the world-renowned civil engineer of dams who became the Six Companies General Construction Superintendent in 1931. He was also responsible for developing the winning bid for the Hoover Dam Project. This .67-acre park was the original site of the Six Companies Clubhouse during the construction of Hoover Dam. In 1943, when World War II hydro generation requirements necessitated additional staffing at Hoover Dam, LADWP constructed 20 temporary employee cabins and one larger structure on this site. These 21 structures were torn down in the early 1950s, and the site became a LADWP operated park. LADWP sold the park to the City of Boulder City in 1980. The Frank T. Crowe Park memorial was dedicated March 14, 1981, on Boulder City’s 50th Anniversary.
Frank T. Crowe Park was also home to the LADWP Boulder Picnic from 1954 to 1986, which was held every October. Established in 1946, this annual picnic was initially held on the shores of Lake Mead. It was moved to Boulder City Municipal Park in 1977 and 1978, before returning to this location by popular demand. The picnic was regularly attended by 400-500 LADWP employees and their families. Other attendees included LADWP senior executive management, the Chief Electrical Engineer, and members of the Board of Water and Power Commissioners.
Birch Street
Birch Street serves as the best example of the aesthetic standard that LADWP helped establish in the early development of Boulder City. According to the Boulder City Historic Preservation Committee, “Birch Street presents one of the most pleasing architectural environments in Boulder City.” These 27 Monterey style homes were designed by Jack de Forest Griffin and constructed in 1937 by Los Angeles-based contractor Eser Wikholm, Ltd.
Their distinctive architectural features include red clay tile roofs, stucco walls, and flagstone porches. These homes vary from 1310 to 1330 square feet and follow three basic designs, with eight variations in floor plans. This was intended to avoid the stereotyped and uninteresting appearance common with many employee housing projects at the time. These all-electric homes were designed with the latest energy efficient insulation, and Hoover Dam power was used to operate electric ranges, refrigerators, water, and space heaters. These homes shared a double garage between every two properties.
Cherry Street
In 1937, LADWP constructed a small apartment building on the east side Cherry Street but otherwise left the street undeveloped. In 1939, Southern California Edison (SCE) constructed its Hoover Dam operator homes on the west side of Cherry Street and built additional homes on the east side in 1945. When the homes on the east side of Cherry Street were no longer needed by SCE, LADWP acquired them as they share an alley with the Birch Street properties.
12 LADWP Cottages
Constructed in 1942 and reflective of the scarce building materials available during World War II, 12 employee cottages were built by LADWP over five separate blocks. Following a standard design, they hand floor areas of 843 to 857 square feet and most were built around central courtyards with a common garage. They were constructed during a severe housing shortage in Boulder City, which had forced LADWP employees to find housing in Las Vegas.
Ash Street
In 1936, LADWP purchased 11 homes on Ash Street from Six Companies that had been originally assigned to their engineers and managers. The first eight of these homes were completed in October 1931, and last three were finished in September 1932. Designed by architect George DeColmesnil and constructed by C.A. Williams, these homes were built with frame construction and finished with stucco walls and composition roofing. Upon LADWP acquiring the homes, the exteriors were covered with dropped siding, and they were re-roofed with asbestos composition shingles.
In 1937, LADWP constructed one Monterey Style home at 504 Ash Street.
On March 14, 1941, LADWP completed the construction of five duplexes, with the addresses of 508, 514, 516, 518, and 526 Ash Street. Each duplex consists of two three-room apartments that were designed to accommodate four employees. Designed by Jack de Forest Griffin, the architecture was intended to be in harmony with the LADWP headquarters building and surrounding homes.
Except for two Six Companies homes that were replaced by a large single-family residence, all the original dwellings on Ash Street remain.
Frank T. Crowe Residence
Located at 1411 Denver Street, this home was built for Six Companies Construction Superintendent Frank T. Crowe and was completed in December 1931. Crowe was considered the most competent construction engineer to ever work with the federal Bureau of Reclamation. During his career, Crowe supervised the construction of 19 dams. Crowe’s management was directly credited with the completion of the Hoover Dam Project 22 months ahead of schedule. This 1,862 square foot residence was designed by architect George DeColmesnil in the same Spanish Colonial Revival style as the Six Companies Executive Lodge. While the home was acquired by LADWP in 1936, it has since been sold to private owners.
LADWP Boulder Lodge
Completed in December 1931 and located at 1400 Lodge Road, this 3,525 square foot Spanish Colonial Revival executive guest lodge was designed by architect George DeColmesnil and built at the recommendation of Henry J. Kaiser of Six Companies. Located on a .68-acre parcel, Boulder Lodge was originally used by Six Companies to host dignitaries and heads of state, including President Herbert Hoover on two occasions. In 1936, LADWP acquired Boulder Lodge, including its interior fixtures and furnishings. Chief Electrical Engineer and General Manager Ezra F. Scattergood along with subsequent Department executives used Boulder Lodge to host elected officials, dignitaries, and heads of state. This included a LADWP-hosted lunch for Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Ingrid of Denmark on April 15, 1939, before their tour of Hoover Dam.
Invitations to Boulder Lodge often included an inspection tour of Lake Mead on the LADWP power boat, which was referred to as the “Power Bureau Launch.” The original 1938 boat named “Betty S.” was a 38-foot vessel powered by two 175-horsepower engines. After 10 years in service, “Betty S.” was replaced by a new boat named “Water and Power” in 1949.
While LADWP no longer maintains a boat on Lake Mead, it does continue to own and operate Boulder Lodge to host meeting and events. The original Monterey style furniture built by the Mason Manufacturing Company of Los Angeles continues to furnish Boulder Lodge.
In 2019, LADWP purchased the abutting lower .52-acre property overlooking Lake Mead to preserve the view and allow for possible facility growth in the future.
Bureau of Reclamation Administration Building
Located at 1200 Park Street and completed in January 1932 by contractor B.O. Siegfus, the Bureau of Reclamation Administration Building is considered one of the best examples of Southwestern architecture in Boulder City. It was designed by Los Angeles architect Gordon B. Kaufmann, who was also responsible for designing Hoover Dam. In Los Angeles, Kaufmann designed many well-known structures including the Los Angeles Times building and the Hollywood Palladium theatre. The Administration Building originally housed the offices of the Chief Construction Engineer during the Hoover Dam Project. Today it serves as the Bureau of Reclamation Lower Colorado Basin Regional Office.
Hoover Dam
The City of Los Angeles was the principal market for power from this multipurpose project, which also provided water for irrigation and domestic use, along with flood control. The strong confidence in Ezra F. Scattergood and strong financial position of LADWP were pivotal in the decision of the United States Congress to move forward with building Hoover Dam. In 1930, LADWP on behalf of the City of Los Angeles contractually committed itself to purchasing not only its own share of energy, but all unsold energy from the plant for a term of 50 years. This financial commitment guaranteed repayment of the $108.8 million cost with interest to the federal government, of which $76,600,000 was for the dam and reservoir and $38,200,000 was for power development. This commitment was made without one piece of infrastructure in the ground, insufficient financial resources to build a transmission line, and power purchase requirements that far exceeded the energy demands in the City of Los Angeles at that time.
While the Hoover Power Plant was in the planning stages, Charles P. Garman, LADWP Assistant Engineer of Design and Adgor C. Wingo, LADWP Liaison Engineer to the federal Bureau of Reclamation, were assigned to the Bureau’s headquarters in Denver to consult on its design. Working with the Bureau and the equipment manufacturers, Garman, Wingo, and Scattergood were instrumental in the ultimate design of the Hoover Power Plant and its generating units. Wingo would go on to oversee the installation of the generator units, prior to becoming the first Superintendent of Generation. 30 LADWP employees were assigned to the highly specialized work of installing the generation and control equipment wiring to the first Hoover units. A separate group of 50 LADWP personnel built the Los Angeles Switchyard at Hoover Dam. Yet another LADWP team, including rigger foreman Otto A. Steen (pictured right), were responsible for stringing cables from the transmission towers on top of the canyon wall down 594 feet to the steel rack on top of the Nevada Powerhouse roof.
While the Hoover Power Plant is owned by the federal government, it was operated and maintained by LADWP and Southern California Edison (SCE) personnel under contract with the Bureau of Reclamation from 1936 to 1987. Power Plant 2 on the Los Angeles Aqueduct provided hydropower efficiency data used in the initial design of Hoover Dam Power Plant, and it also served as the training school for many of the LADWP employees who operated 13 of the 17 Hoover generators, the world’s largest at the time. LADWP controlled 91% of Hoover Dam’s power output on behalf of all public power and allotees, while SCE operated four units on the Arizona side for itself and all the private utility participants.
Original Hoover Dam Public Power Allotees
LADWP originally generated power on behalf of itself, the cities of Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, the Metropolitan Water District, the Colorado River Commission, the Nevada Power Company, and the Arizona Power Authority.
Initial and First Commercial Power to Los Angeles
Unit N-2 was used briefly for the Hoover Power inaugural ceremonies in Los Angeles on October 9, 1936. However, it was not placed into general service until October 22, 1936. Regular operation of Unit N-2 under contract officially began on October 26, 1936.
LADWP Operated Unit In-Service Dates
(“N” and “A” denote Nevada and Arizona)
N-2 – October 22, 1936
N-4 – November 14, 1936
N-1 – December 28, 1936
N-3 – March 18, 1937
N-5 – June 26, 1938
N-6 – August 31, 1938
A-1 – October 12, 1941
A-2 – July 11, 1942
N-7 – October 16, 1944
A-4 – April 30, 1952
A-3 – May 1, 1952
A-9 – September 19, 1952
N-8 – December 1, 1961
Changes in Available Hoover Energy and Growing Demand in Los Angeles
Until 1941, LADWP received 95 percent of its electricity from Hoover Power Plant and hydroelectric plants along the Los Angeles Aqueduct. By the early 1950s, Hoover Dam supplied about 75 percent of the City’s energy needs. As the other public agencies begin utilizing their Hoover Power allotments, and Hoover Power decreased, LADWP began building in-basin generation. Drought conditions at Lake Mead in the 1950s further strained the availability of power from the Hoover Dam. By 1960, Hoover Dam met only about 7 percent of LADWP’s total power requirements, dwindling down to approximately 2 percent today.
Contemporary Hoover Overview
The total installed capacity of the 17 generating units and two service generating units at Hoover Power Plant is approximately 2,074 MWs. LADWP has a power purchase agreement for 496 MWs of capacity with the United States Department of Energy Western Area Power Administration, known as “Western” or WAPA, which is calculated based on 23.92% of 2,074 MWs of total contingent capacity. This energy is contacted through September 2067. Prolonged drought conditions over the last 25 years have resulted in low levels at Lake Mead. As a result, LADWP’s capacity entitlement at the Hoover Power Plant has been materially reduced.