Katherine Duncan-Reed was born “colored.”
She keeps documentation of this — her 1955 Arkansas birth certificate — within reach when she leads daily tours at the Historic Westside’s Harrison House. The document and the home, she said, are reminders that racism in Southern Nevada, and nationally, are not matters of distant history.
The Harrison Guest House, which was named after its 1940s owner, Genevieve Harrison, and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2016, accommodated Black entertainers who were — outside of performing — barred from the Strip due to racial segregation. By law and social practice, famous performers like Sammy Davis Jr. and Nat King Cole could not eat, drink, gamble or stay at the resorts, so they went to Mrs. Harrison’s.
Back then, the Harrison House was advertised in the Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide created to provide African American travelers with critical information on restaurants, gas stations and other businesses that welcomed Black patrons during the era of Jim Crow and sundown towns.
It was not until 2009 that Duncan-Reed bought the property, hoping she and her friends could save it from demolition.
Sixteen years later, Duncan-Reed, who lives in the home part time to help with maintenance, said she has big plans. Just in time for Black History Month, Duncan-Reed said Harrison House would be open every day starting in February.
“In previous years, we did Black History Month events in the community,” Duncan-Reed said. “This year, we said if we could do tours every day, we would be the only thing open in Las Vegas specifically talking about Black history.
“So we’re open and here every day this month — and from now on — for anyone who wants to experience our culture, learn about our history and figure out how to overcome racism,” Duncan-Reed said.
Boarding house roots
Similarly to Harrison, Duncan-Reed’s family moved to Nevada because of employment opportunities in defense industries, such as those at Nellis Air Force Base or the Nevada Test Site. She ultimately stayed for the nightlife and “because there were no mosquitoes,” she said.
The Harrison House, at 1001 F St. in Las Vegas, was a private residence when it was first built. Duncan-Reed said that records named two different years for its construction, 1933 and 1942. She offered a possible explanation.
“There was a time in Las Vegas history when Blacks who had homes on the wrong side of town had to pick up their homes and bring them over here,” Duncan-Reed said. “So we figured, OK, that’s how we can get two years. It was built over there in ’33 and moved over here in ’42. For both things to be true, that’s what we decided had to happen.”
As she spoke, Duncan-Reed pointed at an overpass bridge that read “Historic Westside” a couple of blocks down the street. This marker, she said, would have represented the metaphorical line that separated the Black residences of Westside from downtown and the Strip.
Either way, Harrison House began serving as a boarding house for Black visitors in the 1940s, according to its National Park Service website biography.
‘Something special again’
Back inside the home, Duncan-Reed told the Review-Journal that making the Harrison House “something special again” had presented its challenges.
In the late 2000s, she said, she was involved in the UNLV Black Historical Society when a member told her about the home’s recent vandalization and uncertain future. As other members offered resources to chip in and buy the home, Duncan-Reed raised $1,000.
“And me with my silly self, I put up my earnest money. Unfortunately, no one else came through,” she said. “The lady with the 700 credit score backed out. The other person with the down payment backed out, and there I was with $1,000 on the hook.”
Duncan-Reed said she ended up buying the house for about $33,000, adding that it was in “terrific disrepair” when she first set foot in it.
In 2018, the Nevada State Commission for Cultural Centers and Historic Preservation awarded the Harrison House $90,000 to support the restoration of the property, Duncan-Reed said. Using the money, she replaced all the sewer, water, and electric lines. The city of Las Vegas helped replace the roof and air conditioning, according to Duncan-Reed.
“Our next stage is to go back and put it like Mrs. Harrison would have had it,” she said. “But at least, for now, we can be here every day,” she added. Duncan-Reed said she has been giving roughly 10 guided tours a week. The tour recently added a podcasting room as a stop.
Duncan-Reed, who will be 70 this year, said she was “supposed to be retired” but wanted to pass on the Harrison House legacy first. Duncan-Reed said that the organization’s new chief operating officer, Darlene Idei, would oversee what’s next for the home.
“We’re going to get African American cultural tourism in Las Vegas, and I know it’s going to be a big splash,” Duncan-Reed said. “So that’s my work right now. I’m trying to pass it on because people want to see different stuff around here. “
Tours of the Harrison House cost $20 per person and can be booked online.
Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.
