When it opened in 1973 news reports called city hall "ultra modern." That the now dated edifice was
marked by imposing center walls, stiflingly low interior ceilings, small offices and incredibly inefficient climate
control was once considered "cutting edge" seems laughable.

That the incoming tenants from online retailer Zappos,now based in Henderson, intend to bring it back to the
forefront of Las Vegas culture seems equally far-fetched at least to anyone who hasn't taken the time to listen to
the people seeking to breathe new life into the forlorn downtown corner.

"This building has been here forty years" says Zach Ware who is leading the $40 million renovation for
Zappos. What we are doing now is refitting it for another 40."

Ware and others working on the transformation have 18 months to create a space that fits with a Zappos culture
that calls on employees to "create fun and a little weirdness."

The result is a renovation project that is unlike any other downtown, with demands to tear out interior walls, false
ceilings and barriers that keep natural light from penetrating the structure, while retaining funky features like old jail cells that occupy part of the second floor.

The builiding also has to accomodate up to 2,000 employees, nearly 3 times the number of people who worked there for the city.

Although demolition work could start within a couple of weeks,much of the finished product remains in flux, as Zappos employees, Ware, CEO Tony Hsieh are still weighing ideas which range from rooftop gathering spaces to an outdoor concert venue.

What is known is that the jail cells will remain, a bistro is likely to go into the former library building and the number of entrances will be reduced to encourage "serendipitous interactions" that Hsieh and others say is essential to to fostering ideas.

That means not only creating individual work space for call center employees, but also placing heavy emphasis on common space that draws people out of the building to gather, eat, chat or enjoy the sun.

Inside, workers will tear out as many interior walls as possible to make views to the horizon available throughout the building.

In addition to the main structure, Zappos will have use of a parking structure across Stewart Avenue.

The construction manager from the Penta Building Group says that despite cosmetic flaws, the building is a high quality structure, with more concrete that would be used in newer buildings today, resulting in a strong structure that would hold up in the long term.

"The Penta manager said that taking a good old, solidly built building and make it more efficient makes more sense for a lot less cost and with a lot less waste."