The Harrison Guest House
Preserving the Past
In 1942, Genevieve Harrison opened her home to traveling entertainers, business people, and divorcing couples who were unable to stay at Las Vegas strip hotels due to segregation laws. Nat King Cole, Pearl Bailey, and Sammy Davis Jr. ( a visitor so frequent that there is a room named after him). In the course of one week in 1949 the house was graced with Eddie (Rochester) Anderson, singer Bob Parrish, the Edwards Sisters, the Jubalaires and musician Arthur Lee Simpkins. The Harrison House is the last standing example of a boarding house. Harrison House was listed in the 1949 Negro Motorist Travelers Guide.
Protecting the Future
The Harrison House still functions as a gathering place. To look towards the future, one primary goal is to renovate the Harrison House as a certifiable LEED Green Historic Building. Now a cultural center, we at the Harrison House seek to share the history of this house and the surrounding Historic Westside to any inquisitive traveler.