Arturo B. Cambeiro was born on April 19, 1932, in Havana, Cuba, where he received a bachelor’s degree in science and architecture. When he was 29 years old, Mr. Cambeiro and his family immigrated to the United States. They did not have very much and did not know the language.
The Cambeiro family lived in Miami and Los Angeles before landing in Las Vegas, where Mr. Cambeiro became Nevada’s first licensed Hispanic architect. Mr. Cambeiro ran his own architectural company and designed famous education-related buildings, including the Thomas and Mack Center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He and his company also designed more than 30 Clark County School District elementary schools, including his own namesake school which opened in 1996.
Mr. Cambeiro devoted countless hours to community services. He was a Clark County Planning Commissioner for 14 years, a chairman of the Nevada State Board of Architecture, a president of the Las Vegas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and more. He also co-founded the Latin Chamber of Commerce and served as the organization’s first president.
He passed away in 1990. He believed schools were very important and represented a place for young minds to grow and flourish. Arturo Cambeiro Elementary School was dedicated in his name in 1997.
