In a city where urban expansion feels endless, it takes more than money to create a cultural district; it requires a vision and an understanding of how to blend the old with the new. Windom Kimsey, a modern-day urban pioneer, found the south end of Water Street in Henderson to be the perfect place to plant his flag while elevating the people and spaces around it.

Much of Kimsey’s professional recognition comes from his years of architectural work. Although he’s departed from TSK, an acclaimed architecture, urban planning and design firm, Kimsey has left his mark on the cityscape—including the D Gates at Harry Reid International Airport, Springs Preserve and the Clark County Regional Justice Center. One of his personal projects—his own three-story contemporary home built on Water Street—is another testament to his dedication to uplifting the area.

But his vision didn’t stop at his front door. In 2017, adjacent to his home and office, he developed Public Works Coffee Bar as a live/work space. And in 2023, Kimsey designed and opened Azzurra Cucina Italiana, a cozy eatery serving authentic Italian cuisine, just steps away. More recently than that, he transformed the space at Public Works into Azzurra Wine Bar, which maintains its coffee shop charm by day and evolves into an evening destination for connoisseurs to sip wines and enjoy small bites.

Kimsey, a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, relocated from Chicago to Southern Nevada more than 30 years ago. While Henderson might not be his hometown, he champions it with the fervor of a born-and-raised local. Today, he continues to focus on evolving the area by making Water Street a dining destination.

I read that the walkability of your developments on Water Street were inspired by your time living in Chicago. Do you feel that residents are taking advantage of this on Water Street now?

Yes and no. The key to make it work is for more people to be living here [on Water Street]. The Lennar development across the street from mine has 25 townhomes and that’s a step in the right direction. There needs to be more of that.

I was just back in Chicago last week and went by my old neighborhood and there’s a lot of houses of people that want to get out. You’ve got to have some retail and other things, but you need the people first. There, 35 years ago before there were cool places to eat and do things, it was a bit like Water Street. … It was an up-and-coming neighborhood with a lot of potential. But that’s sort of the dilemma—it takes years.

How do your personal interests and travel influence your plans for Water Street?

I love art, collecting art and traveling the world. I’m going to Brazil in October for an architecture conference. The dangerous part is I’ll come back and want to do something completely different. … Part of it is having a mental exploration of how communities and other cultures build spaces for people.

I’d also like to get more murals painted. … The downtown could really explode. There’s so many blank walls here that can really make it interesting.

Since you’ve branched into the culinary world, has this shifted your vision of development on Water Street?

Yes, I’m going to eventually develop. I’m just working on acquiring the right parcel, but developing another large mixed-use building with apartments with some culinary on the ground floor and maybe this time, culinary on the rooftop.

You’re a big fan of mixed-use spaces. How did the idea of utilizing the Public Works space for Azzurra Wine Bar come about?

It was my original idea to have a coffee shop with a beer and wine license, and [Public Works] was my first foray into culinary stuff. I was inspired by a chain of independent coffee shops in Savannah, Georgia, where my daughter was going to school. They would sell alcohol along with their coffee. I know Starbucks kind of tried this too and abandoned it, but I thought it was a good combination. And in Italy, those little places where people go for an espresso and a little pastry in the morning are bars at night.

To keep the real estate closed after coffee time seemed kind of a waste. At Azzurra, I got a clearer idea of the demographic of folks that would come down to Water Street—people will come in and want to wait at the bar but now they can go to the wine bar to wait. My vision is that they work off each other.

The first time I tried Azzurra I was surprised by how elevated it was just because of its location. Do you feel that the reputation of Water Street is shifting?

I think there’s more awareness after people come to Azzurra but I’d love to see a few more higher-end places. If I had a magic wand I would turn this into a second Spring Mountain, where it attracts chefs from the Strip or those who’ve worked at our great resorts that want to go out on their own. I don’t need to own all the restaurants, I’d just like to have them here for people.

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