HORSIN' AROUND

A Community Designed For The Equestrian Heart

by Hilary L. Green

Former entertainer and Las Vegas show producer John Stuart is better known for the long-running celebrity impersonator show "Legends in Concert" at the Imperial Palace than building communities for horses. Yet, that is just what he has on the drawing board.

The entrepreneur will break ground on Legends Ranch Equestrian Estates this fall. The project will be built on land surrounding Stuart's 20-acre Arabian horse ranch a few miles off the Las Vegas Strip. The unique residential estates will consist of 30 half-acre home sites in three cul de sacs, which will probably be called Elvis Presley Boulevard, Marilyn Monroe Lane and Legends Lane, according to the veteran showman.

The ranch-style homes will be accented with lots of brick and river rock, with large porches and white picket fences. Although there are nine models between 3,000 and 5,000 square feet and priced between $800,000 and $1.2 million, no two homes will look alike.

"They'll be an 8-foot-wide horse trail all around the property," Stuart explained. "It's all guard-gated with a wall 7 feet high all done in river rock. All the streets are cobblestone. It's awesome. There are going to be 12 gazebos scattered throughout green park areas within the community, along with windmills, statues - more Remingtons - it's going to be really pretty."

The project, which is expected to be completed in November 2007, is a natural spin-off of Stuart's stabling business he started at the ranch more than two decades ago. Three employees care for 30 horses in the large stables, a growing industry in the developing valley.

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Stuart and his wife, Alex (picrured here) settled in Las Vegas when he opened his famed "Legends in Concert" in 1983. Back then, the Valley had far fewer people and more undeveloped land. Over the decades the couple has built quite a lovely nest.

The house sits high on the lot in a park-like setting, surrounded by lush grass, magnificent mature trees and a spectacular Remington horse statue near the front driveway. John Stuart designed the entire home, from custom oak and stone fireplaces to separate his-and-her office-studies and decks overlooking a sparkling pool, complete with waterfall and spa. The house is filled with exquisite antiques and memorabilia and is accented with custom-crafted wood work, some of which reflects "a taste of English Tudor", as Stuart put it.

It is a gentleman's ranch, indeed, throughout its plush two levels. John has a second office near the stables to keep renderings of his upcoming development projects.

However, Alex Stuart gives it a woman's touch, with her extensive doll collection housed in one room and one bedroom decorated in an ornate Christmas theme.

Although still the creator of "Legends", which has shows in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Branson, MO, Myrtle Beach, SC and overseas, Stuart has since moved on from his On Stage Productions, which he founded and chaired for years. Among his many theatrical productions, "Ovations" just completed a long run at the downtown Lady Luck, and he has a new show in partnership with Dick Clark, called "American Bandstand", which is a live version of the popular Dick Clark-hosted television show. "Bandstand" will play in several cities.

"I've been in entertainment since I was 5", Stuart said. "I was born in Pocatello, Idaho and was one of ten children. We were active in the Mormon (LDS) church and we were known as the Singing Stuarts. We went to Sacramento for a while and then we got a job on "The Bob Crosby Show" as singers, so we moved to Hollywood when I was 12. We started doing TV shows, fairs, conventions, that kind of thing. I sang in the Bob Mitchell Boys Choir, which traveled, and I sang with the Beach Boys. My brother, Rod, sang for them (the boy's choir), too. When he went to college, I became their lead singer - I was just turning 14. They weren't as big then as they became, they were just starting out."

Afterward, he went on to perform in more than 30 musicals. During those years he also completed high school and later studied theater and English literature at Cal State, Fullerton.

In addition to all this, he had a regular gig at Knott's Berry Farm. When he was 18 he met Alex, who would ultimately become his wife of 42 years, at a church dance in Long Beach, California.

During their seven years at Knott's Berry Farm, the couple worked with comedian Steve Martin, with whom Stuart has maintained a friendship over the years.

In the early years of his show-producing career Stuart worked in the insurance and real estate business to keep him going through the quieter times. Fortunately, he began producing his own shows, and soon he was able to devote his time to the business he really loved. He and Alex started a family, too, and raised six children together, as well as caring for a number of foster children and other children who needed a home for a while.

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