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Neon Museum

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This article is about the museum in Las Vegas. For the museum in Los Angeles, see Museum of Neon Art.
Neon Museum
File:Neon Museum logo.png
Map
Established1996
LocationLas Vegas, Nevada
Coordinates36°10′39.64″N 115°8′12.92″W / 36.1776778°N 115.1369222°W / 36.1776778; -115.1369222
TypeArt museum
Visitors85,000 (2015)[1]
Websiteneonmuseum.org

The Neon Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, features signs from old casinos and other businesses displayed outdoors on over 6 acres (2.4 ha).[2] The museum features a restored lobby shell from the defunct La Concha Motel as its visitor center, which officially opened on October 27, 2012.[3]

For many years, the Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) stored many of these old signs in their "boneyard." The signs were slowly being destroyed by exposure to the elements.

The signs are considered by Las Vegas locals, business owners and government organizations to be not only artistically, but also historically, significant to the culture of the city. Each of the restored signs in the collection holds a story about who created it and why it is important.[4]

History

The Neon Museum was founded in 1996 as a partnership between the Allied Arts Council of Southern Nevada and the City of Las Vegas. Today, it is an independent non-profit. Located on Las Vegas Boulevard and Bonanza, the Neon Museum includes the new Neon Boneyard Park, which is adjacent to the former YESCO Boneyard.

The impetus behind the museum was the loss of the iconic sign from The Sands; after it closed in 1995, there was no place to store the massive sign, and it was scrapped.[5] To mark its official opening in November 1996, the Neon Museum restored and installed the Hacienda Horse & Rider sign at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street.[1]

On January 24, 2006, the original 80-foot (24 m) tall Sahara sign was donated to the museum.

The Neon Museum restored and installed the famous Silver Slipper sign across from its welcome center.

The museum also took in the sign from the Moulin Rouge Hotel and restored the historic La Concha lobby to serve as the museum's welcome center.

In 2010, the City of Las Vegas began construction of the Neon Boneyard Park near the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and McWilliams Avenue. The former YESCO Boneyard comprised two lots that straddled McWilliams, just east of the new Neon Boneyard Park. Part of the YESCO Boneyard was paved to create parking for the new park. Prior to the opening of Neon Boneyard Park, the museum's collection was open by appointment only;[6] general admission was initiated in 2012.

"The Flame" sign displayed in the plaza next to Neonopolis
Horse and rider from the Hacienda Resort
Restored signs in Downtown Las Vegas

A new sign (lit with light-emitting diodes) for the new park was also installed, with "NEON" spelled out using letters shaped like those on signs for the Golden Nugget ("N"), Caesars Palace ("E"), Binion's Horseshoe ("O"), and Desert Inn ("N").[6] The letters are set on a grid inspired by the sign for The Sands, and the sign is decorated with stars like those from the Stardust and a starburst like the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign designed by Betty Willis.[7]

Restored signs

The Neon Museum maintains several restored signs throughout Downtown Las Vegas. The cost of restoring signs is estimated to range from $10,000 for small pieces to $100,000 for the largest signs.[8]

Boneyard

The Neon Museum is located on Las Vegas Boulevard and Bonanza Road, across the street from Cashman Center and along the Las Vegas downtown museum corridor. The boneyard preserves over 150 neon signs from the Nevada area. While the core of the collection is from the old Yesco Boneyard, private donations and loans have expanded the collection to the current size.

Pieces in the boneyard include signage from the Moulin Rouge Hotel, the Stardust, Desert Inn and Caesars Palace as well as many others. The museum also houses fiberglass sculptures including a giant skull from the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino among others.

Two cats, named Elvis and Liberace (after signs for the Frontier, where Elvis played his first show in Las Vegas; and the Liberace Museum, respectively) live in the Boneyard.[5]

In 2018, the Neon Museum began Brilliant!, a 30-minute night show designed by Craig Winslow which uses multiple projectors to reanimate defunct signs, set to vintage and contemporary music.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b Lilly, Caitlin (2 November 2015). "7 things you didn't know about the Neon Museum — PHOTOS". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  2. ^ Bass, Shermakaye (2007-06-06). "Neon Museum saving Las Vegas' iconic signs". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
  3. ^ O'Reilley, Tim (August 31, 2012). "Lights this way: Neon Museum opening set". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
  4. ^ http://www.neonmuseum.org/about
  5. ^ a b Gotthardt, Alexxa (14 December 2016). "A Treasure Trove of Historic Neon Signs Is Nestled on Las Vegas Boulevard". Artsy. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  6. ^ a b Finnegan, Amanda (6 February 2010). "City to begin construction on Neon Boneyard Park". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  7. ^ Oñoz-Wright, Ashley (18 November 2015). "10 of our favorite signs at the Neon Museum". vegas.com [blog]. Remark Media. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  8. ^ Reilly, Claire. "Neon Museum is saving Las Vegas' most beautiful tech". c|net. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  9. ^ Reed, C. Moon (8 February 2018). "The Neon Museum's 'Brilliant!' makes classic signs shine again". Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
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