Eight refurbished and historic neon signs will officially be lit tonight at sunset to celebrate the city’s birthday and the completion of the Las Vegas Boulevard Improvement Project.
The signs are owned by the city of Las Vegas, The Neon Museum and YESCO Custom Electric Signs, and now create a complete neon streetscape beginning with the gateway arches and showgirl signage up Las Vegas Boulevard to The Neon Museum and Washington Avenue.
The signs join the seven classic neon signs already in the Las Vegas Boulevard median. The signs celebrate the history of vintage Vegas, beautify a world-famous roadway and create a neon trail to The Neon Museum.
The lighting of the signs marks the completion of the $125 million Las Vegas Boulevard Improvement Project, which also included the additions of the gateway arches and showgirls signage.
The eight neon signs were refurbished by YESCO, with funding provided by the Commission for the Las Vegas Centennial and the city of Las Vegas.
“Neon is our city’s native art form, and I cannot think of a better way to celebrate our 118th birthday and the completion of the city’s largest-ever public works project than by lighting these beautiful signs,” Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman said.
Mayor Goodman later said, “These signs have found a home where millions will be able to see and enjoy them along the world’s most famous roadway.”
Aaron Berger, executive director of the Neon Museum, praised the collaboration.
“We are honoured and grateful to partner with the city of Las Vegas and YESCO on this project that will preserve these beautiful neon signs, each of which is more than a half-century old, for generations to come,” Berger said.
“Our goal at The Neon Museum is to make Las Vegas history more accessible, and collaborations like this that exist beyond the museum’s walls help to achieve that. Installing these refurbished signs along the iconic Las Vegas Boulevard brilliantly showcases our city’s unique history to the millions of visitors we welcome yearly,” Berger continued.
YESCO provided the elbow grease to get these classic signs refurbished and ready for lighting tonight.
“In a city known across the globe for its spectacular vintage neon signage, it is an honour to be part of this improvement project,” said Jeff Young, executive vice president of YESCO.
Young said, “YESCO is thrilled with the refurbishment results and how we are lighting up Las Vegas Boulevard in true vintage style.”
The newly installed signs include Par-A-Dice, 1953, installed just north of Oakey Boulevard; Apache Motel, 1965, installed north of Bridger Avenue; Golden Inn Motel, 1960, installed south of Bridger; Clark Inn, 1962, installed north of Clark Avenue; Lone Palm Motel, 1954, installed north of Garces Avenue; Domino Motel, the 1960s, installed north of Hoover Avenue; Fun City Motel, 1952, installed just south of Charleston Boulevard; and Rummel Motel, 1968, installed south of Oakey.
The newly refurbished signs join the historical signs on Las Vegas Boulevard already in place that include The Horseshoe Casino, 1951, now located just north of Washington; Silver Slipper Casino, 1950, now located near the Neon Museum at McWilliams Avenue; Bow and Arrow Motel, 1950s, now located south of McWilliams; Society Cleaners, 1946, now located just south of U.S. 95/Interstate 515; Normandie Motel, 1940s, now located just north of Stewart Avenue; Lucky Cuss Motel, 1955, now located just south of Stewart; and Hacienda Casino, 1956, now located at Fremont Street.
The Las Vegas Boulevard Improvement Project updated infrastructure from Sahara Avenue to Stewart Avenue, with some of the infrastructure dating back to the 1940s.
In addition to the new neon signage, the project included replacing underground utilities (water, sewer, storm drain, gas, fibre-optic/smart city infrastructure), traffic signals, medians, curbs, gutters, sidewalks and full-depth pavement; saving and replanting the existing median trees; and adding 200 new trees, bus stop access, pedestrian improvements and two new right-turn pockets.
Right-turn pockets were added at the Charleston Boulevard and Stewart Avenue intersections.
