Visitors often want to know how many of the historic signs at The Neon Museum light up.
There are currently 27 working signs in the Neon Boneyard. 25 are restored while two others, the Riviera and Fitzgeralds, were received in working condition. The Neon Museum partners with sign companies both to move and arrange the signs and to restore them. Full restorations are expensive and complicated. Restoring a sign can cost anywhere from several thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars (as in the case of the 82-foot Hard Rock guitar).
Binion’s Horseshoe H-Wall
The Binion’s Horseshoe sign originally lay horizontally stacked over two other identical signs to create an inverted “bull nose” entrance. According to YESCO figures from 1961, the overall signage at Binion’s featured more than eight miles of neon tubes and 30,000 bulbs, though Binion’s claimed slightly smaller figures in their later advertisements. The H-Wall is from 1961; the plaque by the sign incorrectly states that it was created in 1962.
Hard Rock Café
Modeled after guitarist Pete Townshend’s custom-made Gibson Les Paul, this Hard Rock Café guitar signage is the first large neon guitar in the franchise’s history, manufactured by YESCO.
The property opened in 1990 on the corner of Paradise and Harmon. Upon closing in 2016, the guitar remained on the property until 2017 when it was “moved in six pieces over five days to its current, and permanent,” location. It was re-illuminated during a lighting ceremony on March 4, 2019, honoring the donors who helped make this restoration possible.
The Hard Rock Café guitar is the largest restored sign at The Neon Museum. Donors from around the world have contributed toward the $350,000 goal to cover the cost of the restoration and installation and to establish a fund for regular maintenance.
Moulin Rouge
The Moulin Rouge was originally open from May to October 1955. Despite being open for such a brief period, the property made history as the first racially integrated casino in Las Vegas history. At the time, Las Vegas was pejoratively known as the “Mississippi of the West,” with black performers generally not allowed to stay in hotels on the Strip, despite being able to gamble and eat there. Black people were allowed, however, to work at Strip properties. Often, this work was limited to “back of the house” jobs, predominantly “as cooks, maids, janitors and porters”. This same protocol was applied to Strip headliners like Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, who entered venues from service entrances or kitchen doors, performed, and were escorted out the same way.
Betty Willis, who also designed the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign in 1959, designed the Moulin Rouge signage. Willis spent time studying French-style lettering, drawing the sign by hand. The signage was re-illuminated during a lighting ceremony on September 16, 2020.
Fitzgeralds Hotel & Casino
One of two signs in the Neon Boneyard that the Museum received in full working order, Fitzgeralds operated on Fremont Street from 1987 to 2012.
Fitzgeralds opened as the Sundance Hotel in 1980. Among its former owners were associates of suspected organized crime figure, Morris “Moe” Dalitz, and one of the few Black casino owners in the country at the time, Don Barden. The hotel is now The D, named for its owner Derek Stevens and his hometown of Detroit, Michigan.
The date of the signage is unknown.
Yucca Motel
Owned by Bhagu and Manjula Patel, the Yucca Motel was located near Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard, just north of the Stratosphere. The Patel family donated the signage to the Neon Museum in 2010. The Yucca signage was partially restored by Hartlauer Signs in 2017. New neon was created for the sign, while the cabinet only received a sanding to allow the application of a protective coat of paint, keeping the paint and the patina intact.
On the top of the Yucca “Motel” signage is the phrase “Sleez 83,” referring to a painter for YESCO who often signed his work where people would not see his name. The only reason it is visible today is because the “Motel” signage is laying horizontal.
Plaza Hotel & Casino
Prolific sign designer Charles Barnard designed the Plaza signage in 1983, utilizing red neon tubing and chased lightbulbs, illuminated in a flashing pattern. Prior to the construction of The Plaza, a Spanish-style depot constructed in 1906 acted as the first train station in Las Vegas on the site.
Nevada Motel
The Nevada Motel was the first example of auto court in Las Vegas to advertise itself as a “motel”. The property opened in 1937 and the sign is from c. 1950.
The character atop this sign – and many others around Nevada – is “Vegas Vic,” designed by the Chamber of Commerce in 1945. The most famous “Vegas Vic” is still located on Fremont Street, originally standing in front of the Pioneer Club. “Vic” was intended as “icon that [the Chamber of Commerce] could brand Las Vegas with.”
Chief Hotel Court
Located on 1201 E. Fremont Street, the Chief Hotel Court signage is the oldest operational sign in our collection. Both the property and its sign come from c. 1940. The Chief Hotel Court imagery is an example of the romanticized concepts of Native Americans that were common in properties trying to convey the concept of the “Old West.” The specific imagery that the Chief Hotel Court sign utilizes was likely incorporated from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad line.
The sign depicts a stereotypical Plains Indian motif, not accurate to the Southern Paiute and other tribes who are indigenous to the Las Vegas valley.
Palms Casino Resort
Since opening in 2001, the ownership of the Palms Casino Resort has changed hands numerous times. Originally owned by the Maloof family, the property was acquired by Red Rock Resorts, Inc. in 2016, and most recently was acquired by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians in 2021. The Palms signage originally comes from an early 2000s billboard advertisement, located about two blocks east of the property.
Margarita Baby Pizza Kitchen & Bar
From a short-lived restaurant and bar located near the Wynn at 3049 Las Vegas Blvd S, from 2007-c. 2008, this is one of the youngest signs at The Neon Museum. The eye-catching sign represents a common Las Vegas sight, the souvenir yard glass.
Steiner Cleaners
The “Happy Shirt” from Steiner Cleaners is conveying its message purely through design and iconography. Based on a drawing by original owner Herman Steiner’s daughter and fabricated by YESCO in 1962, “Happy Shirt” was a “fixture in the strip mall on the southwest corner of Tropicana and Maryland Parkway”. This is an animated sign, portraying “Happy Shirt” greeting visitors with a wave of its arms, with the illusion of motion achieved by technical means. By sequencing the two positions electronically, the sign appears to move.
Red Barn
Opening as an antique store in 1958, the Red Barn went through a number of different iterations during its 30-year history. In the 1960s, the property was a coffeehouse and bar that served Las Vegas’ college students and construction workers during the day, but during the “pink hours” of the evening, secretly served an LGBTQ+ clientele. By the 1970s, the Red Barn was among Las Vegas’ very first openly LGBTQ+ bars.
Anderson Dairy
Anderson Dairy, established in Las Vegas in 1907, expanded and relocated its plant in the mid-1950s as the population grew in the valley. YESCO designer Hermon Boernge created the new sign for the business. Boernge’s design consisted of block lettering and a red and white bull’s eye cabinet with the “Andy” Anderson milkman, the company’s mascot, at the top. The Anderson Dairy signage is from their c. 1956 expansion/relocation, and was ultimately taken down during another expansion in 1994.
Wedding Information – Ali Baba Wedding Center & Motel
Located on the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard, near Harry Reid International Airport (formerly McCarran International Airport), this signage from the Ali Baba Wedding Center & Motel advertises one of Las Vegas’ primary tourist attractions, Nevada’s lenient marriage laws.
Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel & Casino
Hollywood superstar and prolific Las Vegas performer Debbie Reynolds opened the Debbie Reynolds Hotel & Casino in 1993, to provide her with both a steady venue to perform in as well as a formal space to display her extensive collection of film memorabilia. The Hollywood Motion Picture Museum, and its accompanying presentation, guided visitors through the history of film and showcased many marvelous pieces from films like The Maltese Falcon and The Seven Year Itch.
Jerry’s Nugget Casino
In celebration of their 50th anniversary in 2014, Jerry’s Nugget sponsored the restoration of their signage. the sign cabinet features hand-painted details, skeletal neon outlining, and chased lightbulbs illuminated in a sparking pattern.
Liberace Museum
This restored sign is from the former Liberace Museum, opened by Liberace himself in 1979, on East Tropicana and features his trademark piano and candelabra. The restoration process was featured in the Vegas PBS documentary “Restoration Neon.”
The property closed in 2010. The design is based on Liberace’s signature, originally a wall mounted sign from c. 1980, and restored by Jones Signs for the Shulman Family Foundation in the fall of 2014.
Riviera Hotel & Casino
The Riviera opened in April 1955 as the first high-rise – and ninth casino overall – on the Las Vegas Strip. Due to the rapid new development, Life Magazine published an article in 1955 that questioned whether Las Vegas’s boom would continue or a bust was imminent.
The red Riviera sign was donated to the museum in working condition shortly after the resort closed in 2015, featuring skeleton neon and cold cathode fluorescent bulbs (CCFLs). The date of the signage is unknown. The Riviera was imploded in June 2016.
Stardust Hotel & Casino
Re-illuminated in March 2020, the Stardust Hotel & Casino signage features a distinctive space-age font designed by YESCO artist Kermit Wayne. Originally a roadside pylon, this signage would have greeted drivers on the Interstate 15 commuting to Las Vegas from California.
Lido de Paris
Considered one of Las Vegas’ most spectacular productions, the Lido de Paris show opened at the Stardust Hotel & Casino in 1958. It was a French style revue that included the first topless performers on the Las Vegas Strip, as well as variety offerings like jugglers, magicians, and singers.
Flamingo
The Hotel Flamingo opened the day after Christmas in 1946 and remains the longest-running casino on the strip. While the Flamingo is often associated with Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, the Flamingo should be recognized as the birthplace of entertainment in Las Vegas. “Mr. Las Vegas” Wayne Newton – at the age of 21 – landed his first headlining act at the Flamingo. The Legendary Donny & Marie performed over 1,700 shows in the Flamingo Showroom and now RuPaul’s Drag Race! presents the latest iteration of showgirls to the stage.
The Flame
The yellow Flame Restaurant arrow sign, designed by YESCO, is from c. 1961. This property was originally mounted on a pole on the restaurant located at 1 Desert Inn Road.
Another sign from The Flame that sat on the roof is restored and on display in the Event Space.
“R” from the Sahara Hotel & Casino
Upon opening in 1952, the Sahara Hotel & Casino was the sixth hotel casino on The Strip.
The Sahara is particularly remembered for its lounge shows, including engagements from Louis Prima, Dean Martin, and Keely Smith. The Beatles even stayed at the Sahara in 1964 while they were performing at the Las Vegas Convention Center during their first ever North American tour. The band had slot machines brought to their rooms, preventing the potential rush of underage fans swarming them on the casino floor in droves.
La Concha Motel
The base of the original La Concha Motel sign from the 1960s was restored prior to the 2012 grand opening of The Neon Museum’s current facility. The shell shape mimics the design of the lobby building designed by African-American architect Paul Revere Williams, which is now the Museum’s Visitors’ Center.
Ugly Duckling Car Sales
From Ugly Duckling Car Sales, which opened c. 1997. The sign has lots of channeling and bent neon. The channeling keeps the light focused and crisp, so the colors will not bleed into each other. The sign was stationary and there is no evidence that it ever rotated.
The original cost of the Ugly Duckling sign is unknown, however, Jesse Hartlauer of Hartlauer Signs estimated that the entire sign, including the pole mount and reader board, may have been close to $200,000. The Duck just by itself was likely in the $70-80k range. Please note that this is merely an estimate.
This signage is from c. 1997.
Dot’s Flowers
Capitalizing on the quick and easy Las Vegas wedding industry, this sign was built by YESCO for the flower shop’s opening on South 5th Street (now Las Vegas Boulevard) in c. 1949. Now, it is on display right outside the Museum Store.
Tropicana
The Tropicana opened its doors on April 4, 1957, and advertisements heralded it as “the Tiffany of the Strip” to reflect its opulence. The hotel was decked out in a tropical style emulating the finest hotels in Miami and Cuba, both popular tourist destinations at the time. Well-known performers made appearances at the property such as Sigfried & Roy, Wayne Newton, Eddie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, Lance Burton and Rhonda Fleming.
The Las Vegas Signs Project
The Neon Museum has also partnered with the City of Las Vegas and the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) to reintroduce neon to the Las Vegas landscape. The Las Vegas Signs Project currently comprises nine restored signs that have been installed throughout the city as public art. Click here for a self-guided tour map. Please note that the Landmark sign has been temporarily placed in storage due to nearby construction work.
Want to know more about The Neon Museum’s recent restoration projects? Check out the videos below:
“Strings of Neon” Hard Rock Café guitar documentary
Ugly Duckling Car Sales restoration clip
“Restoration Neon” documentary
