As part of a three-year project to help upgrade Las Vegas Boulevard, the city announced that they have installed the first of eight refurbished neon signs that will dot the median of Las Vegas Boulevard between Sahara Avenue and north of Washington Avenue. These eight will join the existing eight historic neon signs that are already present in that area.
Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman remembers driving around Las Vegas decades ago amid the glowing neon signs that gave downtown the nickname of Glitter Gulch.
The signs — made from twisted tubes of electrically excited gas — marked businesses like casinos and motels, beckoning tourists to try their luck at the one-armed bandit or stay awhile.
While many of the old signs have been replaced by more modern digital or LED versions, the city is taking steps to preserve a part of its history by refurbishing the neon signs and putting them back on display.
The sign for the former Par-A-Dice motel is the first of eight signs to be erected along Las Vegas Boulevard as part of the city’s $125 million Las Vegas Boulevard Improvement Project.
It was moved from its original spot at 2217 Fremont St., where the motel was located until it was demolished in 2010, to just north of Oakey Boulevard.
“It’s a trip down memory lane,” Goodman said. “Those of us who have lived here awhile love to preserve the history of how we evolved. Downtown is the center of that history, and part of that is the signs.”
The city, in partnership with the Neon Museum and Young Electric Sign Co., will be adding seven more signs along the boulevard between Sahara and Washington avenues.
The other signs are from the Hotel Apache, Golden Inn Motel, Clark Inn Motel, Lone Palm Motel, Domino Motel, Fun City Motel and Rummel Motel.
They will “celebrate the history of vintage Vegas, beautify a world-famous roadway and create a neon trail to the Neon Museum,” city officials said. The museum, established in 1996, is the permanent home for many iconic Las Vegas signs.
“I am honored 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 are more than a half century old — for generations to come,” Aaron Berger, executive director of the Neon Museum, said in a statement.
“Our goal at The Neon Museum is to make Las Vegas history more accessible, and collaborations like this that exist beyond the museum’s borders help to achieve that,” he said.
YESCO, with funding from the Commission for the Las Vegas Centennial, refurbished the signs.
“In a city known across the globe for its spectacular vintage neon signage, it is an honor to be part of this improvement project,” Jeff Young, executive vice president of YESCO, said in a statement. “YESCO is thrilled with the results of the refurbishment and looks forward to the installation of all eight signs over the next few months.”
The project, which has been in the works since 2020, also includes replacing curbs, fixing storm drains, adding traffic lights, the gateway arches and 50-foot figures of two showgirls at Las Vegas Boulevard and East St. Louis Avenue.
The eight new signs will be lit to celebrate the completion of the Las Vegas Boulevard Improvement project in the spring.
“We’re extremely proud of all the signage,” Goodman said. “Anytime you see a movie made, you’ll always see neon signage and so that is definitely Las Vegas all the way.”
