Jonathan Jossel, CEO of The Plaza, flips a switch to reilluminate a historic Plaza sign during a private ceremony at the Neon Museum, downtown, Wednesday.
Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Nearly a year ago, the original sign for The Plaza was found sitting in storage, where it had been gathering dust since its removal from the hotel’s east wall during a major renovation in 2011. Someone posted a picture on social media, tagging the Neon Museum in hopes it could save the historic sign.
Coincidentally, the museum’s top executive and the head of the hotel were meeting for coffee around the same time the photo was floating on social media.
About nine months later, the sign has been given new life in the museum’s Neon Boneyard.
“It's been an amazing process of this coming together,” said Aaron Berger, executive director of the Neon Museum, on Wednesday. “And it all started from a social media post and great collaboration.”
The museum hosted a lighting ceremony for the sign Wednesday evening, complete with a comically large light switch that Plaza CEO Jonathan Jossel flipped on as the sign lit up.
“Can we have it back?” Jossel jokingly asked as the crowd applauded the massive, semi-cursive “Plaza” sign, which — outlined in red and gold and outfitted with glowing light bulbs — had been refurbished by Hartlauer Signs.
The sign was lauded not only for its iconic look, but also its historical significance. The Plaza was built on the site of a train depot that is greatly credited with the establishment of the city, Berger said, and the hotel was the largest of its kind in the world when it opened in 1971.
Berger said the sign honored Wednesday was designed by Charles Bernard, the same mind behind iconic Las Vegas signs like Sassy Sally’s — now the Plaza sign’s neighbor at the Neon Museum — and Vegas Vickie. The Plaza’s milestones, which also include being the first property in downtown Las Vegas to have female blackjack dealers, make it one of the most historic sites in the city, Berger said.
“This museum does a wonderful job in sharing history, but no history of Las Vegas is complete without the Plaza,” Jossel added.
The sign will be a permanent addition to the Neon Museum, a popular attraction that exhibits and provides education on historic Las Vegas signs, and chair of the museum’s Board of Trustees Stevi Wara thanked the Plaza for the addition.
“We now have a great story we can tell — another piece of history that we can share about our city for generations to come and to generations to come,” she said.
As a Las Vegas native, Wara said, she understands the importance of preserving and showcasing the city’s rich history, especially because it is constantly evolving.
“We’re excited to share this history and be a part of this,” Jossel said of the sign and its new home. “And long may it live here in the Boneyard.”
