Neon Museum

Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, the Neon Museum displays 2.62 acres of signs from old casinos and other businesses. The museum’s visitor center is the restored lobby shell of the La Concha Motel, which officially opened on October 27, 2012. The Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) kept some of these old signs in their “graveyard” for several years. When exposed to the elements, the signs were slowly destroyed. Las Vegas locals, business owners and government organizations consider the signs not only artistically important, but also historically important to the city’s culture. Each restored sign in the collection includes a story. about who created it and why it is important.

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 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Located on Las Vegas Boulevard N, the Neon Museum includes the Neon Boneyard and the North Gallery. The sign collection was prompted by the loss of The Sands’ iconic sign; after it was replaced by a new badge in the 1980s. The massive sign had no place to store it and was demolished after nearly 10 years of collecting signs, the Allied Arts Council of Southern Nevada and the City of Las Vegas partnered to create a facility to store and care for the preserved signs. To celebrate its official opening in November 1996, the neon museum restored and installed the Hacienda Horse and Rider sign at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street. However, access to the collection was by appointment only. Annual visitor numbers during this period ranged from around 12,000 to 20,000. In 2005, the Doumani family, owners of the La Concha Motel, donated the historic La Concha lobby to the museum. Although Conch’s relocation and restoration cost nearly $3 million, plans to open the museum came to fruition after the building was donated, resulting in a number of public and private grants and donations. About $6.5 million was raised to restore the visitor center, headquarters, a new park and 15 large signs. The museum moved and reassembled the building 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north along Las Vegas Boulevard after cutting it into eight sections. In November 2009, the Neon Museum restored and installed the famous Silver Slipper sign across from its Welcome Center, and two restored vintage signs were installed near the north end of Las Vegas Boulevard to designate it as a National Scenic Byway. Paid public admission began on October 27, 2012 and replaces advance registration only. In the first year, there were 60, 461 visitors, which exceeded the original estimate of 45-50,000 visitors. La Concha, after outgrowing its space in the front lobby, the museum moved its headquarters to the old town hall in 2016 and converted the offices into a museum shop. Don’t forget to check out this place in Las Vegas too.

In 2017, the museum purchased land for its first expansion since opening in 2012. To celebrate its fifth anniversary, the Neon Museum offered free admission on October 28, 2017. In 2018, the Neon Museum’s administrative staff moved back to the Las Vegas-Review Journal campus and opened a programming space there called Ne10 Studio. The bright and colorful neon signs of Las Vegas have been one of the city’s most memorable attractions for countless visitors over the years. These multi-story advertising beacons became one of the landmarks of the city. Today, the Neon Museum works hard to preserve a piece of the city’s history by purchasing, storing and in some cases restoring historic neon signs that fell by the wayside as businesses faded or new signs replaced the old ones. icons. You can see many of these signs on a guided tour of the Neon Museum, where old neon signs are kept outside in a large building. The guides tell the story of the signs and patterns that have evolved over the years. Museum work continues and the signs are in various conditions. In some cases, only a few were saved or found, while others were restored to their former glory. This contrast makes the museum much more interesting and gives visitors an idea of ​​how much work and care goes into these giant signs. If you are in need of a home repair and renovation, click here.