The new, 80-foot-tall Gateway Arches on Las Vegas Boulevard at the base of the Strat Hotel, Casino and SkyPod were illuminated for the first time last month.
The $6.5 million project was an effort to clarify a common misconception: While the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip is globally famous, many don't realize that it and the rest of the Strip are actually outside Las Vegas' municipal boundaries, in unincorporated Clark County.
The Gateway Arches, brightly lit beginning at dusk every day, welcomes visitors to the City of Las Vegas as they travel north on Las Vegas Boulevard. A pink, retro Las Vegas emblem is suspended above the boulevard.
"Las Vegas is known worldwide as the getaway for the best in entertainment, fun, dining and convention business," mayor Carolyn G. Goodman said. "What better way to invite everyone into historic downtown than by passing through this massive new archway into the heart of a revitalized Las Vegas."
Selbert Perkins Design conceived and designed the arches. The Young Electric Sign Co. (Yesco), the business behind some of the area's most iconic signs, fabricated and installed the latest distinctive photo opportunity for visitors.
"Yesco has a long history of fabricating, installing and maintaining Las Vegas' most internationally recognizable signs, and the Gateway Arches represent the newest monumental addition to that portfolio," said Jeff Young, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Yesco.
A few fun facts:
• One leg weighs 18,400 pounds.
• Each arch leg spans 140 feet across Las Vegas Boulevard.
• There are 13,016 individually programmable lights.
• The emblem is 20-by-40-feet and weighs 7,300 pounds.
• The arches draw more 61,000 watts of power.
"The Gateway Arches are a striking landmark to designate what has long been the gateway from the Las Vegas Strip to the City of Las Vegas," said Stephen Thayer, vice president and general manager at the Strat. "We are thrilled that this beautiful monument has been erected just steps away from our iconic tower."