Out with the old, in with the ... old-ishly new?
That's the gist of the Las Vegas Scenic Byways Plan, a $1.1 million project in which vintage neon signs from long-demolished Sin City hotels and motels are being refurbished for new life as (literal) cultural signposts of the city's spirited past. As many as 17 signs are slated to be placed in medians on Las Vegas Boulevard between Washington and Sahara avenues.
Already on display are the Hacienda horse and rider from the Hacienda hotel-casino; a vintage sign from the Bow and Arrow Motel; the giant, studded slipper from the Silver Slipper Gambling Hall; and the venerable horseshoe from Binion's Horseshoe downtown.
"The goal of the project is not only to restore history but to stimulate civic pride and encourage tourism and visitation to downtown," said Danielle Kelly, operations manager of the Neon Museum, a 13-year-old, nonprofit attraction that has collected more than 150 historical neon signs, many of which sit in what is known as the Boneyard.
The Boneyard was kind of a convalescent home to all of the signs currently being displayed as part of the Byways project and houses others that will be added to the collection.
The signs that have currently found a home on Las Vegas Boulevard all have storied pasts.
• The Bow and Arrow Motel used to be located at Las Vegas Boulevard and Wyoming Avenue. The sign was installed during the late 1950s or early 1960s.
• The Silver Slipper operated from 1950 to 1988. Originally named the Golden Slipper Saloon and Gambling Hall and located next to the Frontier, the property was known for its rotating slipper atop the casino. Howard Hughes bought it 1968 for $5.4 million, eventually dismantling the slipper (by filling it with concrete) because he feared enemies might plant a camera in the rotating mechanism.
• The Horseshoe on Fremont Street opened in 1950 and was renamed Binion's Horseshoe in 1966. The property was a known haunt for high rollers, popular for its generous comps and led by outsize businessman Benny Binion, whose selling point was "good food, good whiskey and good gamble." The property closed in 2004, was sold and reopened in 2005 as Binion's.
• Once a 256-room motor lodge, the Hacienda burgeoned into a popular and posh, 1,200-room resort that had a 40-year run (ferrying in guests on its own airline, Hacienda Airlines; inking Redd Foxx to a headlining gig) before it was imploded in 1996. The far south-Strip property was also distinguishable by its neon horse and rider.
The first signs for the byway project took three to four months to refurbish. Workers are trying to be as accurate in their restorations as they can, down to using the same paint, materials and brush strokes as were originally employed, when possible.
For example, Kelly said they did glitter tests to approximate the materials that were used in the 1950s to create the glittery effect on the Silver Slipper sign.
Civic, state and city officials envisioned portions of Las Vegas Boulevard being named as a national scenic byway, a Federal Highway Administration designation that recognizes efforts to protect and promote the nation's most outstanding roads.
To garner consideration, a road must be regionally significant and possess one of six qualities: scenic, natural, historic, recreational, archaeological or cultural importance. Another requirement stipulates that 20% of the project funding must come from local or state sources (with the federal funds covering the remaining 80%).
Las Vegas Boulevard, from Sahara to Washington, is one of three urban thoroughfares in the country to earn scenic byway status.
The signs are the latest addition to what's known as downtown's Cultural Corridor, which is home to the Cashman Center, the Las Vegas Library, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, the Lied Discovery Children's Museum, the Reed Whipple Cultural Center, Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park and the Neon Museum.
"Everything just sort of came together with the project," Kelly said. "We hope the signs will not only bring more locals down but more tourists, as well. There's something for everyone."