Neon Museum Officially Opening Oct. 27th

September 12, 2012

THE NEON MUSEUM TO OFFICIALLY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC ON SATURDAY, OCT. 27

Featured Attractions Include Guided Tours of Neon Boneyard,

New Visitors’ Center Inside Historic La Concha Motel Lobby

After more than 15 years of planning, the Neon Museum, a Las Vegas historical institution dedicated to the preservation and celebration of some of the city’s most distinctive architectural landmarks, will officially open its doors to the public on Saturday, Oct. 27.

The Neon Museum, home to a collection of more than 150 neon signs dating from the 1930s, is the largest collection of neon signage in the world and a unique record of Las Vegas’ colorful history. Inside a two-acre outdoor museum space known as the Neon Boneyard, iconic signs from the city’s most celebrated properties — including the Moulin Rouge, the Desert Inn, the Flamingo and the Stardust — are displayed alongside those from various other bygone restaurants, hotels and businesses.

The museum’s new visitors’ center will be located on-site in the recently rehabilitated La Concha Motel lobby, the seashell-shaped, Mid-Century Modern architectural masterpiece designed and built by architect Paul Revere Williams. Originally constructed in 1961 on Las Vegas Boulevard South, next to the Riviera Hotel’s current location, the La Concha lobby was saved from demolition in 2005 and moved to its current location in downtown Las Vegas in 2006.

According to Bill Marion, chair, Neon Museum’s Board of Trustees, the museum’s official opening will bring both a significant cultural and economic impact to the community. “There is renewed interest in ‘old’ Las Vegas and in the rediscovery of the historical downtown area. The Neon Museum will play a major role in this renaissance by bringing new visitors to downtown Las Vegas, by creating additional opportunities for tourism growth and by adding to the ongoing economic revitalization of the area,” says Marion.

Tours of the Neon Boneyard, which last approximately 45 minutes, will be available to the public every half hour starting at 10 a.m., with the last tour departing at 4 p.m., every Monday through Saturday. Tickets are $18 for adults; $12 for students with valid ID, senior citizens, veterans and Nevada residents. Children ages 6 and under are free. Tour capacity is limited. To ensure admission on the date and time desired, visitors are advised to purchase their tickets in advance through the Neon Museum’s Web site, www.NeonMuseum.org. The La Concha Visitors Center will be open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Both facilities are located at 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North, Las Vegas, NV, 89101.

“Visitors from around the world have been eagerly anticipating the Neon Museum’s opening for many years, so it gives us tremendous pleasure to be able to unveil this remarkable and historic collection to the public,” says Danielle Kelly, executive director, Neon Museum. “Our goal is to give guests an enhanced appreciation for Las Vegas’ rich visual culture while celebrating the beauty and craftsmanship of a distinctly modern art form.”

In addition to the Neon Boneyard and visitors’ center, the Neon Museum has partnered with the City of Las Vegas to create the Las Vegas Signs Project, in which restored signs from the museum’s collection have been installed on Las Vegas Boulevard between Sahara and Washington Avenues — a stretch of roadway that has been designated a National Scenic Byway by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Currently, seven restored signs from the 1950s are on display, including the Silver Slipper, the Bow & Arrow Motel, Binion’s Horseshoe, Society Cleaners, the Lucky Cuss Hotel, the Normandy Hotel and the Hacienda Horse and Rider.

The museum’s collection also includes nine restored signs installed as public art throughout the downtown area. The Downtown Gallery begins on Fremont Street at Las Vegas Blvd. and extends west toward Third Street. Signs in this gallery include Aladdin’s Lamp, The Flame Restaurant, the Chief Court Motel, Andy Anderson, The Red Barn, Wedding Information, the Nevada Motel and Dots Flowers. Further south, the 5th Street Liquor sign, located on Casino Center St. near Garces Ave., features a classic example of the type of animation that was frequently used in neon signage, and the Landmark Hotel sign, located on Paradise Road near Convention Center Dr., has been placed near the site where the iconic property stood until its demolition in 1995.

ABOUT THE NEON MUSEUM

Founded in 1996, the Neon Museum is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic and cultural enrichment. In addition to a two-acre outdoor exhibition space known as the Neon Boneyard, the museum also encompasses a visitors’ center housed inside the former La Concha Motel lobby as well as 16 restored signs installed as public art throughout downtown Las Vegas. Public education, outreach, research, archival preservation and a grant-funded neon sign survey represent a selection of the museum’s ongoing projects. Both the Neon Boneyard and the La Concha Visitors’ Center are located at 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North in Las Vegas. For more information, visit www.NeonMuseum.org or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Movie Theaters of my Childhood

January 14, 2012

When I was a kid, movie theaters were my home away from home. In the heat of the summer, they offered air conditioned splendor and big screen excitement. Drive-ins allowed my family to bundle us up on a Friday or Saturday night and see a movie from the comfort of our car. Here are some of my homes away from home:

The Cinerama Theater -there weren't very many of them but we had one. Located on Viking Road just off Paradise, this was a terrific theater. I dragged my friends there to see many a film, including "Fantasia", "The Hindenburg" and "The Three Musketeers".

The Fox theater located in the Charleston Plaza Mall. This was a large and elegant theater located in the first mall in Las Vegas. On East Charleston, just south of downtown, this theater had a sign that could be seen for miles. We saw "The Sound of Music", "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", "The Hot Rock" and on New Year's Eve, "The Poseidon Adventure".

The Stardust Drive-In located behind the hotel. We saw "Viva Las Vegas" there. My parents were big Elvis fans and my dad was working at the Golden Gate when they were filming the movie and stepped outside of the casino to watch the filming of the race.

The SkyWay Drive-In. After the Stardust Drive-In closed, we used to drive out Boulder Highway to this great Drive-In. My dad bundled us all up and took us to see "Night of the Living Dead" after my mother brought home a Reader's Digest that had an article, "The film you don't want your kids to see". My dad had a wicked sense of humor.

The Huntridge Theater at East Charleston and Maryland Parkway was the closest theater we had to an old fashioned movie palace. Complete with soundproof "cry room" for unruly babies, the theater was home to Disney films and Saturday afternoons the theater was filled with kids. In addition to the Disney films, my friend Alan and I saw "Kelly's Heroes" and "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean" there.

Other theaters I loved were the long-gone MGM Grand Theater in the original MGM Grand Hotel (now Bally's). This theater had plush love-sets and a cocktail waitress that brought your drink order to you. You ordered just by pressing a button on the cocktail table in front of you. They only ran classic MGM films but I was already a big film buff by the time the hotel opened and they changed the bill every week. You got a handout with a synopsis of the film and the cast listing. They showed a cartoon, newsreel and then the film. It was old-fashioned and it was beyond great.

The Red Rock Theaters on West Charleston. We lived in Charleston Heights and this was the theater closest to us. Started as a a dual screened theater, it ultimately expanded to 11 theaters. The theaters in the back were placed around an old-time Main Street like square. We lived at this place, it seemed, when I was in high school. Between this and the MGM Grand theater, my weekends were spent at the movies. We saw "The Sting", "Billy Jack", "The Godfather" and every major (and minor) film that came out in the 1970s.

The Guild Theater, the El Portal and the Fremont Theaters were all located downtown. The Guild was more an art house back then. I saw "Next Stop, Greenwich Village", "The Passenger" and other art films of the 1970s there.

The Parkway Theaters across the street from the Boulevard Mall. The Parkway was a dual screen theater. We saw "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Star Wars" there.

How about you, which theater was your favorite?

The El Cortez celebrates 70 years of classic Las Vegas style

November 5, 2011

Hard to believe that the El Cortez is 70 years old but the venerable hotel/casino is still going strong and celebrating all year long.

Opened by J.Kell Houssels in 1941, it was considered to be too far down Fremont Street. But from the beginning it was successful. Ben Siegel came to town to muscle in on the race wire at the hotel and with Meyer Lansky, Gus Greenbaum and Moe Sedway bought the casino from Houssels in the mid-1940s for $600,000. They didn't hang on to it for long as Siegel was already working on his dream project on the Las Vegas Strip, the Flamingo. They sold it back to Houssels in 1946 for $766,000. Houssels bought in famed Los Angeles architect, Wayne McAllister, to do a remodel on the hotel.

In 1963, young Jackie Gaughan, who had come to Las Vegas in 1943 when he was stationed at the old Air Base (that would become Nellis). He moved his wife Roberta and two sons, Michael and Jackie, jr to Las Vegas in 1951. He bought a small 3% of the Boulder Club and 3% of the Flamingo with partner Eddie Barrick. Jackie had a knack for sports books and handicapping. In 1961, he and partner Mel Exber bought the Las Vegas Club and in 1963, they bought the El Cortez. Gaughan hired Wayne McAllister to oversee the design and construction of a new room tower.

Fremont Street back then was the center of town. The telephone company and Sears were located across the street, JC Penny's was nearby as was Woolworth's and Skaggs. People came downtown not only to gamble but to shop. From the beginning the El Cortez was a hit with not only the tourists but locals as well.

Jackie invented the Fun Book, filled with coupons for free drinks, free slot pulls and two for one dinners. Like Benny Binion, he had a knack for understanding and treating his customers like kings.

Jackie had his ties in downtown real estate from the beginning. With Kell Houssels, Sam Boyd and others, they opened the Union Plaza. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s while the neighborhood around the El Cortez changed and the local businesses that catered to local shopping moved out to the suburbs, the El Cortez never waivered.

Jackie sold the El Cortez to family members a few years ago but he still lives in the hotel and can still be seen walking through the casino. The last few years, the hotel has undergone renovation and upgrades from a new air ventilation/filteration system to the Cabana Suites with its great mid-century modern flair, across the street.

As part of the 70 year celebration, the Flame Restaurant is offering Oysters Rockefeller and Hearts of Palms every Tuesday through Thursday for the rest of the year.

So go downtown and help the El Cortez celebrate 70 years of history and enjoy a taste of classic Las Vegas.