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In true Las Vegas fashion, Mayor Oscar B. Goodman, Mayor Pro Tem Gary Reese, Ward 5 Councilman Ricki Y. Barlow and others plan to celebrate Las Vegas Boulevard’s designation as a National Scenic Byway with a neon sign lighting ceremony. The event will take place at 4:45 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9. City of Las Vegas officials plan to meet on the west side of Las Vegas Boulevard, across from the Silver Slipper neon sign, at the south end of the Reed Whipple Cultural Center parking lot located at 821 Las Vegas Boulevard, North.
Nearly nine years in the making, Las Vegas Boulevard, from Washington Avenue to Sahara Avenue, was designated a National Scenic Byway in October.
“We’ve earned National Scenic Byway designation for this section of Las Vegas Boulevard and rightly so,” Mayor Goodman said. “There is only one Las Vegas Boulevard and this designation will help us to seek federal grants to add more neon signs, like the three we will be turning on next week, along this great corridor in downtown Las Vegas.”
The city began its effort in 2000 to designate this stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard as a National Scenic Byway. The state of Nevada designated downtown Las Vegas Boulevard as the state’s 17th scenic byway in 2001. The state designation allowed the city to receive a $25,000 federal grant to develop a Corridor Management Plan to restore and place as many as 20 historic neon signs in the median islands. The plan also calls for the protection of existing neon signs and a mechanism to encourage placement of more neon signs in the future.
The first three completely refurbished neon signs were installed on Las Vegas Boulevard as part of a $1.1 million streetscape improvement that started in May. In addition to restoring and placing three vintage neon signs, new landscaped median islands were also installed.
“Seeing these historic signs come to life again will not only be an exciting celebration of our past, it will also be a celebration of downtown Las Vegas’ exciting future,” Councilman Barlow said. "Ward 5 is rich in culture and these new signs will illuminate many of the cultural amenities that this community has to offer."
The Bow & Arrow Motel neon sign was set into place, north of Bonanza Road, in August. Years ago, the Bow & Arrow Motel was located on Las Vegas Boulevard at Wyoming Avenue near Dino’s. The sign is 35 feet tall and six feet wide, and is believed to have been installed during the late 1950s or early 60s.
Also in August, the Binion’s Horseshoe sign was put on its pedestal in a median at the beginning of the byway. The sign used to be at Binion’s Horseshoe Casino on Fremont Street. In the late 1960s, the sign was part of a complete redesign of the façade of the world famous casino. The sign stands 13 feet high and 12 feet wide.
The Silver Slipper neon sign was installed in September. The famous slipper used to sit atop the Silver Slipper Gambling Hall, as a part of what used to be called the Last Frontier Village, a replica of an old western town on Las Vegas Boulevard. Although the Silver Slipper opened in 1950, the sign did not go up until the 1960s. The Last Frontier became the New Frontier, which was eventually absorbed into the Frontier. The sign is 12 feet high and 17 feet wide. The slipper’s main body contains 900 incandescent light bulbs, with about 80 more in the new gold bow.
“These historic signs are the first in a series of neon signs that will be coming to Las Vegas Boulevard and this will be a must-see attraction for residents and visitors,” said Mayor Pro Tem Reese, whose ward includes portions of the National Scenic Byway.
Funding for the neon sign installation project was provided by the Centennial license plate fund and the city of Las Vegas. Rafael Construction is the project contractor.
The three signs are on loan from the Neon Museum. The city of Las Vegas formed a partnership with the non-profit Neon Museum in order to finish a joint Scenic Byway/Neon Museum Visitor Center in the restored La Concha Motel at 700 North Las Vegas Boulevard.
The historic signs and Scenic Byway/Neon Museum Visitor Center on Las Vegas Boulevard are located in the heart of the Las Vegas Cultural Corridor. The corridor is made up of the highest concentration of cultural institutions in Las Vegas and includes Cashman Center, the Las Vegas Library, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, Lied Discovery Children’s Museum, the Neon Museum, the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park and the Reed Whipple Cultural Center.
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