- Neon Museum
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This article is about the museum in Las Vegas. For the museum in Los Angeles, see Museum of Neon Art.
Coordinates: 36°10′39.64″N 115°8′12.92″W / 36.1776778°N 115.1369222°W
Neon Museum 
Location Las Vegas, Nevada Type Art museum Website neonmuseum.org 
A sign from the museum's collection, displayed in the plaza next to Neonopolis
Horse and rider from the Hacienda ResortThe Neon Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, features signs from old casinos and other businesses displayed outdoors on over 6 acres (2.4 ha).[1] The museum is restoring the La Concha Motel lobby as its visitor center.
For many years, the Young Electric Sign Company stored many of these old signs in their "boneyard." The signs were slowly being destroyed by exposure to the elements. The museum is slowly restoring the signs and placing them around the Fremont Street Experience.
Contents
History
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 non-profit. The Neon Museum maintains restored signs along the Fremont Street Experience as well as the signs in the Boneyard collection.
Located on Las Vegas Boulevard and Bonanza, the Neon Museum includes a new park.
November, 1996: The Neon Museum at the Fremont Street Experience opens with the Hacienda Horse & Rider sign being lit at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street.
On January 24, 2006, the original 80-foot (24 m) tall Sahara sign was donated to the museum.
Recent history:[when?] The Neon Museum recently restored three signs to the median. The Neon Boneyard City Park (next to the museum) installed its sign based on pieces held in the collection and will open soon. The museum also recently took in the sign from the Moulin Rouge Hotel and is restoring the historic La Concha lobby to serve as the museum's building.
Restored signs
The Neon Museum maintains twelve restored signs throughout Downtown Las Vegas. Some can be seen on a self-guided visitors walk through the Fremont Street Experience. Three others have been added in recent years to the median of Las Vegas Boulevard in front of the eventual site for the Neon Museum itself.
Boneyard
The Neon Museum is located on Las Vegas Boulevard and Bonanza, across the street from Cashman Center and along the Las Vegas downtown museum corridor. The boneyard preserves over 150 neon signs from the Nevada area. While the core of the collection is from the old Yesco Boneyard, private donations and loans have expanded the collection to the current size.
Important historical pieces in the boneyard include the signage from the Moulin Rouge Hotel, the Stardust, Desert Inn and Caesar's Palace as well as many others. Not just neon signage, the museum also houses fiberglass sculptures including a giant skull from the Treasure Island among others.
Tours (and private photo shoots) of the boneyard must be arranged with the office prior to your visit. Tours occur on a weekly schedule.
References
- ^ Bass, Shermakaye (2007-06-06). "Neon Museum saving Las Vegas' iconic signs". The Los Angeles Times. http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-trw-neonvegas10jun10. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
External links
Active Atomic Testing Museum • Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum • Burlesque Hall of Fame • Clark County Heritage Museum • Erotic Heritage Museum • Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum • Imperial Palace Auto Collection • Las Vegas Gambling Museum • Las Vegas Natural History Museum • Liberace Museum • Lied Discovery Children's Museum • Lost City Museum • Madame Tussauds • Marjorie Barrick Museum • Neon Museum • Nevada State Museum • Nevada Southern Railroad Museum • Pinball Hall of Fame • Shelby Museum • Southern Nevada Museum of Fine Art
Future Previous Guinness World of Records • Guggenheim Hermitage Museum • Hollywood Movie Museum • Las Vegas Art Museum • Southern Nevada Museum of Fine Art • Star Trek: The Experience
Downtown Las Vegas Casinos Main Street Station • Plaza • California • Las Vegas Club • Mermaids • Golden Gate • La Bayou • Binion's • Golden Nugget • Fremont • Four Queens • Lady Luck • Fitzgeralds • Gold Spike • El Cortez • The Western
Business World Market Center • Symphony Park • Downtown gaming
Museums Neon Museum • Mob Museum • Las Vegas Natural History Museum • Lied Discovery Children's Museum
Attractions Downtown Arts District • Fremont East • Fremont Street • Fremont Street Experience • Las Vegas Post Office and Courthouse • Neonopolis • Mormon Fort
Medical facilities Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health
Future Projects Smith Center for the Performing Arts • World Jewelry Center • Grand Central Hotel
See also: North Las Vegas Categories:- Buildings and structures in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Signage
- Museums in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Art museums in Nevada
- Neon artists
- Neon lighting
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