Las Vegas Neon Museum restores 1960s flamingo sign
The Neon Museum has announced plans to restore a Las Vegas landmark that has been in its possession for decades without the public's knowledge.
It's even been shown off since it was acquired...so to speak.
Like a real flamingo burying its head in the sand, the famous flamingo logo is hidden in plain sight – behind the “Wedding Information” sign used by the Alibaba Wedding Center at the airport in the 1940s.
Thousands of couples who choose the museum’s $950-an-hour wedding dress rental service use it in the background of their wedding photos without even knowing it.
Known as the Plume or Pylon sign, it was installed in 1968 and was designed by Bill Clarke, corporate art director for Southern California sign company Ad Art, who also designed the signs for the 1965 Castaways and Thunderbird and the 1966 Frontier.
In 1976, the feather logo was joined by another logo with more feathers, as well as rainbow neon lights and a "pot of gold" logo directly above the marquee.
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In 1987, the Flamingo Tower sign was removed to make way for O'Shea's Casino, which opened two years later. O’Shea’s was demolished in 2012 and a smaller version opened on the Linq Promenade the following year.
The tower sign was donated to the museum by Flamingo in 2003. Fortunately, the resort's previous owner, the Hilton Corporation, had put it into storage 16 years ago.
The flamingo sign was never built as the current flamingo sign, nicknamed the "Cow's Nose," has done much to promote the Las Vegas Strip resort's famous name since it was added as part of a renovation in 1977.
What's the big deal?
The Flamingo is the oldest remaining resort on the Las Vegas Strip, opening in December 1946. His name - forever etched in pop culture thanks to Hollywood's fascination with Bugsy Siegel, the gangster who opened the museum - will be a major draw for the museum. The company plans to use it as a state-of-the-art showcase for visitors during the extensive restoration process.
Unfortunately, nothing remains of the original resort, with the last vestiges destroyed during renovations in 1993. This would make the restored flag emblem the oldest surviving remains.
What is included in the recovery
The flag sign is expected to be fully restored and "properly" displayed at the Neon Museum by May 2024. Three major donors have pledged to cover the costs, which are expected to reach six figures, unusually high for a museum. Because it was so big and a lot of its original neon lights needed to be replaced.
The donors are Andrew Pascal, CEO of online gaming company Play Studios; Felicia French, CEO of textile company Opuzen; and Amy, the widow of Las Vegas comedian Pat Cooper. Emily Conner Cooper died in June at the age of 93.
Conner Cooper told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that she wanted to restore the signs since her husband first appeared at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas in 1963.
"I didn't even know these existed, I just thought 'gosh, the old feather logo was so beautiful, you know what a shame it's gone'," Connor Cooper told the newspaper. "It's important to have these pieces shine again It’s very exciting and thrilling for me.”
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Source: www.casino.org
