The Neon Museum is located just outside of the Las Vegas Strip and houses preserved neon signs from old casinos. Through the efforts of historical preservation groups, signs that were replaced by newer mega-casinos have been stored outdoors at the museum site. The museum gives tours and continues restoring signs to showcase the architectural designs and bright colors that used to light up the Las Vegas strip. A new three-acre site is under construction to better display the collected neon signs of Las Vegas's past.

1. the neon
boneyard,
or what’s old
is cool again...
photographed and written by Garner Kinmond
Las Vegas, Lost Wages, Sin City, whichever strikes a chord with you,
Vegas has always symbolized for many a new start, a quick escape,
the opportunity to strike it rich and leave all your troubles behind. But
like any quick escape or search for distraction, the hunt inevitably
loses its shine over time. Yet Lady Luck still acts a beacon to the
masses, all hoping to change their luck with a roll of the dice or a flick
of the wrist.
But on the outskirts of The Strip, just past Freemont Street, there lies a
place where all the dreams of the past have come to rest. All of the
signage that used to light up the strip, before the monstrous mega-
casinos were built, have been stored outdoors, uncovered in the
desert air. Through the persistence of a few historical preservation
societies, a movement has started to keep all these fabulous
treasures of Lady Luck’s past and create a museum to share in
the plunder. The ones that have already been restored are on
permanent display along Freemont Street.

2. Recently, the remaining shell exterior of the
La Concha Motel lobby was deposited
there. It is itself a beautiful artifact of archi-
tectural design by Paul Revere Williams, one
of the creators of the original Jet Age Theme
Building at LAX. The plan is now to start
operating tours from this new location and
begin preserving the past for all to see.
In tribute to these beacons of the past, the
photos contained herein have been shot
on film, and are printed in the old school
tradition of a dip’n’dunk’ darkroom.
For more information about the Neon
Museum visit www.neonmuseum.org
Most casino’s now have signage incorpo-
rating jumbo-tron LCD screens that tower
over the strip, are monolithic, the colour of
the desert sands, and, dare I say it, u-g-l-y.
But in the world of bigger, brighter, faster,
harder, the neon signs of yesterday have
found a place to be reborn... The Neon
Museum has begun construction on a three-
acre site right near the boneyard where
they’ve languished for so long.