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Las Vegas Signs (page 1)

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Welcome Sign
Las Vegas, NV
The Welcome Sign was designed by Betty Willis and built in 1959 by Western Neon. The sign is made of neon, incandescent bulbs, and plastic. The original plastic panels were corrugated to keep the sign more rigid. The "Welcome" letters are painted to look like silver dollars. This is perhaps the world's most imitated sign. It stands in a traffic median at the south end of the Strip. As the Strip has grown, the sign has been moved further and further south. The sign was nearly demolished in 1993 but it is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4. [map]

McCarran Field
Las Vegas, NV
The Alamo Airport was built in 1942. It was renamed McCarran Field in 1948 and this gate served as the main entrance. The gate includes simulated steel propellers and bird wings. The terminals have been moved elsewhere but the Executive Air Terminal is still used for private aircraft. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Motel 6
Las Vegas, NV		 McDonald's [gone]
Las Vegas, NV		 McDonald's
Las Vegas, NV
In addition to the many vintage signs in Las Vegas, many fast food and motel chains have dramatic contemporary signs.

The Motel 6 features a huge neon sign. It is the largest Motel 6 in the country. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

These have been several neon McDonald's signs in Las Vegas. The photo of the first sign was taken in 2006. It was gone by 2007. The second sign was still there in 2015. There may be some others around town. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. [map]

Fun City Motel
Las Vegas, NV
2014: 2023:
The Fun City Motel was built in 1952 as the Glenn Vegas Motel. The top sign panel was installed then. It featured depictions of a cowgirl and a female diver diving into a swimming pool. The lariat that the cowgirl held had a rope which created the neon border around the panel. By 1956, the bulb arrow and a horizontal panel reading "MOTEL" was added for the Glenn Vegas. It became the Holiday Motel in the 1960s and the panel was adapted. The disk with bulbs was added above the text panel and the vertical "MOTEL" panel was added below. In 1981, the sign was adapted again for the Fun City Motel. In 2020, the motel closed sign and the sign was removed by the City of Las Vegas. In 2023, the sign was restored and installed in the median of Las Vegas Blvd. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Lone Palm Motel
Las Vegas, NV		 Clark Inn Motel
Las Vegas, NV		 Domino Motel
Las Vegas, NV
These three signs were all restored by the City of Las Vegas and installed in the Las Vegas Boulevard median around 2022 or 2023.

The Lone Palm Motel opened in the early 1950s as the Ak-Sar-Ben Motel. It became the Lone Palm around 1954 and this sign was built by YESCO then. The motel was demolished in the 1980s but the sign was saved and stored at The Neon Museum until it was restored. For more, see this website. [map]

The Clark Inn Motel was built as the Clark Auto Court in 1939. It became the Clark Inn in the 1940s. This sign was built in 1962. The readerboard was added later. The motel was demolished in 1988 but the sign remained there until the early 2000s. It was then moved to The Neon Museum until it was restored. For more, see this website. [map]

The Domino Motel opened in 1953. There was originally a rooftop sign. There were also at least two other signs. This sign was built in the 1960s. The motel closed in the 1990s and was demolished in 1999. This sign was stored at The Neon Museum until it was restored. [map]

Apache Motel
Las Vegas, NV		 Golden Inn Motel
Las Vegas, NV
These two signs were also restored by the City of Las Vegas and installed in the Las Vegas Boulevard median in 2022 and 2023.

The Apache Motel opened in 1960 and this sign was built in 1965. The motel was demolished in 2010 and the sign was donated to The Neon Museum. [map]

The Golden Inn Motel motel and sign were built in 1960. The motel was demolished in 2004 and the sign was stored at The Neon Museum. [map]

High Hat Regency Motel
Las Vegas, NV
The High Hat Regency Motel was previously named the Chevron Motel. At that time, it had a simple sign with just backlit plastic panels. In the 1960s, it had an arch on top with a suspended bulb-studded ball. That was removed when the name was changed to the High Hat. The flashing bulbs and neon were added at that time. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Holiday House Motel [gone]
Las Vegas, NV		 Gateway Motel
Las Vegas, NV
The Holiday House Motel sign might have been built in the early 1980s. In 2020, the neon, bulbs, readerboard, and arrow were removed and the sign was adapted for The Blvd. Boutique Apartments. [map]

I believe the Gateway Motel sign was built in the 1950s. It was originally painted darker colors and had a larger graphic of a gate. It was originally known as the Gateway Auto Court. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Desert Moon Motel
Las Vegas, NV
2006: 2014: 2022:
The Desert Moon Motel opened in 1952. The original sign featured a saguaro cactus and a moon. The moon on top of this sign may have revolved originally. By 2019, the letter panels had been painted yellow and the moon was painted white. [map]

Somerset House Motel [gone]
Las Vegas, NV
The Somerset House Motel opened in 1962. These photos are from 2006. The motel closed in 2010 and was demolished the following year. The sign is gone now, too. For more, see this website.

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