Search Results
Photographs of Sky Ranch Motel sign, Las Vegas (Nev.), April 18, 2017
Date
2017-04-18
2017-08-12
Archival Collection
Description
The Sky Ranch Motel sign sits at 2009 Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Sheet.
Site address: 2009 Fremont St
Sign owner: Sky Ranch Motel INC
Sign details: .57 acre lot, original constructed in 1954.
Sign condition: 3 - seems in one piece, broken neon tubing, sun damaged paint (faded), lettering is still legible. No lettering on reader board.
Sign form: back to back pylon sign/monument sign
Sign-specific description: Abstract design, has a crescent moon form on top. Stars painted on and framed with skeleton neon tubing, skeletal neon around "sky ranch motel" and "no vacancy". Primary colors used, yellow for moon and star details, blue for the abstract bubble framing the name of the motel, yellow on sides of the bubble, red for the sides of the moon, reader board and its frame, and the base of the sign. Moon on top would internally light up on its own.
Sign - type of display: Neon, readerboard, internally illuminated moon
Sign - media: Steel and Plastic
Sign environment: Property is surrounded by motels and residential
Sign - date of redesign/move: Repainted in 2006, was a darker blue previous
Sign - artistic significance: Celestial theme popular during the Space Race era of the 1950s and 1960s.
Survey - research locations: Motel website, assessor's website
Survey - research notes: Approached office staff, owner was not in but I left my number and email at the front desk, no response.
Surveyor: Danny Jacobs
Survey - date completed: 2017-08-12
Sign keywords: Neon; Steel; Plastic; Reader board; Back to back; Internally illuminated; Pole sign
Site address: 2009 Fremont St
Sign owner: Sky Ranch Motel INC
Sign details: .57 acre lot, original constructed in 1954.
Sign condition: 3 - seems in one piece, broken neon tubing, sun damaged paint (faded), lettering is still legible. No lettering on reader board.
Sign form: back to back pylon sign/monument sign
Sign-specific description: Abstract design, has a crescent moon form on top. Stars painted on and framed with skeleton neon tubing, skeletal neon around "sky ranch motel" and "no vacancy". Primary colors used, yellow for moon and star details, blue for the abstract bubble framing the name of the motel, yellow on sides of the bubble, red for the sides of the moon, reader board and its frame, and the base of the sign. Moon on top would internally light up on its own.
Sign - type of display: Neon, readerboard, internally illuminated moon
Sign - media: Steel and Plastic
Sign environment: Property is surrounded by motels and residential
Sign - date of redesign/move: Repainted in 2006, was a darker blue previous
Sign - artistic significance: Celestial theme popular during the Space Race era of the 1950s and 1960s.
Survey - research locations: Motel website, assessor's website
Survey - research notes: Approached office staff, owner was not in but I left my number and email at the front desk, no response.
Surveyor: Danny Jacobs
Survey - date completed: 2017-08-12
Sign keywords: Neon; Steel; Plastic; Reader board; Back to back; Internally illuminated; Pole sign
Mixed Content
Photographs of Roulette Motel sign, Las Vegas (Nev.), April 18, 2017
Date
2017-04-18
2017-08-13
Archival Collection
Description
The Roulette Motel sign sits at 2019 Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Sheet.
Site address: 2019 Fremont St
Sign owner: Proview Series 77 LLC
Sign details: A .63 acre lot that was constructed in 1955.
Sign condition: 3 - the roadway sign's neon is broken in various places, reader board uses banners instead of cut out letters, sun damaged paint (faded), unknown if still lit.
Sign form: back to back pole/monument sign
Sign-specific description: Double sided sign with graphic of a Roulette table which may have been animated (little cut out holes can be seen on the board). Skeletal neon around word "Roulette" and "Motel" and "No Vacancy" with decorative braid style design around the arch of the sign. Banner used for reader board instead of original cut out letters, possibly internally lit.
Sign - type of display: Neon
Sign - media: Steel and Plastic
Sign animation: Possible flicker animation on roulette table at one time
Sign environment: Motel is by other motels and a residential area
Sign - date of installation: Possibly 1960s, not the original sign
Sign - date of redesign/move: Sign has been repainted recently, but exact date unknown
Sign - thematic influences: Casino themed, seemed to be popular trend in the 50s-60s on Fremont.
Survey - research locations: Motel website, www.roadarch.com,
Survey - research notes: Owner owns multiple properties on Fremont Street
Surveyor: Danny Jacobs
Survey - date completed: 2017-08-13
Sign keywords: Neon; Steel; Plastic; Pole sign; Flickering; Back to back
Site address: 2019 Fremont St
Sign owner: Proview Series 77 LLC
Sign details: A .63 acre lot that was constructed in 1955.
Sign condition: 3 - the roadway sign's neon is broken in various places, reader board uses banners instead of cut out letters, sun damaged paint (faded), unknown if still lit.
Sign form: back to back pole/monument sign
Sign-specific description: Double sided sign with graphic of a Roulette table which may have been animated (little cut out holes can be seen on the board). Skeletal neon around word "Roulette" and "Motel" and "No Vacancy" with decorative braid style design around the arch of the sign. Banner used for reader board instead of original cut out letters, possibly internally lit.
Sign - type of display: Neon
Sign - media: Steel and Plastic
Sign animation: Possible flicker animation on roulette table at one time
Sign environment: Motel is by other motels and a residential area
Sign - date of installation: Possibly 1960s, not the original sign
Sign - date of redesign/move: Sign has been repainted recently, but exact date unknown
Sign - thematic influences: Casino themed, seemed to be popular trend in the 50s-60s on Fremont.
Survey - research locations: Motel website, www.roadarch.com,
Survey - research notes: Owner owns multiple properties on Fremont Street
Surveyor: Danny Jacobs
Survey - date completed: 2017-08-13
Sign keywords: Neon; Steel; Plastic; Pole sign; Flickering; Back to back
Mixed Content
Photographs of Desert Hills Motel sign, Las Vegas (Nev.), April 18, 2017
Date
2017-04-18
2017-08-12
Archival Collection
Description
The Desert Hills Motel sign sits at 2121 Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Sheet.
Site address: 2121 Fremont St
Sign owner: Desert Hills Motel Enterprises Inc
Sign details: 0.71 acre lot with an original construction year of 1956.
Sign condition: 4 - recently redone, working neon and incandescent bulbs, bird spikes on top.
Sign form: Monument Sign
Sign-specific description: Directional monument sign, giant arrow used to direct guests into parking lot. Basic design, blue background for the arrow, reader board, and support pole, white lettering for "Desert Hills Motel" outlined with skeleton neon tubing. Little geometric diamonds framing "Vacancy" and "Entrance" with skeleton neon tubing framing that as well. "No Vacancy" has red neon for coloring. Reader board would of internally illuminated. The word "Desert Hills" glowed a pale blue, "Motel" glowed a bright red, and there was an outline of neon around the arrow of the sign. Skeletal neon only it seems no fill in.
Sign - type of display: Neon, internally illuminated reader board
Sign - media: Steel and Plastic
Sign environment: Surrounded by other motels and residential
Sign manufacturer: No external markings for sign company or designer
Sign - date of installation: c. 1957
Sign - date of redesign/move: Recently repainted, but exact date unknown
Survey - research locations: Motel website, old motel literature, assessor's website
Survey - research notes: Same owner as the Roulette Motel
Surveyor: Danny Jacobs
Survey - date completed: 2017-08-12
Sign keywords: Neon; Steel; Plastic; Reader board; Internally illuminated; Directional; Pole sign
Site address: 2121 Fremont St
Sign owner: Desert Hills Motel Enterprises Inc
Sign details: 0.71 acre lot with an original construction year of 1956.
Sign condition: 4 - recently redone, working neon and incandescent bulbs, bird spikes on top.
Sign form: Monument Sign
Sign-specific description: Directional monument sign, giant arrow used to direct guests into parking lot. Basic design, blue background for the arrow, reader board, and support pole, white lettering for "Desert Hills Motel" outlined with skeleton neon tubing. Little geometric diamonds framing "Vacancy" and "Entrance" with skeleton neon tubing framing that as well. "No Vacancy" has red neon for coloring. Reader board would of internally illuminated. The word "Desert Hills" glowed a pale blue, "Motel" glowed a bright red, and there was an outline of neon around the arrow of the sign. Skeletal neon only it seems no fill in.
Sign - type of display: Neon, internally illuminated reader board
Sign - media: Steel and Plastic
Sign environment: Surrounded by other motels and residential
Sign manufacturer: No external markings for sign company or designer
Sign - date of installation: c. 1957
Sign - date of redesign/move: Recently repainted, but exact date unknown
Survey - research locations: Motel website, old motel literature, assessor's website
Survey - research notes: Same owner as the Roulette Motel
Surveyor: Danny Jacobs
Survey - date completed: 2017-08-12
Sign keywords: Neon; Steel; Plastic; Reader board; Internally illuminated; Directional; Pole sign
Mixed Content
Transcript of roundtable interview with members of Temple Beth Sholom by Barbara Tabach, January 14, 2015
Date
2015-01-14
Archival Collection
Description
In this roundtable discussion, members of Temple Beth Sholom discuss the history of the long-established congregation. Interviewees are Sandy Mallin, Oscar Goodman, Jared Shafer, Joel Goot, Arne Rosencrantz, Jerry Blut, Jackie Boiman, Gene Greenberg, and Flora Mason, with Shelley Berkley joining in later in the interview. Most of the interviewees have been involved in the leadership of the congregation. They discuss relationships with various rabbis over the years, and successful fundraising efforts to build the original synagogue. Other early leaders in the congregation were Edythe Katz-Yarchever, the Goot family, Stuart Mason, Herb Kaufman and Leo Wilner. Until the 1980s, Temple Beth Sholom was the only synagogue in Las Vegas, but after a dispute over the burial of a non-Jew, a new synagogue formed (Shareii Tefilla), and at nearly the same time, Temple Beth Sholom began investigating a move from their site on Oakey Boulevard. Most have nostalgia for the former location, but discuss the changes in the neighborhood that necessitated the move to Summerlin. Then they discuss the other initiatives that were borne out of Temple Beth Sholom, such as bond drives for Israel, B'nai B'rith, and the Kolod Center. They share other memories, then discuss the leadership and Sandy Mallin becoming the first female president of the temple. They credit Mallin with keeping the temple going through lean years, and helping to recruit Rabbi Felipe Goodman. The group goes on to mention other influential members of the Jewish community including Jack Entratter and Lloyd Katz, who helped integrate Las Vegas.
Text
Transcript of interview with Myram Borders by Claytee D. White, February 9, 2009
Date
2009-02-09
Archival Collection
Description
Growing up in Las Vegas, Myram Borders remained in Nevada most of her life. After graduating from high school, she attended the University of Nevada Reno. An internship with United Press International wire service would place her on a career path that included working in Reno, Los Angeles, and then brought her back to Las Vegas in 1965. Her journalism experience with UPI created a foundation for unique insights about living in Las Vegas and the effect gaming had on the world's perceptions of Las Vegas newsworthiness. After her long career with UPI, Myram also worked briefly for Gannett and then became commissioner of Consumer Affairs under Gov. Bob Miller, which she admits was not her favorite work. Her next step was to head up of the Las Vegas News Bureau. As one might expect, Myram has stories about the stories she covered. She recalls how by sheer accident she came upon the scene of Lefty Rosenthal's car being blown up in a parking lot. She explains how a light system was put atop the El Cortez Hotel to signal whether workers were to show up for work at the test site. She covered the first woman dealer in Las Vegas and scooped other reporters to announce Elvis' wedding at the Aladdin.
Text
Slide of the Bowers Mansion, Washoe Valley, Nevada, circa 1970s
Date
1970 to 1979
Archival Collection
Description
The Bowers Mansion was built in 1863 by Lemuel "Sandy" Bowers and his wife, Eilley Orrum Bowers, and is a prime example of the homes built in Nevada by the new millionaires of the Comstock Lode mining boom. The mansion, designed by J. Neely Johnson, a builder and ex-governor of California, combined Georgian Revival and Italianate architectural styles. It was modeled after a design conceived by Eilley based on her recollection of elegant buildings in her native Scotland. Following the death of Sandy Bowers in 1868, Eilley fell on hard financial times. She generated income by renting out rooms in the mansion and hosting parties and picnics on the grounds. The mansion hosted a ball for the women's suffrage movement and was the location of the annual Miner's Ball. The period of 1873–75 was the height of the mansion's popularity. However, this was not enough to overcome Eilley's debts and she finally lost her home to foreclosure in 1876. The mansion was abandoned by the time Henry Riter acquired it and operated it as a resort until 1946. The building is currently owned and operated by the Washoe County Parks Department. Some 500 Nevada families have donated period furniture housed in the mansion. The park blends the historical site with recreational facilities such as a spring-fed swimming pool, picnic areas, and a playground. The Bowers Mansion is located in Washoe Valley, within the Bowers Mansion Regional Park at 4005 Old U.S. Highway 395 North, North Washoe Valley, Nevada.
Image
Slide of the rock formation known as The Squaw and Her Basket, Pyramid Lake, Nevada, circa 1970s
Date
1970 to 1979
Archival Collection
Description
The rock formation known as The Squaw and Her Basket, Pyramid Lake, Nevada. Pyramid Lake is the geographic sink of the Truckee River Basin, 40 mi (64 km) northeast of Reno. Pyramid Lake is fed by the Truckee River, which is mostly the outflow from Lake Tahoe. The Truckee River enters Pyramid Lake at its southern end. Pyramid Lake has no outlet, with water leaving only by evaporation, or sub-surface seepage (an endorheic lake). The lake has about 10% of the area of the Great Salt Lake, but it has about 25% more volume. The salinity is approximately 1/6 that of sea water. Although clear Lake Tahoe forms the headwaters that drain to Pyramid Lake, the Truckee River delivers more turbid waters to Pyramid Lake after traversing the steep Sierra terrain and collecting moderately high silt-loaded surface runoff. Pyramid Lake is the site of some of the Earth's most spectacular tufa deposits. Tufa is a rock composed of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) that forms at the mouth of a spring, from lake water, or from a mixture of spring and lake water. The explorer John C. Fremont (1845) wrote about the tufas during his 1843-44 expedition and named the lake after the pyramidal-shaped island that lies along the east shore of the lake. The Paiute name for the island is Wono, meaning cone-shaped basket. The Paiute name for the lake is Cui-Ui Panunadu, meaning fish in standing water.
Image
Photograph of a Minsky showgirl posing in front of a poster at the Aladdin Hotel, Las Vegas (Nev.), 1972
Date
1972
Archival Collection
Description
A Minsky's showgirl in a beaded costume and feathered headdress poses with a chest of coins and a poster for an Aladdin promotion. A security guard is standing behind the chest of coins. A row of slot machines is visible behind her. The Aladdin opened on April 1, 1966 and closed on November 25, 1997, and was imploded on 7:30pm, on April 27, 1998, except for the Aladdin Theatre to make way for the construction of an entirely new casino. The new Aladdin was scheduled to reopen on August 17, 2000, at 6:00 p.m. The opening was delayed while the Clark County building inspector completed its fire safety testing. Another delay was caused by last-minute repairs to the casino surveillance system. The new Aladdin finally opened the next day at 7:45 a.m. The casino was sold in bankruptcy on June 20, 2003 to a partnership of Planet Hollywood and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Renovations were carried out in stages, allowing the resort to remain open throughout. The retail space formerly known as "The Desert Passage" was converted into the Hollywood-themed "Miracle Mile Shops" and the theatre formerly known as the "Aladdin Theatre" was converted into "The AXIS". After the casino was renovated, it was reopened as "Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino" on April 17, 2007. Site Name: Aladdin Hotel (Las Vegas, Nev.) Street Address: 3667 South Las Vegas Boulevard
Image
Photograph of a Minsky showgirl dropping coins into a trunk at the Aladdin Hotel, Las Vegas (Nev.), 1972
Date
1972
Archival Collection
Description
A Minsky's showgirl in a beaded costume and feathered headdress poses with a chest of coins and a poster for an Aladdin promotion. A security guard is standing behind the chest of coins. Rows of slot machines are visible behind her. The Aladdin opened on April 1, 1966 and closed on November 25, 1997, and was imploded on 7:30pm, on April 27, 1998, except for the Aladdin Theatre to make way for the construction of an entirely new casino. The new Aladdin was scheduled to reopen on August 17, 2000, at 6:00 p.m. The opening was delayed while the Clark County building inspector completed its fire safety testing. Another delay was caused by last-minute repairs to the casino surveillance system. The new Aladdin finally opened the next day at 7:45 a.m. The casino was sold in bankruptcy on June 20, 2003 to a partnership of Planet Hollywood and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Renovations were carried out in stages, allowing the resort to remain open throughout. The retail space formerly known as "The Desert Passage" was converted into the Hollywood-themed "Miracle Mile Shops" and the theatre formerly known as the "Aladdin Theatre" was converted into "The AXIS". After the casino was renovated, it was reopened as "Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino" on April 17, 2007. Site Name: Aladdin Hotel (Las Vegas, Nev.) Street Address: 3667 South Las Vegas Boulevard
Image
Photograph of a Minsky showgirl posing with a trunk of coins at the Aladdin Hotel, Las Vegas (Nev.), 1972
Date
1972
Archival Collection
Description
A Minsky's showgirl in a beaded costume and feathered headdress poses with a chest of coins and a poster for an Aladdin promotion. A security guard is standing behind the chest of coins. Slot machines are visible behind her. The poster reads "Just like the good old days Month of June celebration you can win a ton of money." The Aladdin opened on April 1, 1966 and closed on November 25, 1997, and was imploded on 7:30pm, on April 27, 1998, except for the Aladdin Theatre to make way for the construction of an entirely new casino. The new Aladdin was scheduled to reopen on August 17, 2000, at 6:00 p.m. The opening was delayed while the Clark County building inspector completed its fire safety testing. Another delay was caused by last-minute repairs to the casino surveillance system. The new Aladdin finally opened the next day at 7:45 a.m. The casino was sold in bankruptcy on June 20, 2003 to a partnership of Planet Hollywood and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Renovations were carried out in stages, allowing the resort to remain open throughout. The retail space formerly known as "The Desert Passage" was converted into the Hollywood-themed "Miracle Mile Shops" and the theatre formerly known as the "Aladdin Theatre" was converted into "The AXIS". After the casino was renovated, it was reopened as "Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino" on April 17, 2007. Site Name: Aladdin Hotel (Las Vegas, Nev.) Street Address: 3667 South Las Vegas Boulevard
Image