Narrator affiliation: Resident Test Director, Los Alamos National Laboratory

Includes meeting agenda and minutes.

Photos show Luxor signs during the day. Two surveys were conducted to gather information about this sign. One was conducted in 2002 and one was conducted in 2017. PDFs are available for both surveys. See the 2017 survey PDF for additional information that is not included in the object description.
Site name: Luxor (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Site address: 3900 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign owner: Mandalay Resort Group
Sign details: The giant black, glass, pyramid rises out of the desert as certainly one of the most unique structures. The pyramid is also accompanied by a monolithic, heavily geometric structure, finished in the same black, panels of windows. Just to the north. The front of the property is dominated by an array or Egyptian architectural landmarks such as an giant obelisk, the Sphinx, various statues of Egyptian gods and pharaohs line the multi tiered expanse of concrete and stucco. The property is pedestrian interactive, being able to pass underneath the giant obelisk, and through and beneath the giant Sphinx. The feel produced by area is appropriate for the desert environment.
Sign condition: Structure 5 Surface 5 Lighting 5
Sign form: Pylon; Fascia; Porte-cochère
Sign-specific description: On the expanse of concrete in front of Las Vegas Blvd, just north of the obelisk, a double-sided pylon sign joins the ancient composition. The pylon actually is more akin to the pylons seen at properties such as the Monte Carlo or the Mirage. It is located in the northern portion of the property on the west side of the strip-facing northwest along Las Vegas Blvd Two square posts support a two-sided square cabinet which houses a back lit advertisement and a set of crafted letters spelling the name of the establishment. Occupying the upper portion of the space between the legs another internally lit, two sided, cabinet, atop a small pair of internally lit sculpted cabinets. From a distance the cabinets look like thumbs holding up the cabinet. The shapes are graphically treated on the surfaces to look like colorful recreations of a hieroglyphic bird, the wings being the elongated portion of the cabinet. The only art attached to the cabinet is the portion designated for the head of the creature. Three sets of sculpted cornices, create borders for the different planes. The bases of the legs are treated with the ledging, the section separating the top cabinet, from the rest of the sign, and finally another set around the top crowning edge of the sign. Both sides of the top edge have a sculpted element in the very center. A flat circle, presumably a representation of the sun, flanked by two snakes are set on a pair of large wings spreading to either side. This element is ambiently lit from underneath. The text, which spells "Luxor," is composed of polished gold channel letters, with closed faces with graphic treatments in blue upon the faces. The faces are painted to appear if the letters are faceted into three dimensions. They are lit from behind with whit neon creating a halo effect around the letters. The surface of the actual structure is finished to appear as if it is constructed of limestone, utilizing false joints and seams. The south end of the property close to the street is the four-sided obelisk. The text on the obelisk is the same word treated in the same fashion, structurally and aesthetically, as the pylon sign. The only difference is that it reads vertically from top to bottom. Statuary adorn the base of the obelisk in a repeating pattern as well as it being covered in hieroglyphic patterns. A tunnel allows for the pedestrian to pass underneath the obelisk. The porte cochere is located underneath the body of the Sphinx, another use of the architecture to incorporate the pedestrian element. If you head east through the sphinx, a tunnel opens up into a small courtyard where a shuttle bus may be caught. The ceiling of the porte cochere is adorned with a circular chandelier, composed of metal representations of leafy branches radiating around a rounded center. The ends of the arms hold length-wise half cylinder lamps. The ceiling above is painted blue. The most spectacular element of the Luxor is its super powerful light in the place of the capstone at the very peak. The beam is one of the most powerful lights in the world, and can be seen from high above into the earth's atmosphere as well. The edges of the pyramid are also raceways, which can be seen in action in the dark. An animation of bulbs makes it appear as if a single bulb of light streams up the base to the very peak. The animation runs at an interval of every couple of seconds. On the very south edge of the property, actually on the southeast corner, is a sculpted, small pylon which houses a color led screen.
Sign - type of display: Neon
Sign - media: Steel; Masonry
Sign - non-neon treatments: Plaster
Sign animation: Chasing
Sign environment: Standing next to the Mandalay Bay on the west side of the southern end of Las Vegas Blvd, the Luxor's front exterior is a sprawling mass of smooth vertical planes turning into eloquent statue and stucco walls. They are interlaced with drives and signage complete with a platform at the base of the Sphinx, which is just east of where the valet and porte cochere are grounded in the base of the beasts belly. From the edge of a Platform a tram station is located and also a view of the signage can be seen as well. The Luxor's environment is a very pedestrian one as well. Being in an isolated part of the strip, the noise clutter brought about by the surging traffic is considerably better than the heart of the strip.
Sign designer: Veldon Simpson
Sign - thematic influences: The theme of the Luxor is obviously that of ancient Egypt. The Ancient Egyptian imagery is placed among the same images but represented in the shiny black glass, giving a touch of future meets the past. The image seen are some of the most commonly seen images when talking about the Ancient Egyptian culture. The Sphinx stands guard at the base of the giant black pyramid, one sign is attached to an obelisk. Various statuary adorn the entire plaza. The environment created with the motif obviously fits into the desert like dust, but still retains the surreal nature associated with the themed hotel. The aesthetics appear to be fantastic, but are a bit odd due to the arrangements and limitations on space. It does however fir into an interesting sub category of resort that is themed around a culture. Yes it is themed around a city, but the culture shines through with more dominance. Another example of this is the Imperial Palace. It is not necessarily themed after a particular city, but the architecture and imagery suggests the Asian culture.
Surveyor: Joshua Cannaday
Survey - date completed: 2002
Sign keywords: Chasing; Pylon; Fascia; Porte-cochère; Neon; Steel; Masonry; Plaster

Kenneth Fong reflects on growing up in Las Vegas and being the son of two successful and philanthropic community members, Wing and Lilly Fong. When Ken was born the family live in a modest home on 20th and Stewart. It was a close-knit neighborhood and era, kids played tag and roamed freely. When he entered third-grade, his parents moved their family to a newer subdivision near Rancho and West Charleston Avenue: the Scotch 80s. Their new custom home on Silver Avenue reflected Asian architecture and the family’s Chinese cultural heritage; it also included a pool and a small basketball court. Memories of the neighborhoods are distinct. He learned to be comfortable with his sister and he being the only Asian Americans in school at the time. He kept busy with community volunteering at Sunrise Hospital and tutoring younger children on the Westside among other high school activities. Ken speaks lovingly of his parents and their achievements, family outings to local venues such as Mount Charleston and Red Rock and to California, where they bought Chinese baked goods. His mother, Lilly was born into a large Chinese American family of ten children, each of whom achieved a college education. After her marriage to Wing, she moved to Las Vegas with plans to work as a teacher. Ken retells the story of her encounter with discrimination and overcoming that, and her trajectory to be the first Asian American elected the Nevada Board of Regents. His orphaned father, Wing, immigrated to the United Sates in 1939 to live with uncles. They worked as cooks in Las Vegas and established the first Las Vegas Chinese restaurant, Silver Café. Wing was merely thirteen years old and spoke no English. These were not to be obstacles. He would go on to graduate from Las Vegas High School, earn a college degree in business, have a successful career in commercial real estate and banking, building the notable Fong’s Garden. Ken calls his father his most influential mentor. Today Ken is also a successful in real estate management, active at Grace Presbyterian Church, involved in Rotary Club, and a proud father of two daughters.

A view of the Dunes Hotel tower under construction. The famous sultan statue is visible in the foreground. The marquee is visible in the background advertising "Now in the Persian Room Vive Les Girls French Stage Spectacular 8:30 pm, 11:30 pm, 1:15 am" and "Persian Room All new direct from Paris Vive Les Girls! Produced by Danny Costello Star of the Ed Sullivan Show". The Dunes, which was themed after the Arabian Nights stories, opened on May 23, 1955 with 200 hotel rooms, located in several two-story buildings. From the time of its opening, the Dunes was known for the 35 foot tall fiberglass sultan statue that stood above its main entrance. In 1961, a 24-story, 250-room hotel tower, known as Diamond of the Dunes, was added to the northern part of the property, bringing the total number of rooms to 450. At the top of the tower was the Top O' the Strip restaurant and lounge. The tower was the tallest building in the state at the time. In 1979, the South Tower was added, expanding the hotel to 1300 rooms. A second casino in a separate, round building on the site opened in 1983 under the name Oasis Casino at The Dunes. In 1985, the sultan statue was moved to the golf course during renovations, and later caught fire, reportedly due to an electrical short. On November 17, 1992, the Dunes was sold to Wynn's company, Mirage Resorts, Inc., for $75 million. On January 26, 1993, the Dunes closed its doors for good. Steve Wynn bought the Dunes and started the redevelopment trend with the demolition of the 32-year-old North Tower. On October 27, 1993, the Dunes was demolished in a grand ceremony that involved major fireworks displays and the use of several "cannon blasts" from the English ship 'HMS Britannia' of Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. The 15-year-old South Tower was demolished 9 months later in July 1994, with no fanfare and minimal media attention. The Bellagio now stands in its place. The property is located at 3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109.