Photos show Mandalay Bay signs during the day and at night. 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: Mandalay Bay (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Site address: 3950 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign owner: Mandalay Resort Group
Sign details: Mandalay Bay resides on the west side of the Strip, south of the Luxor. The expanse of property is surrounded with ornate foliage, jutting faux rocks, and assorted statuary accented with the flavor of an ancient island. The three-winged tower looms over the low-rise casino structure. The surface of the tower is covered with an impressive expanse of gold mirrored windows, and vertically striped with gold tubes of neon. The towers also home to the giant channel letters, which serve as the logo building text for the establishment. The ground level the property is home to two giant pylon signs at either end of the property as well. One resides on the east side of the property, while the other on the west.
Sign condition: Structure 5 Surface 5 Lighting 5
Sign form: Pylon; Fascia
Sign-specific description: The Mandalay Bay has little signage, but is cohesively joined together into a simple yet effective use of lighting, which fits in well with it's environment. The building itself is actually the biggest piece of signage, being vertically striped with tubing of gold neon. There is actually over three miles of neon tubing which runs up and down the surface of the tower, reflecting off of the gold, mirrored, surface of the tower. The tower itself during the day is unassuming, for the off white stucco, and mirrored surface, blend to create a harmonious surface. When dark, the building transforms into a mysterious figure clad in golden stripes. On each wing of the Y shaped tower, " Mandalay Bay" is spelled in channel letters across the top edge of the surface. These giant black pans hold incandescent bulbs, which oscillate rapidly. The two pylon signs sit flanking the building on extreme edges of the property. The two pylons are rather plain in design, but are efficient and large. They are highly integrated architecturally, being essentially two giant vertical rectangles. Two massive square legs support an upshot of space defined by two internally it color screens advertising for the "Shark Reef" and for the "House of Blues" These two are squares which sit side by sides, comprising the bottom section of the face. Above that, a large LED screen stretches up to the end of this section. The three signs are closed in on either side by a set square legs capped on the top and bottom with molding. Making up the top section of the pylon another horizontal plane rises up a bit before being topped with a series of crown moldings. Two lines of channel letters spell " Mandalay Bay" and are filled with incandescent bulbs.
Sign - type of display: Neon; Incandescent; Backlit
Sign - media: Steel; Plastic; Masonry
Sign - non-neon treatments: Graphics; Paint
Sign animation: Oscillating
Notes: The incandescent bulbs inside the channel letters which spell the text for the establishment oscillate in a pattern which makes them appear as if shimmering. This style is the most common animation next to the incandescent bulbs on the raceway.
Sign environment: The Mandalay Bay resides in exclusive company on the south end of the Strip. It stands as one of the four major establishments before Tropicana Ave. The other three include the Luxor, the Excalibur, and the Tropicana
Sign manufacturer: LED and plastic sign inside pylon were manufactured by Ad-Art
Sign - date of installation: 1999
Sign - thematic influences: The theme of the Mandalay Bay is one revolving around an island paradise, transformed into a sleek ultra modern super resort, creating a sort of independent city of steel glass, neon, lush foliage, and assorted statuary. It could best be said that it is a combination of the influences of the Tropicana, the Mirage, and Treasure Island, all mixed together as one. The pylons themselves find themselves more a kin to those displayed by the large corporate properties like the Bellagio, and the Mirage. The simple vertically oriented rectangle, plays host to LED screens and backlit color advertisements, and channel letters filled with incandescent bulbs. These elements can be seen in other large properties such as the Mirage.
Surveyor: Joshua Cannaday
Survey - date completed: 2002
Sign keywords: Oscillating; Pylon; Fascia; Neon; Incandescent; Backlit; Steel; Plastic; Masonry; Paint; Graphics

This folder is from the "Correspondence" file of the Sadie and Hampton George Papers (MS-00434)

The sign for the permanently closed Davy's Locker dive bar sits at 1149 East Desert Inn Road. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet.
Site address: 1149 E Desert Inn Rd
Sign owner: Was Cindy Slight since 2010. Albert Hamika bought the property in 2016. Derek Stonebarger went to the property after they took the sign down and the fish portion of the sign is currently in his possession.
Sign details: The property was originally opened in 1968 by Davey Pearl, who was most known for being a boxing referee and later inducted to the World Boxing Hall of Fame. The actual opening date of the bar is unknown, but property records have shown that its building was constructed in 1968. The bar was known for the welcoming environment inside and inexpensive drinks. The sign itself drew people in because of its unique design. Right before their closure they started to have a variety of events taking place there such as: open mic night, trivia, and genre specific music nights. The current owners have demolished the iconic and beloved sign for the bar. The only portions that remain are white sign that reads "Cocktails" in red and the waves that the fish once "swam" above. The current owner of the property has told the Las Vegas Weekly, "I want to emphasize I wasn't like, 'Ok let's destroy this sign.' I like the sign, and I like the historic memorabilia"I tried. The only thing I can I can say is, it was time for it to come down." After hearing about this news Derek Stonebarger, who owns ReBar on Main Street, was distraught when he heard the news of the sign being taken down so he went to the property to find its remains. He hopes to restore as much of the sign as he can and possibly display it in a Nevada-themed restaurant he plans to open up.
Sign condition: Since the sign has been taken down it is a 0.
Sign form: Roadside pole sign
Sign-specific description: This sign was designed to look like a fish was swimming in the ocean. The top of the sign give the appearance of waves. A neon tube was attached to the implied waves. Underneath this was a large, white fish whose tail and nose extended beyond the confines of the square shape of the sign. The fish appeared to have a large smile and two smaller fish "swimming" beside it. One of these smaller fish was near the larger fish's mouth and the "L." The other fish was located right under the "ker" in "Locker." Both of these fish were a light blue color, the same blue that matched the wave on top of the sign and surrounded the larger fish. In the middle of the large fish that makes up much of the sign were the words "Davy's Locker" in bright red and an elaborate cursive style font. Neon tubes outlined these letters, as well as all three fish included in the sign. Underneath all of this is a neon tube in the shape of a wave that is difficult to see in photos of the sign during the day, but glowed brightly at night. Below this signage was a back lit plastic sign reading "Cocktails" in a red script and "Gaming Spirits Pool" under that in a sans-serif, bold, dark blue font. Extending from the top of the sign at the end near the street was a pole with two, small square signs attached to that. The top one was yellow and read "OPEN 24 HRS." The one below that was white and read "COLD BEER." There are other photos of this sign where the plastic portion of the sign reads "COCKTAILS" in red still, but "Slots Video Poker" in blue and "Package Liquor" under that in red.
Sign - type of display: Neon and backlit plastic sign
Sign - media: Steel and plastic
Sign - non-neon treatments: Plastic backlit portion
Sign environment: The surrounding environment of Davy's Locker was in a district that was close to UNLV as well as another popular bar that still caters to locals, Champagnes Cafe. It was located in a bustling area along to Maryland Parkway that locals travel on a daily basis. Davy's Locker was a popular watering hole for many people in the neighborhood due to its convenient location.
Sign - date of installation: Around the 1960's
Sign - date of redesign/move: It was first restored in 2011 and another time in 2014. Sign was taken down from the property in 2017.
Sign - thematic influences: The theme of the sign appears to take inspiration from the phrase "Davy Jones' Locker." This is a common phrase that refers to "the bottom of the sea" or even "the mythical resting place of drowned mariners." Davy Jones is also believed to be an evil spirit from the bottom of the sea; therefore, the sign shows the influence of these aquatic origins that possibly inspired the name of the property.
Sign - artistic significance: The theme of the sign is aquatic, which also ties into the name of the property. The name of the property appears to take influence from the myth of Davy Jones, the evil spirit of the sea.
Survey - research locations: Las Vegas weekly articles https://lasvegasweekly.com/as-we-see-it/2016/mar/23/beloved-dive-bar-davys-locker-sold-old-vegas/ https://lasvegasweekly.com/intersection/2017/jan/11/davys-locker-neon-sign-demolished/ https://lasvegasweekly.com/intersection/2017/jan/13/davys-locker-bar-neon-sign-recovered-stonebarger/ , Las Vegas Sun article https://vegasinc.lasvegassun.com/business/2016/mar/25/popular-dive-bar-to-take-a-breather-while-sports-b/ , Roadside Architecture http://www.roadarch.com/signs/nvvegas3.html , Phrase website http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/davy-jones-locker.html
Surveyor: Lauren Vaccaro
Survey - date completed: 2017-08-22
Sign keywords: Steel; Plastic; Backlit; Neon; Roadside; Pole sign; Back to back