Search Results
Interview with James Arnold Hodges, January 17, 2005
Date
2005-01-17
Archival Collection
Description
Narrator affiliation: Photographic engineer, Edgerton, Germeshausen, and Grier (EG&G)
Text
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority 67th Far Western Regional conference program
Date
1996-05-02 to 1996-05-05
Archival Collection
Description
From the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Theta Theta Omega Chapter Records (MS-01014) -- Chapter records file.
Text
Film transparency of Herbert Hoover and his party touring the Boulder Canyon Project, November 12, 1932
Date
1932-11-12
Archival Collection
Description
Black and white image of Herbert Hoover and several others touring the Boulder Canyon Project. The following printed description accompanies the image: "President Herbert Hoover and official party in Tunnel No. 2 during inspection tour of Boulder Canyon Project. Left to right: Construction Engineer W. R. Young, Bureau of Reclamation; Mr. Ritchey , Secretary to the President; Chief Engineer R. F. Walter, Bureau of Reclamation; Mrs. Hoover; President Hoover; Mrs. Wilbur; Secretary of the Interior R. L. Wilbur; E. O. Wattis, First Vice-President, Six Companies, Inc.; F. T. Crowe, Gen. Superintendent, Six Companies , Inc." Note: Boulder Dam was officially renamed Hoover Dam in 1947.
Image
Fred Houghton Papers
Identifier
MS-00204
Abstract
The Fred Houghton Papers (1909-1998) consist of Houghton’s legal and personal files on his Blue Chip Ranch property in Las Vegas, Nevada. The materials include legal cases, maps, reports, and correspondence concerning water access on the property, and his work with the Las Vegas Well Users Association, which primarily contains correspondence in conjunction with Las Vegas's water politics. The collection also contains court cases during the 1930s when Houghton worked as a lawyer in Chicago, Illinois, as well as legal files for his time as a public defender for the State of California. The personal files in the collection primarily consist of correspondence, banking records, diaries, and notebooks.
Archival Collection
Leon Carter, Sr. Photographs
Identifier
PH-00443-DEACCESSIONED
Abstract
This collection has been removed from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries Special Collections and Archives' holdings by request of the donor. The collection was returned to the donor. Please contact special.collections@unlv.edu for further information.
The Leon Carter, Sr. Photographs (approximately 1948-2019) primarily contain photographic prints documenting Leon Carter, Sr.'s life living in Las Vegas, Nevada. Included are photographs of Carter, his brother John L. Carter, members of the Carter family, and snapshots from the Helldorado Days parade in the mid-1960s. The collection includes a photograph of Carter as a table dealer, a facsimile photograph of Carter when he played baseball in Canada in the early 1950s, and his yearbook portrait. Materials also include a brochure from Carter's political campaign running for County Commissioner in 1972, and a 1989 certificate of appreciation to Carter from the Las Vegas Breakfasters Lions Club.
Archival Collection
Photographs of Rummel Motel sign, Las Vegas (Nev.), February 23, 2017
Date
2017-02-23
2017-09-18
Archival Collection
Description
The Rummel Motel sits north of The Strip at 1809 Las Vegas Boulevard South. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet.
Site address: 1809 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign owner: Yeh Chia-Hong
Sign details: The motel was founded by Marvin Rummel in 1945 (VintageLasVegas, n.d.), although the Clark County Assessor lists the original construction year as 1951 (Assessor, n.d.). Undated vintage postcards, one describing the motel as "new" (Rummel Motel, 1809 So. 5th St. U.S. 91 - L.A. Highway Las Vegas, Nevada original vintage postcard, n.d.) show that a two-story building was later added to the back of the motor court (VintageLasVegas). The addition may explain the discrepancy in construction dates. The Roles family purchased the property in 1958 (VintageLasVegas; Noted bowler, hotel owner dies, 2002). Ralph Roles also operated the Del Mar Motel (the Del Mar's sign, designed by Betty Willis, is now at the Neon Museum). A vintage postcard from 1958 shows that motel was endorsed by the Automobile Association of America and another automobile club (Garofalo, 2011). The motel was severely damaged by fire on April 30 2017 (VintageLasVegas; Hershkovitz, 2017) and is currently closed.
Sign condition: The condition is 2, fair. The lower portion of the cabinet is dented and access panels are damaged or missing. The upper portions of the cabinet display numerous metal patches. The plastic on the reader board has holes. The remaining neon tubing appears to be intact. All incandescent light bulbs are missing.
Sign form: Pylon sign
Sign-specific description: The sign is supported by a rectangular blue metal pylon. A blue metal-framed reader board and orange metal upper cabinet are cantilevered out from the pylon toward the street. In the center of the upper cabinet is an amoeba-shaped area which is painted black and outlined by white skeleton neon. Inside the black amoeba are individual cursive letters which spell out "Rummel Motel" in white paint traced by white skeleton neon. Atop the upper cabinet is a smaller orange metal cabinet which is wing-shaped. Above the wing is a blue metal circle. Inside the channel of the circle are six concentric circles of empty light sockets. On the outside of the circle is a semi-circular metal frame which holds five white skeleton neon five-pointed stars.
Sign - type of display: Neon, incandescent and reader board
Sign - media: Steel and plastic
Sign - non-neon treatments: Incandescent light bulbs and a reader board
Sign environment: This is located on Las Vegas Boulevard South just north of the Las Vegas Strip
Sign - date of installation: The current sign dates back to at least 1958, but probably is not the original motel sign. A vintage postcard shows that before the two-story addition, the motel had a simple double pole sign with the name "Rummel Motel" enclosed by an open oval (Rummel Motel, 1809 So. 5th St. U.S. 91 - L.A. Highway Las Vegas, Nevada original vintage postcard, n.d.). The colors, lettering style and oval shape of the former sign appear to have inspired the design of the sign seen in a postcard from 1958 (Garofalo, 2011). The latter sign, with heavy modification, is the sign seen on the property today. The sign as currently configured is recognizable in a postcard from the late 1950's or early 1960's (Las Vegas motels then and now, n.d.).
Sign - date of redesign/move: The circa 1958 sign (Garofalo, 2011) was supported by double poles. The pole on the street side of the sign can still be seen on the upper cabinet, but it no longer reaches to the ground. The pole on the motel side of the sign ran from the ground toward the center of the sign, and then doglegged inward toward the motel to support the sign from the side. That pole appears to be the same one now enclosed by the pylon. The shadow of the pole can be seen inside the current reader board, which was a later addition attached below the circa 1958 sign. Automobile club shields at the bottom of the circa 1958 sign have been removed. A black metal directional arrow pointing toward the motel from the street side of the sign has also been removed. A circular white or light yellow metal cabinet with concentric rows of incandescent lightbulbs in the interior and a semi-circle of neon stars on the exterior has been moved from the top of the former directional arrow to the top of the wing-shaped cabinet. The circa 1958 wing-shaped cabinet was flush with the street side of the sign and contained skeleton neon which advertised, "HEATED POOL". The current wing-shaped cabinet contains no neon and has been pushed to the center of the sign. The lower cabinet of the circa 1958 sign was painted orange and black, which is now all orange. The amoeba shape was painted blue and is now black. Below the amoeba were skeleton neon letters which spelled out, "NO VACANCY" and "24 HOUR ROOM SERVICE". The neon is now gone. A small black metal cabinet attached at the bottom of the sign contained what appear to be either painted or skeleton neon letters which state, "COOLED BY REFRIGERATION". That portion of the sign is now gone.
Sign - thematic influences: This sign showcases 1950's and 1960's Googie trends. This also conveys earlier motor court designs in the building and the sign.
Survey - research locations: Clark County Assessor, Parcel No. 162-03-310-007, Retrieved from http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/assessor/Pages/PropertyRecords.aspx?H=redrock&P=assrrealprop/pcl.aspx Garofalo, M. (2011 November 2). Still standing-Rummel Motel. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/vintageroadtrip/6304823598/ Hershkovitz, R. (2017 April 30). Fire damages vacant downtown Las Vegas motel. Las Vegas Review Journal. Retrieved from https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/downtown/fire-damages-vacant-downtown-las-vegas-motel/ Las Vegas motels-Then and now. (n.d.). Rummel Motel. Retrieved from http://stefanidrivesvegas.com/8.html Noted bowler, motel owner Roles dies. (2002 July 30). Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved from https://lasvegassun.com/news/2002/jul/30/noted-bowler-motel-owner-roles-dies/ RoadsideArchitecture. (n.d.) The Rummel Motel. Retrieved from http://www.roadarch.com/signs/nvvegas3.html Rummel Motel, 1809 So. 5th St. U.S. 91 - L.A. Highway Las Vegas, Nevada original vintage postcard. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Rummel-Motel-1809-So-U-S/dp/B00P9LEQCS VintageLasVegas. (n.d.). Rummel Motel. Retrieved from http://vintagelasvegas.com/post/160953547509/rummel-motel-1809-s-las-vegas-blvd-built-by
Surveyor: Mitchell Cohen
Survey - date completed: 2017-09-18
Sign keywords: Pylon; Neon; Incandescent; Reader board; Plastic; Steel
Site address: 1809 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign owner: Yeh Chia-Hong
Sign details: The motel was founded by Marvin Rummel in 1945 (VintageLasVegas, n.d.), although the Clark County Assessor lists the original construction year as 1951 (Assessor, n.d.). Undated vintage postcards, one describing the motel as "new" (Rummel Motel, 1809 So. 5th St. U.S. 91 - L.A. Highway Las Vegas, Nevada original vintage postcard, n.d.) show that a two-story building was later added to the back of the motor court (VintageLasVegas). The addition may explain the discrepancy in construction dates. The Roles family purchased the property in 1958 (VintageLasVegas; Noted bowler, hotel owner dies, 2002). Ralph Roles also operated the Del Mar Motel (the Del Mar's sign, designed by Betty Willis, is now at the Neon Museum). A vintage postcard from 1958 shows that motel was endorsed by the Automobile Association of America and another automobile club (Garofalo, 2011). The motel was severely damaged by fire on April 30 2017 (VintageLasVegas; Hershkovitz, 2017) and is currently closed.
Sign condition: The condition is 2, fair. The lower portion of the cabinet is dented and access panels are damaged or missing. The upper portions of the cabinet display numerous metal patches. The plastic on the reader board has holes. The remaining neon tubing appears to be intact. All incandescent light bulbs are missing.
Sign form: Pylon sign
Sign-specific description: The sign is supported by a rectangular blue metal pylon. A blue metal-framed reader board and orange metal upper cabinet are cantilevered out from the pylon toward the street. In the center of the upper cabinet is an amoeba-shaped area which is painted black and outlined by white skeleton neon. Inside the black amoeba are individual cursive letters which spell out "Rummel Motel" in white paint traced by white skeleton neon. Atop the upper cabinet is a smaller orange metal cabinet which is wing-shaped. Above the wing is a blue metal circle. Inside the channel of the circle are six concentric circles of empty light sockets. On the outside of the circle is a semi-circular metal frame which holds five white skeleton neon five-pointed stars.
Sign - type of display: Neon, incandescent and reader board
Sign - media: Steel and plastic
Sign - non-neon treatments: Incandescent light bulbs and a reader board
Sign environment: This is located on Las Vegas Boulevard South just north of the Las Vegas Strip
Sign - date of installation: The current sign dates back to at least 1958, but probably is not the original motel sign. A vintage postcard shows that before the two-story addition, the motel had a simple double pole sign with the name "Rummel Motel" enclosed by an open oval (Rummel Motel, 1809 So. 5th St. U.S. 91 - L.A. Highway Las Vegas, Nevada original vintage postcard, n.d.). The colors, lettering style and oval shape of the former sign appear to have inspired the design of the sign seen in a postcard from 1958 (Garofalo, 2011). The latter sign, with heavy modification, is the sign seen on the property today. The sign as currently configured is recognizable in a postcard from the late 1950's or early 1960's (Las Vegas motels then and now, n.d.).
Sign - date of redesign/move: The circa 1958 sign (Garofalo, 2011) was supported by double poles. The pole on the street side of the sign can still be seen on the upper cabinet, but it no longer reaches to the ground. The pole on the motel side of the sign ran from the ground toward the center of the sign, and then doglegged inward toward the motel to support the sign from the side. That pole appears to be the same one now enclosed by the pylon. The shadow of the pole can be seen inside the current reader board, which was a later addition attached below the circa 1958 sign. Automobile club shields at the bottom of the circa 1958 sign have been removed. A black metal directional arrow pointing toward the motel from the street side of the sign has also been removed. A circular white or light yellow metal cabinet with concentric rows of incandescent lightbulbs in the interior and a semi-circle of neon stars on the exterior has been moved from the top of the former directional arrow to the top of the wing-shaped cabinet. The circa 1958 wing-shaped cabinet was flush with the street side of the sign and contained skeleton neon which advertised, "HEATED POOL". The current wing-shaped cabinet contains no neon and has been pushed to the center of the sign. The lower cabinet of the circa 1958 sign was painted orange and black, which is now all orange. The amoeba shape was painted blue and is now black. Below the amoeba were skeleton neon letters which spelled out, "NO VACANCY" and "24 HOUR ROOM SERVICE". The neon is now gone. A small black metal cabinet attached at the bottom of the sign contained what appear to be either painted or skeleton neon letters which state, "COOLED BY REFRIGERATION". That portion of the sign is now gone.
Sign - thematic influences: This sign showcases 1950's and 1960's Googie trends. This also conveys earlier motor court designs in the building and the sign.
Survey - research locations: Clark County Assessor, Parcel No. 162-03-310-007, Retrieved from http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/assessor/Pages/PropertyRecords.aspx?H=redrock&P=assrrealprop/pcl.aspx Garofalo, M. (2011 November 2). Still standing-Rummel Motel. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/vintageroadtrip/6304823598/ Hershkovitz, R. (2017 April 30). Fire damages vacant downtown Las Vegas motel. Las Vegas Review Journal. Retrieved from https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/downtown/fire-damages-vacant-downtown-las-vegas-motel/ Las Vegas motels-Then and now. (n.d.). Rummel Motel. Retrieved from http://stefanidrivesvegas.com/8.html Noted bowler, motel owner Roles dies. (2002 July 30). Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved from https://lasvegassun.com/news/2002/jul/30/noted-bowler-motel-owner-roles-dies/ RoadsideArchitecture. (n.d.) The Rummel Motel. Retrieved from http://www.roadarch.com/signs/nvvegas3.html Rummel Motel, 1809 So. 5th St. U.S. 91 - L.A. Highway Las Vegas, Nevada original vintage postcard. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Rummel-Motel-1809-So-U-S/dp/B00P9LEQCS VintageLasVegas. (n.d.). Rummel Motel. Retrieved from http://vintagelasvegas.com/post/160953547509/rummel-motel-1809-s-las-vegas-blvd-built-by
Surveyor: Mitchell Cohen
Survey - date completed: 2017-09-18
Sign keywords: Pylon; Neon; Incandescent; Reader board; Plastic; Steel
Mixed Content
Photographs of Aladdin Casino Hotel and Resort signs, Las Vegas (Nev.), 2002
Date
2002
Archival Collection
Description
Daytime and nighttime views of the Aladdin Hotel Casino and Resort signs on the Strip. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet.
Site name: Aladdin Hotel (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Site address: 3667 Las Vegas Blvd
Sign owner: Aladdin Gaming LLC
Sign details: Just north of Harmon across the street from the Harley Davidson café, the stretch of the Aladdin property begins. The facade of the building is a pedestrian designed attraction, for it replaces the sidewalk. One must pass along the elaborate array of landscaping, to be confronted by the massive replication of the ancient Persian city, fully realizing it's Arabian Nights theme. Various signage does adorn the Aladdin property, Including a small one sided message board, resembling a miniature pylon, two jumbo LCD screens adorned with text, and entrance signs cover a couple of entrances.
Sign condition: Structure 5 Surface 5 Lighting 5--All signage is in good repair.
Sign form: Pylon; Fascia
Sign-specific description: The first sign you come upon is a small single sided pylon , which houses a message cabinet, and a channel letter logo for the Aladdin. Two poles rise out of a flowerbed, supporting a purple-faced message cabinet reading about valet and parking service. Incandescent bulbs surround the box along the border. Above that section, Aladdin is spelled in red channel letters, filled with red neon. They are hung upon the remainder of space on the upper portion of the cabinet, which only rises an additional 10 inches or so above the internally lit cabinet. The top of the cabinet is adorned with a three-tiered sculpted steel section mimicking the classic shape of the Persian spire seen so often in the property. Each section is finished in a different color: gold, pink and purple. Two neon tubes run the circumference of the tops of the poles, just underneath the negative Persian spire shape, which supports the internally lit cabinet. Neon tubes also border the tops and bottoms of each section of the sign as well as following the contour of the sculpted edges. This sign faces southwest and is found on the south end of the property and is the first sign you see walking on the property headed north. The first casino entrance is seen north of the previous sign and is above an entrance. The negative space of a Persian arch, preceding the entrance is occupied by a sign which designating an entrance. It is essentially one giant pan channel, with a smaller positive shaped cabinet in the center. Aladdin is spelled in gold polished channel letters with blue plastic faces. Another sign, of this sort, is also further down the face of the building. Translucent red ruby shapes run horizontally across the bottom. As the building steps up in various places, a larger, higher elevation, approximately in the center of the complex, plays host to two LCD screens facing northwest and southwest on the surface of the wall. Above each screen, Aladdin is spelled with larger red translucent letters, backed with white neon. When the light is visible, it creates a halo of white light around the text.
Sign - type of display: Neon; Incandescent; Matrix
Sign - media: Steel; Plastic
Sign animation: Chasing
Notes: The only Animation which I see present are in the pan channels occupying the negative Persian arch shape over two of the entrances on the west face of the building. The red plastic jewel shapes chase from either side to meet in the middle.
Sign environment: The Aladdin property lies between Harmon avenue and the Paris Hotel, on the east side of the strip. Headed North from Harmon, on the east side of the street, the pedestrian is enveloped by the properties façade, for it replaces a standard sidewalk. Once inside the path along the façade, it curves to and fro, mostly toward the casino entrances. Tall shrubbery and bushes separate the pedestrian from Las Vegas Blvd, creating a world all to it's own.
Sign architect of record: Nadel Architects, Contractor: Adp/Fd, Fluor Daniel
Sign - date of installation: 2000
Sign - thematic influences: The theme surrounding the Aladdin is centered around the Arabian Nights theme of an ancient Persian city or palace. Restaurants and storefronts are cased in with faux stone facades topped with bulbous towers and Persian spires. The significance lies in the lineage of the Aladdin transformed through the years since its change of management in 1966. It stands today holding the same theme but designed to fit in with the themed mega resorts currently present on the strip. The exterior is completely engulfed in themed architecture but draws references not only to its past self but other desert fantasy themed resorts such as the Desert Inn and the Sahara.
Surveyor: Joshua Cannaday
Survey - date completed: 2002
Sign keywords: Chasing; Steel; Plastic; Neon; Incandescent; Matrix; Pylon; Fascia; LCD; Internally illuminated
Site name: Aladdin Hotel (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Site address: 3667 Las Vegas Blvd
Sign owner: Aladdin Gaming LLC
Sign details: Just north of Harmon across the street from the Harley Davidson café, the stretch of the Aladdin property begins. The facade of the building is a pedestrian designed attraction, for it replaces the sidewalk. One must pass along the elaborate array of landscaping, to be confronted by the massive replication of the ancient Persian city, fully realizing it's Arabian Nights theme. Various signage does adorn the Aladdin property, Including a small one sided message board, resembling a miniature pylon, two jumbo LCD screens adorned with text, and entrance signs cover a couple of entrances.
Sign condition: Structure 5 Surface 5 Lighting 5--All signage is in good repair.
Sign form: Pylon; Fascia
Sign-specific description: The first sign you come upon is a small single sided pylon , which houses a message cabinet, and a channel letter logo for the Aladdin. Two poles rise out of a flowerbed, supporting a purple-faced message cabinet reading about valet and parking service. Incandescent bulbs surround the box along the border. Above that section, Aladdin is spelled in red channel letters, filled with red neon. They are hung upon the remainder of space on the upper portion of the cabinet, which only rises an additional 10 inches or so above the internally lit cabinet. The top of the cabinet is adorned with a three-tiered sculpted steel section mimicking the classic shape of the Persian spire seen so often in the property. Each section is finished in a different color: gold, pink and purple. Two neon tubes run the circumference of the tops of the poles, just underneath the negative Persian spire shape, which supports the internally lit cabinet. Neon tubes also border the tops and bottoms of each section of the sign as well as following the contour of the sculpted edges. This sign faces southwest and is found on the south end of the property and is the first sign you see walking on the property headed north. The first casino entrance is seen north of the previous sign and is above an entrance. The negative space of a Persian arch, preceding the entrance is occupied by a sign which designating an entrance. It is essentially one giant pan channel, with a smaller positive shaped cabinet in the center. Aladdin is spelled in gold polished channel letters with blue plastic faces. Another sign, of this sort, is also further down the face of the building. Translucent red ruby shapes run horizontally across the bottom. As the building steps up in various places, a larger, higher elevation, approximately in the center of the complex, plays host to two LCD screens facing northwest and southwest on the surface of the wall. Above each screen, Aladdin is spelled with larger red translucent letters, backed with white neon. When the light is visible, it creates a halo of white light around the text.
Sign - type of display: Neon; Incandescent; Matrix
Sign - media: Steel; Plastic
Sign animation: Chasing
Notes: The only Animation which I see present are in the pan channels occupying the negative Persian arch shape over two of the entrances on the west face of the building. The red plastic jewel shapes chase from either side to meet in the middle.
Sign environment: The Aladdin property lies between Harmon avenue and the Paris Hotel, on the east side of the strip. Headed North from Harmon, on the east side of the street, the pedestrian is enveloped by the properties façade, for it replaces a standard sidewalk. Once inside the path along the façade, it curves to and fro, mostly toward the casino entrances. Tall shrubbery and bushes separate the pedestrian from Las Vegas Blvd, creating a world all to it's own.
Sign architect of record: Nadel Architects, Contractor: Adp/Fd, Fluor Daniel
Sign - date of installation: 2000
Sign - thematic influences: The theme surrounding the Aladdin is centered around the Arabian Nights theme of an ancient Persian city or palace. Restaurants and storefronts are cased in with faux stone facades topped with bulbous towers and Persian spires. The significance lies in the lineage of the Aladdin transformed through the years since its change of management in 1966. It stands today holding the same theme but designed to fit in with the themed mega resorts currently present on the strip. The exterior is completely engulfed in themed architecture but draws references not only to its past self but other desert fantasy themed resorts such as the Desert Inn and the Sahara.
Surveyor: Joshua Cannaday
Survey - date completed: 2002
Sign keywords: Chasing; Steel; Plastic; Neon; Incandescent; Matrix; Pylon; Fascia; LCD; Internally illuminated
Mixed Content
Letter from F. R. McNamee (Los Angeles) to Leo [McNamee], May 22, 1924
Date
1924-06-05
Archival Collection
Description
McNamee states that although the Union Pacific Railroad owns the land that the springs are on and all the land it historically watered, to further protect their water right they should apply for the right to appropriate the water.
Text