Information about the Aruba Hotel (Thunderbird) sign that sits at 1215 S Las Vegas Blvd. Site name: Thunderbird Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas, Nev.) Site address: 1215 S Las Vegas Blvd Sign owner: 1215 Las Vegas Blvd LLC; C.F. Saticoy, LP Sign details: The building was constructed in 1964 (Assessor). A vintage postcard from 1967 shows the Lotus Inn Motel and a Sambo's restaurant (VintageVegas.com, 2017). The hotel was renamed the Monte Carlo Inn in 1979, but reverted in the 1980's to the Lotus Inn (VintageVegas, 2017). In 1985, it became the Tally Ho (VintageVegas). Casino owner Bob Stupak renamed it the Thunderbird in 1986 or 1987 (VintageVegas). Stupak proposed building 15-story, $400 million resort hotel called the Titanic on the site, but vocal opposition from residents of the nearby John S. Park neighborhood and a trademark controversy derailed the project (Knightly, 2014). The property was renamed the Aruba Hotel in the early 2000's and became the Thunderbird in 2016 (O'Brien, 2016; VintageVegas). As of April 2017, a 15-story residential building was planned for the site (Carter, 2017). Sign condition: Condition is 5, excellent. The lower portion of the sign is wrapped in plastic. The exposed upper portion of the sign shows the cabinet, paint and neon all in new condition. All of the neon tubes are intact and functioning. Sign form: Blade Sign-specific description: The lower portion of the rectangular metal cabinet is wrapped in black plastic. "THUNDERBIRD" is spelled out in white blocks and red serif letters which run vertically down both sides of the plastic wrap. The upper portion of the cabinet is exposed. The cabinet is topped by a bird shape facing the street. The bird and visible part of the rectangular cabinet are painted forest green. Both sides of the bird are covered in white, blue, pink, yellow and green skeleton neon. Underneath the bird , a horizontal yellow skeleton neon tube is visible. Sign - type of display: Neon Sign - media: Steel Sign environment: Las Vegas Blvd north of the Strip. Property is surrounded by other motels and wedding chapels. Sign - date of installation: c. 2007 Sign - thematic influences: Tropical, Caribbean and Old Vegas. The parrot on top of the sign closely resembles the symbol of the former Thunderbird hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The property has used the Thunderbird name intermittently since the 1980's, even when it was the Aruba hotel and the word "THUNDERBIRD" appeared over an "Aruba" sign. (Vegas24Seven, 2012) Survey - research locations: Assessor's website Survey - research notes: Carter, J. (2017 April 27). Fights are brewing over a proposed 15-story building downtown. Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved from https://lasvegasweekly.com/intersection/2017/apr/27/fights-are- brewing-over- proposed-building- downtown/ Knightly, A. M. (2014 August 31). A history of landmarks never built. Las Vegas Review Journal. Retrieved from https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/a-history- of-landmarks- never-built/ O'Brien, J. (2016 January 21). Thunderbird Hotel reopening with former Arts Factory owner at helm. Retrieved from http://vegasseven.com/2016/01/21/thunderbird-hotel- reopens/ http://www.vegas24seven.com/substance-cd- release-sinicle- the-great- circuiting-mechanical- death-a- sinners-confession- at-the- aruba-hotel- saturday-june- 30th/ Vegas24Seven.com. (2012). Substance CD Release, Sinicle, The Great Circuiting, Mechanical Death, A Sinners Confession at The Aruba Hotel Saturday June 30th . Retrieved from Vintage Vegas. (2017 February 16). Archive: Lotus Inn Motel, c. 1967. Retrieved from http://vintagelasvegas.com/post/157345077754/lotus-inn- las-vegas Zeitzer, I. (2007 June 29). On The One, The Aruba Hotel " Las Vegas, NV- 6/22. Retrieved from http://www.jambands.com/reviews/shows/2007/06/29/on-the- one-the- aruba-hotel- las-vegas- nv-6-22#ixzz4rBUwxlkh Surveyor: Mitchell Cohen Survey - date completed: 2017-08-30 Sign keywords: Blade; Neon; Steel
Oral history interview with Cecia Alvarado conducted by Barbara Tabach on September 15, 2020 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Cecia describes her personal history, moving to the United States as a teen in the year 2000. She talks of immigration, education, and her work as the State Director of "Mi Familia Vota."
The Strutt Hurley Collection on the Southern Nevada Pride Association, Inc. (SNAPI) and Las Vegas Pride (1989-2000) contains materials collected and produced by Strutt Hurley during her tenure as Director of Entertainment of SNAPI. Materials include meeting minutes, advertising contracts, Las Vegas Pride programs, and ephemera collected from Pride celebrations in Las Vegas, Nevada and other parts of the United States and the world.
The Wilson Family Papers (1875-1918) document the personal and professional lives of James B. Wilson Sr., James B. Wilson Jr., and George Twison "Tweed" Wilson, early pioneers in Southern Nevada. The collection is comprised of personal correspondence, invoices and advertisements from the Wilson family business, the Sandstone Ranch, and photographs of the extended Wilson family.
The Claudine Williams Photograph Collection (approximately 2007-2009) consists of nine optical disks containing ninety-eight digital surrogate images dating between 1940 and 2000. The images primarily portray Claudine Williams in publicity images for various hotel and casinos Williams and her husband owned alongside prominent individuals, including Dean Martin, Hillary and Bill Clinton, and Robert Reich. Other images depict Williams in her youth and with her family members. Additional materials include images of Williams’ business cards, articles in various Las Vegas and Nevada magazines and newspapers on Williams, and images of properties Williams operated.
The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Theta Theta Omega (AKA TTO) Chapter records (1965-2020) are comprised of organizational records, conference programs, digitized copies of the chapter's scrapbooks, and copies of Ivy Leaf, the organization’s national newsletter. The records include chapter and committee agendas and meeting minutes, Far Western Regional Conference reports, and fliers for events hosted by AKA TTO. Also included are archived web captures of AKA TTO's website and digital audio and video files for the chapter's oral history project interviewing Charter, Golden, and Silver members from 2019 to 2020.