Search Results
Photographs of Gold and Silver Pawn Shop signs, Las Vegas (Nev.), March 3, 2017
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Site address: 713 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign owner: Richard Harrison
Sign details: This pawn shop was opened by Richard Harrison in 1988. Rick , Richard and Corey Harrison along with Austin Russell made this store famous with the History Channel reality T.V. show Pawn Stars which started airing in 2009. This show has made this location a tourist destination, so much so there is even a line to get in sometimes. With the rise of popularity they added Rick Harrison's Pawn Plaza which is a shopping center with eateries.
Sign condition: 4- looks relatively new and not too faded
Sign form: Rectangular Blade
Sign-specific description: The whole blade sign is outlined with a gold trim and red LED lights surrounding the gold. The main long rectangle blade spells out "PAWN" lengthwise in black on white backdrop. Right above the white part of the blade is a black rectangle (long side of rectangle is above the white blade) stating "Gold & Silver" written in white thin printed letters. Above this is a little white diamond. Below the white PAWN blade is a white rectangle stating "OPEN 24 HRS" in red block print letters. This blade-type sign is held right next to the building on a big white beam that has their address "713" painted on it. On the building above the entrance states "World Famous (in yellow) Gold and Silver (In red) Pawn Shop ( in Green) in back lit plastic letters. Also to the left of the entrance they have 3 plastic rectangle back lit signs that they have switched out over the years, but the current ones have been up since 2011/12. The one in the middle states "World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop" in an elaborate white cursive font written on a black background. The other two showcase the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Logo but states "World Famous Gold & Silver Las Vegas" . Below these three rectangle signs there is another smaller one with a white background stating "We Never Close" in thick blue type font letters.
Sign - type of display: Back lit plastic signs, LED lights
Sign - media: Steel, Plastic
Sign - non-neon treatments: Back lit plastic
Sign animation: Charger with red LED's
Sign environment: Halfway between the strip and downtown on Las Vegas Blvd. There are a few antique shops near the pawn shop. Right next door is now Rick Harrison's Pawn Plaza Shopping Center as well as a nice sized parking lot to accommodate their guests.
Sign - date of installation: Has been up since at least 2007
Sign - date of redesign/move: Some of the plastic back lit signs have been switched out over the years
Sign - thematic influences: Gold+ Silver- could refer to the mining times in Nevada and since it is a pawn shop it could mean that you can strike it rich with bringing something there. Similar to finding gold or silver.
Sign - artistic significance: The blade type sign was popular in the 50's for directions in the car consumer and traveling era.
Survey - research locations: Acessor's page, Nevada Magazine http://nevadamagazine.com/home/inside-the-magazine/city-limits/gold-silver-pawn-shop/ , Gold and Silver Pawn Shop website https://gspawn.com/ , history.com for information on the show
Surveyor: Emily Fellmer
Survey - date completed: 2017-08-12
Sign keywords: Backlit; Plastic; LED; Steel; Pole sign
Mixed Content
Guadalupe Meza Redmond interview, December 7, 2018: transcript
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Interviewed by Claytee White. Rodrigo Vazquez also participated in the questioning. Guadalupe Redmond lived a wonderful life in Mexico while growing up. When Guadalupe was 17, her mother decided to immigrate the family to Las Vegas, Nevada, Guadalupe did not want to move but reluctantly did so. She taught herself English by watching TV. Then she decided she wanted to work and became a guest room attendant working downtown and on the Strip - Sundance (Fitzgerald's, now the D), Stratosphere, Aladdin, Planet Hollywood, Riviera, Hacienda - to name a few. As she moved about, she began to understand the importance of the Culinary Union Local 226. She is now an organizer who in 1989 participated in a 10-month Work and Walk strategy that was successful.
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Transcript of interview with Dr. Joseph Rojas by Lisa Gioia-Acres, September 30, 2008
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Dr. Joseph Rojas, born 1933 in Alexandria, Louisiana, was the son of Joseph Edward Rojas and wife Carroll. He graduated high school at age 16 and entered Loyola University of the South. Two years later he was accepted at Louisiana State University School of Medicine, graduating with a medical degree in 1957. He interned at Charity Hospital and then completed his OB-GYN residency at Tulane University. Several mentors worked with Dr. Rojas during his residency and he recalls learning surgical and bed-side skills from the likes of Dr. Lynn White and Dr. Fred Janson. He also remembers the very high volume of patients - up to 300 - that he and other residents saw daily. Dr. Rojas married Mona Robicheaux, RN, during his residency and afterwards joined the Air Force. He and his family — they eventually had six children — were stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, arriving in Las Vegas in 1961. He was chief of OBGYN and deputy hospital commander while at Nellis and then served as chief of OBGYN at Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital until 1972. He later served as chief of staff at Women's Hospital and Valley Hospital, and was the first chief of staff at Summerlin Hospital. Dr. Rojas also maintained a private practice outside of the hospital. His wife worked alongside him in his office, and they share memories and anecdotes of the patients they saw and the general atmosphere of the medical community. Both Joseph and Mona agree that Las Vegas hospitals were less racially segregated than the hospitals in Louisiana, and felt that the West was more open to integration. In 1966 Dr. Rojas started the first OB-GYN residency in Nevada, which led to the development of the University of Nevada School of Medicine. He was a researcher, lecturer, teacher, and author. He earned many awards, including the Harold Feikes MD Award for Outstanding Physician in Clark County (2001), and the Nevada State Medical Association Distinguished Physician Award (1980). Dr. Rojas passed away in May of 2009, leaving behind an incredible legacy of service to the residents of Clark County.
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Casiano Corpus Jr. oral history interview: transcript
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Oral history interview with Casiano Corpus Jr. conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on February 14, 2023 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Corpus Jr. details a difficult childhood in the Philippines, where society is highly socioeconomically stratified. He recalls his parents working a number of jobs to support their large family, and as soon as he finished his primary schooling, he also started working in construction. When his father was finally petitioned by his uncle to move to the United States, Corpus was at first reluctant to go, since he had a familiar life in the Philippines, but has come to love the United States and the life he created for himself. Immediately after moving to the United States, their family landed in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Corpus began working a number of jobs. He started out as a busboy at a Chinese restaurant before deciding that he wanted to work in a casino and moved to Union Plaza. His current job is as a porter at Palace Station, where he has been for the past 31 years. He has also been working to unionize Palace Station and Station casinos with the Culinary Union for the past twelve years. He talks about the hunger strike he organized, why he organizes with no fear, and what he hopes to see out of his efforts throughout the interview.
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