The El Cortez Hotel and Casino sits at 600 E Fremont St in Downtown Las Vegas. Continually operating in the same location since 1941, the El Cortez is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet.
Site name: El Cortez Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Site address: 600 Fremont St
Sign owner: IKE Gaming Inc
Sign details: 2,77 acre lot, with an original construction year of 1941.
Sign condition: 5 - fully functional, looks well taken care of, no damage to the sign, even looks original.
Sign form: Back to back Architectural sign
Sign-specific description: Double sided architectural sign perched on top of the building of the El Cortez reads El Cortez HOTEL COFFEE SHOP & BAR FREE PARKING with a metal frame work to hold it high for tourists to see down Fremont Street on either side of the road or sidewalk. in the Day it looks white and baby blue with the frame work painted white. At night El Cortez glows red whit what looks like white skeleton neon outlining the wording, HOTEL is outlined with pink skeleton neon, and COFFEE SHOP & BAR FREE PARKING is made of the same pink neon as the HOTEL portion.
Sign - type of display: Neon
Sign - media: Steel
Sign environment: The property is surrounded by other casinos, restaurants, and bars.
Sign - date of installation: circa 1941
Sign - date of redesign/move: Possible change in signage around 1946
Sign - thematic influences: Spanish revival (mission) style, the facade was faced with bricks with weeping mortar and the roof was red tile while a large metal sign announced the casino clubs name.
Sign - artistic significance: Spanish Revival / Western cowboy themes were popular in Vegas especially in the 30s and 40s due to the image pushed to look like the wild west or as a pioneer town.
Survey - research locations: Las Vegas Then and Now, Spectacular, assessor's website
Surveyor: Danny Jacobs
Survey - date completed: 2017-09-04
Sign keywords: Neon; Steel; Architectural; Back to back; Incandescent; Reader board; Marquee; Roof Sign

The Palace Station Hotel and Casino sign sits at 2411 West Sahara Avenue. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet.
Site address: 2411 W Sahara Ave
Sign owner: Palace Station
Sign details: Founded by Frank Fertitta III, was originally Bingo Palace in 1976 but was changed to Palace Station
Sign condition: 4 - some broken lights on the sign but for the most part seems in great condition. Owners unsure if keeping the sign or replacing it with a new one during 2017 remodel of property
Sign form: back to back pylon
Sign-specific description: Double sided pylon road side sign, word "PALACE STATION HOTEL CASINO" In red encasement stuck to the front of a minimalistic image of a train, the word "BINGO" underneath the train front. Skeleton Neon is used to accentuate the features of the train and the lettering on the sign.
Sign - type of display: Neon and incandescent
Sign - media: Steel, Plastic
Sign animation: Chasers around "PALACE STATION HOTEL CASINO" and "BINGO" boxes and the neon in the boxes turn off then fill in from both sides until full again
Sign environment: Property is near the I-15, by local businesses and some residential
Sign - date of installation: c. 1983
Sign - thematic influences: Seeking to avoid the western theme popular among casinos at the time, Fertitta chose trains. Worried that the name Bingo Palace didn't highlight the full-range of gaming and amenities on offer at the expanded casino, Fertitta held an open contest to rename the casino later that year. More than 26,000 entries were received over three weeks. Las Vegas resident Claire Jarvis won as Palace Station touched on the new train theme while keeping part of the original name. - Las Vegas Review Journal
Sign - artistic significance: Owner Frank Ferttitta Jr held a contest for the casinos new theme and the "train station" theme was the favorite out of the entries.
Survey - research locations: UNLV Special Collections, Las Vegas Sun, YESCO, Review Journal
Surveyor: Danny Jacobs
Survey - date completed: 2017-09-10
Sign keywords: Pylon; Neon; Incandescent; Steel; Chasing; Back to back; Roadside; Video screen; Reader board

The Tod Motor Motel sign sits at 1508 South Las Vegas Boulevard. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet.
Site address: 1508 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign owner: Ron and Carol Tadmor; Herb Sider
Sign details: Opened in 1962, the Tod Motor Motel was an exciting contribution to Las Vegas Boulevard. However, hard financial times and changing environments altered the motel scene after several years of being open. After a period of crime, new owners renovated the hotel from top to bottom: new facade, carpet, and furnishings. In 2005 ownership changed again and the new owners sought to expand the property. The neighboring properties, however, refused to sell and the owner of Tod tried to get approval to sell units as condos. The Tod Motor Motel has since closed and entrance is boarded up.
Sign condition: About 4-5, appears to have relatively low damage, if any
Sign form: Street pylon and porte cochere near front office
Sign-specific description: Green V-shape with "Tod motor Motel" in orange block letters overlaid, metal pole protruding atop "o" in "Tod" with red, outline sphere attached.
Sign - type of display: Neon
Sign - media: Steel
Sign - non-neon treatments: Blue, metal lettering placed on side and front of hotel, spells out "Tod Motor Motel," large painted flowers on side and front near blue lettering; pink, diamond-shaped railing along exterior
Sign environment: On the north end of the strip near the base of the Stratosphere, neighboring Dino's Lounge.
Sign - date of installation: 1962
Sign - date of redesign/move: Remodeled after new ownership, sometime in the mid-2000's.
Sign - thematic influences: Design and patterns similar to South Beach (Miami) hotels, tropical element. Also this sign has remnants of the 50's/60's motorist theme.
Survey - research locations: Assessor's page, Las Vegas Sun article https://lasvegassun.com/news/2007/mar/30/new-life-for-tod/ , Las Vegas Weekly video https://lasvegasweekly.com/photos/galleries/2008/may/22/tod-motor-motel/#/0
Surveyor: Carlyle Constantino
Survey - date completed: 2017-07-13
Sign keywords: Neon; Steel; Pole sign; Incandescent; Back to back; Backlit; Cantilever construction; Directional

The Fremont Hotel and Casino, operating since 1956, sits at 200 Fremont Street inside the Fremont Street Experience. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Sheet.
Site name: Fremont Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Site address: 200 Fremont St
Sign owner: Boyd Gaming
Sign details: Opened 1956, the Fremont was a 15-story high rise, tallest building in Nevada at the time. Boyd Gaming purchased the property in 1983.
Sign condition: 5 - well maintained signage
Sign form: Bullnose Architectural sign
Sign-specific description: Decorated shed that wraps two sides of the property. The neon is primarily red with reader boards spaced throughout. The wrap also has columns of light bulbs. A cabinet with the words "Sam Boyd's" is at the very top of the bullnose at the corner, with the word Fremont directly underneath. A large T.V. screen is in-between "Fremont" and "Casino," which is housed at the bottom of the bullnose.
Sign - type of display: Neon, Incandescent
Sign - media: Steel, Plastic
Sign - non-neon treatments: T.V. screens
Sign animation: Flickering lightbulbs
Sign environment: Property is on Fremont Street, near the Golden Nugget, 4 Queens, and Binion's.
Sign manufacturer: Possibly SSI
Sign - date of installation: c. 1983
Sign - thematic influences: Similar to that of other Fremont Street casino properties, the Fremont has a wrap of neon and incandescent bulbs going around the face of the building. The current signage went up in the 1980s, 20 years after the first of the wraps and bullnoses went up in that area.
Sign - artistic significance: When Sam Boyd purchases the property and changed the signage, it appears he wanted to stay consistent with the other larger casino properties in that area. A decorated shed was put on the building, with a large bullnose on the corner.
Survey - research locations: Vintage Vegas, The Magic Sign, Fremont Hotel Website, Boyd Gaming Website
Survey - research notes: There is a good chance that SSI designed the Sam Boyd signage. There is photo evidence in the Federal Heath photo collection at the Neon Museum showing a piece from the property in their shop back in the early 1980s.
Surveyor: Wyatt Currie-Diamond
Survey - date completed: 2017-09-09
Sign keywords: Architectural; Neon; Incandescent; Steel; Plastic; Bullnose; Video screen

Includes meeting agenda and minutes. CSUN Session 26 Meeting Minutes and Agendas.