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Photographs of McDonald's sign, 3999 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas (Nev.), 2002

Date

2002

Description

Daytime and evening views of a McDonald's sign on the Strip at 3999 S Las Vegas Blvd. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet.
Site address: 3999 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign details: The McDonald's pylons sits in the parking lot for a Strip mall, located in the South end of the Las Vegas strip. The sign sits northwest of the actual McDonald's Restaurant and faces north south. It also act as the main advertising pylon for other shops which are located in the strip mall. The pylon consists of four cabinets including the McDonald's main marquee cabinet. The cabinet directly below the McDonald's crown reads "Golf" and advertises for a golf store the other two are internally lit rectangular cabinet with advertisements for Las Vegas Clubwear, Panda Express, a shoe store which reads "Boots and Wide Shoes", and for the local radio station 97.5 KVEG.
Sign condition: Structure 5 Surface 4 Lighting 4
Sign form: Pylon
Sign-specific description: The pylon located on the east side of Las Vegas Boulevard South, and is facing north/south. The structure contains four double-faced cabinets, two of which are internally lit, while the other pair are steel cabinets containing neon and incandescent bulb treatments. The entire structure of the sign itself is essentially a narrow, square, vertical pole, with three cabinets cutting transversely the horizontal plane of the design, and integrated into it's construction. The surface of the sign is stucco with four bars of vertical neon rising vertically up the face of the pole where there are breaks between the internally lit cabinets. The tubing starts as a purple color but transforms into a red as it reached the top and spreads out into the supporting T form, which supports the McDonalds cabinet. The cabinet itself is constructed of a red painted steel, with the arches made of yellow painted steel. The letters that spell McDonalds is spelled in white channel letters, with the sides of the cabinet adorned with miniature golden arches logo. Red incandescent bulbs are laden across the face of the sign. The crowning features of the sign are the golden arches, which are wrapped with repeating bands of golden neon The each face of the cabinet is lined with red neon tubing. The "M" emblem created by the miniature golden arches are lined with the corresponding. yellow neon. The cabinet just below the main attraction is a horizontal rectangular cabinet made of steel and painted green with rounded ends. Yellow channel letters spell the word golf and occupy the majority of the center of the sign. Flanking the text is a three-piece graphic design pattern representing a golf ball and two other geometric elements. It is not obvious what the symbol represents but its is comprised of two non-descriptive shapes in yellow and a circular shape in green. All of the yellow shapes are lined on the interior border with yellow neon. The circular shape is internally lit, with the face matching the shape of the cabinet in color. The cabinet below the golf cabinet is an internally lit, double backed cabinet advertising for a local radio station on the south face of the sign. The black script, set upon a field of various red and orange blended tones, reads the call letters KVEG 97.5, with a white oval backing up the letters and centering the red field. The north face contains a back lit yellow and red advertisement for the Panda Express restaurant. The third and last cabinet closest to the ground is internally lit with different advertising on either side as well. The south face of the cabinet is a three sectioned graphically treated advertisements for the Panda Express, Las Vegas Club Wear, and the Boots and Wide Shoes text for Leonard's Wide shoes which is what dominates the north side of the pylon. The face of the blue steel cabinet is lined with blue neon. At the bottom of the pylon there is a small plaque used to illuminate the blue and white address plate.
Sign - type of display: Neon; Incandescent; Backlit
Sign - media: Steel; Plastic
Sign - non-neon treatments: Paint
Sign animation: Chasing, oscillating
Notes: The incandescent bulbs found on the face of the sign are constantly oscillating at a quick pace. The neon bands which wrap around the golden arches, start in the very middle at the bottom and chase each other upward from the center, leaving every bar illuminated in it's path, until the entire arch itself. Once the arches rapidly fill up, the entire arch flashes off, on, then off again, before restarting the entire sequence.
Sign environment: Headed south, across a small drive on the east side of Las Vegas Blvd from the McDonalds, is a shiny, new fueling station and mini mart, brightly illuminated, creating a constant current of arriving and departing travelers with the McDonalds restaurant. In relation to the larger scale Luxor and Mandalay Bay, the presence, which the McDonalds environment portrays, is like the smaller satellite's to the standing vision of new development on the Strip. Instead of this sign being evidence of what was and was is dying on the southern en of the strip it is actually evidence of the modern development and new life welling up.
Sign manufacturer: YESCO
Sign - thematic influences: The theme of the McDonald's establishment is in the realm of the well-established McDonalds corporation. The golden arches, and solid red hue, have become synonymous with the name " McDonald's," and is an image, which has been communicated to the masses of people for half a century. It is an icon, which is associated with America all over the world. McDonalds has created it's own realm and thematic influence over the years from all of it's extensive advertisements and marketing. Therefore, the theme of the establishment's signs draws from itself and the world that the name has created. Being one of the most commonly seen images in America, this sign is tailored to fit into the illustrious, illuminative properties held on the Las Vegas Strip. It fits into the category of everyday images and businesses dressed up for Las Vegas, which include, Arby's, Arco AM/PM, Walgreen's, and Fatburger.
Surveyor: Joshua Cannaday
Survey - date completed: 2002
Sign keywords: Chasing; Oscillating; Pylon; Neon; Incandescent; Backlit; Steel; Plastic; Paint

Mixed Content

Photographs of MGM Grand signs, Las Vegas (Nev.), 2002

Date

2002
2017-08-30

Description

Photos show MGM Grand signs 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: MGM Grand Hotel and Casino
Site address: 3799 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign owner: MGM Mirage
Sign details: The MGM Grand is host to several types and numbers of signs around the exterior of the property. These types include the MGM lion logo and text which adorn the tops of the towers, a multimedia pylon sign, a golden monument sculpture of a lion which serves as the main entrance, and several smaller textual signs that denote parking and entrances.
Sign condition: Structure 5 Surface 5 Lighting 5 Notes: The MGM's signage is excellent repair, being a less than a decade old. The structure is intact, as well as all the lighting, and surface.
Sign form: Pylon; Fascia; Porte-cochère
Sign-specific description: The property contains different types signs including Pylon, sculpted three-dimensional signs as well as building front logos. The pylon sits along the East side of Las Vegas Blvd, just north of Tropicana Blvd, and faces north /south. Constructed as if to appear as different sized towers from the emerald city, the double backed pylon contains the MGM Lion Logo in a backlit steel cabinet and the Letters "MGM" at the top in gold polished channel letters with horizontal bars of Neon. Directly beneath that sit two message centers one being an animated color LED screen on the left, and the one on the right being a backlit plastic advertisement screen. Located beneath the two screens the phrase The City of Entertainment in all capital polished gold aluminum channel letters with neon running horizontally across the diameter of the letters. The sculpted three dimensional lion structure sits on the North East corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana and faces to the Southwest. The statue appears to be made of polished gold and is surrounded by an impressive array of fountains, which are illuminated themselves. The statue is ambiently lit from underneath with spot lighting and the glow of the fountains. Serving as a backdrop for the structure, an impressive wall of multicolored incandescent bulbs form a concave geometric canvass that wraps the corner of the building. This wall is separated into different sized fields by square columns of similar height. Sitting atop each of the columns is a statue of a man holding a giant urn upon his back. The statuary is lit from underneath with ambient lighting similar to that of the lion sculpture. The bulbs animate in a subtle waving pattern that gently creates the illusion of a rippling of the surface.
Sign - type of display: Neon; Incandescent; Matrix; Backlit
Sign - media: Steel; Plastic; Fiberglass; Masonry; Glass
Sign animation: Chasing, flashing, oscillating
Notes: The V-shaped red channels on the silver main pylon chase each other downward toward the ground. The main text on the pylon animates as well. The letters light up one at a time with red neon from left to right as the arrows continue to chase downward. The logo/text sign located above the giant replica of the Harley Davidson, animate as well. The incandescent bulbs which fill the text, spelling the name of the establishment, oscillate, steady burn, then shut off, and then restarting the sequence. The letters that spell cafe on the lower portion of the sign animate in concert and with the same sequence as the main text.
Sign environment: The MGM Grand dominates the corner on which it sits. Headed west on Tropicana toward the Strip the property casts a green glow but not too electrifying. Once you reach the corner you can't help but be overwhelmed by standing underneath the looming golden lion and the bustling fountains. Facing the structure from the corner, the facade becomes a canvass of dancing light and water. Look up toward the strip the giant pylon booms the golden letters "MGM" and busy LED screens.
Sign - date of installation: Property was opened in 1993 but signage was changed in 1998
Sign - date of redesign/move: The original sculpted lion entrance was replaced in 1998 with a new trophy style sculpture. With the original sphinx structure, patrons passed trough the mouth of the lion into the main lobby of the hotel. Guests and visitors now pass around the pedestal on which the lion sits upon.
Sign - thematic influences: The exterior of the MGM Grand Hotel incorporates the themes of the movie industry for which the name is so prominent. Most specifically the Wizard of Oz's Emerald city theme. The structure is designed to look as such with the base color of the building being emerald green as well as the pylon structures and attached buildings such as the parking garage. The font and MGM lion logo are represented with gold coloring referencing Oz's yellow brick road. The statue is reminiscent of an Academy award also referencing the industry which the name is so familiar with.
Sign - artistic significance: The establishment joins the era of themed modern Vegas resorts with its front spectacle, super pylon and aesthetic which is entirely encompassed by its theme.
Surveyor: Joshua Cannaday
Survey - date completed: 2002
Sign keywords: Oscillating; Pylon; Fascia; Porte-cochère; Neon; Incandescent; Matrix; Backlit; Steel; Plastic; Fiberglass; Masonry; Glass

Mixed Content

neo000049-001

Date

2002

Description

Sign animation: Chasing, flashing, oscillating
Notes: The horizontal neon bars chase each other from bottom to top, and the incandescent bulbs oscillate rapidly. The two, rosebud type figures in the rear of the property also animate in the same fashion. The incandescent bulbs in the logo text above the old porte-cochere also oscillate. The bulbs in the faceted fascia below the old porte-cochere oscillate rapidly. The two, logo/text signs on the new porte-cochere are also filled with incandescent bulbs that oscillate also. The crest item that sits on the southwest corner of the building is lined with incandescent bulbs that chase downward, down raceways, running the length of the building. The bulbs chase all the way until the end of the tracks. The logo, above the bulbous plumage, on the east face of the southernmost tower is also filled with oscillating incandescent bulbs, while the neon bars and incandescent bulbs on the plumage below the text chase upward from bottom to top.