Daytime and evening views of a McDonald's sign on the Strip at 2800 S Las Vegas Blvd. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet.
Site address: 2800 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign details: Located just south of the Westward Ho's south parking lot is the third and northern most version of the sign. Unlike its other two relatives, this sign is solely designated to the McDonald's establishment. It is located in a small landscaped area directly east of the front of the restaurant. This section essentially comprises the front of the establishment itself. It stands tall on the west side of the strip facing north south.
Sign condition: Structure 5 Surface 4 Lighting 4 It is noted that the structural integrity is intact. Certain elements of lighting are out or not working but still present. The surface appears to be slightly deteriorating at this point.
Sign form: Pylon
Sign-specific description: The odd member of the three McDonald's pylons is different in almost every aspect, considering the similarity of the first two to each other. The sign construction itself is a more sleek, opting to integrate the entire structure into a much smoother design than the previous design as well. The other two cabinets are impressive indeed, but the placement of the cabinets is less clumsy than the others. The pole itself is thinner, painted brown steel flat post, which rises into the air, recording a small rectangular anomaly in the vertical line, which is used to support a yellow plastic internally lit cabinet. The four-sided shape swells out on each side, but transitions smoothly as the vertical shot continues upward. The brown post T's off to either side actually stretching to the widest point of the sign. It then grows vertically once again to create the sides of the cabinet. The shape that the brown portion creates is now more akin to a "U" shape rather than a "T." The entire surface of the pylon which is designated brown in laced with incandescent bulbs. Inside this U shape the face of the cabinet is designated red, and set higher above the surface plain of the face. The red fluted steel face is adorned with vertical neon bars and white channel letters floating above the surface. The channel letters are filled with bars of white neon. The giant golden arches break up the top edge of the red cabinet. The arches themselves are yellow painted steel, whose face are encrusted with yellow incandescent bulbs as well as border of yellow neon which floats around the edge of the arch. The tops and bottom surfaces are finished in a reflective, gold, polished metal. A channel runs up the center of the post and a yellow tube of neon glows as a centering stripe. This stripe actually ties in the internally lit yellow sign, with the crowning arches, quite well.
Sign - type of display: Neon; Incandescent; Backlit
Sign - media: Steel; Plastic
Sign - non-neon treatments: Paint
Sign animation: Oscillating, flashing
Notes: The white incandescent bulbs on the face of the sign illuminate in a chasing pattern from bottom to top, leaving all the bulbs illuminated in it's path, oscillating as they are illuminated. The post vertically illuminates, and when the bulbs reach the top of the brown arms of the U shape, the vertical, red, neon bars on the red portion of the cabinet, chase in simultaneously from either side. They meet in the middle leaving all the bars and thus the cabinet fully illuminated. The cabinet stays lit for a few moments, then the bars curtain out from the middle, back to either side, leaving the bars dark in the animations path. Once they reach the edge, the incandescent bulbs follow suit, and chase back down to the bottom, leaving all the bulbs dark it the chasing path. The yellow incandescent bulbs, which are on the face of the golden arches, constantly oscillate during the animations sequence.
Sign environment: As compared to the other two properties, the environment of this McDonald's is quite different. The other two were integrated into the strip mall design, utilizing the pylon itself for other advertisements as well. Even though the McDonald's pylon stood out as the dominant figure among their surroundings, They still felt as if they were part of a whole as well. The environment, which the northern pylon portrays, also reflects its surroundings as well. This environment of the Westward Ho, the Stardust, the Riviera, and the Circus Circus, bring about a certain garish nature in its design that fits in present in the McDonald's pylon.( see artistic significance and theme for further).
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 that 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, which 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, Arabia's, Arco AM/PM, Walgreen's, and Fatburger.
Sign - artistic significance: Besides what is mentioned in the above paragraph about the above nature of the iconography of the said logo, this particular sign draws off of its surroundings to display certain aesthetic elements.
Surveyor: Joshua Cannaday
Survey - date completed: 2002
Sign keywords: Oscillating; Flashing; Pylon; Neon; Incandescent; Backlit; Steel; Plastic; Paint

Helen J. Stewart birthday scrapbook

Daytime and nighttime views of the Klondike Hotel and Casino signs on the Strip. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet.
Site address: 5191 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign details: The Klondike Motel Casino is located on the east side of the strip, just north of the Las Vegas Tourist Bureau, actually sharing the same lot. The two are only separated by a small driveway. The mining town theme is exemplified throughout the exterior of the property with a western style text, seen on other similar themed properties such as the Frontier. Murals depicting scenes of prospecting miners and saloons adorn the surface as well as red steel sides which appears as wood, because of its horizontal panels. The property stretches north/south with a small parking lot separating the street from the establishment. Behind the front building a series of structures house the rooms. The buildings signage is situated along the face of the building, on the elevated surface of the walls themselves.
Sign condition: Structure 4 Surface 4 Lighting 3
Sign form: Fascia
Sign-specific description: The top edge of the wall entire face of the building arches, and steps up in various places, and is lined with gold raceways lined with incandescent bulbs. On the north side of the main building upon a vast paneled steel surface the word "Casino" is spelled in giant gold channel letters painted white on the interior. They are bordered in red neon and filled with incandescent bulbs. The text for the establishment is the western type face seen in properties such as the Frontier, or the Westward Ho. To the right of the text, an internally lit, white faced, plastic message board message board, is housed in a gold painted steel cabinet. Moving around the corner to the west face of the property, we see "Casino" spelled in the same manner of Cannel letters, flanked on either side by gold painted housings for cabinets, both crowning with an arched top. Incandescent bulbs forma border around the housing. Set inside each one of the square recessed areas is an internally lit, white, plastic faced message center, with vinyl lettering. Both cabinets are painted red. Below the main text an internally lit, white plastic faced, message center, with rounded ended runs the length of the space underneath the letters. The main entrance is underneath an awning, facing southwest. In the center of the top edge of the vertical wall above the awning, a circular internally lit cabinet is bordered with a gold raceway lined with incandescent bulbs. The surface of the sign is yellow plastic with the cartoon image of a dancing miner, complete with pick-axe. Below that Klondike is spelled with metallic channel letters with yellow plastic faces. The text descends in size toward the center of the text, then swells back to the original size on the sides. Below this, "Casino" is spelled in all capital, channel letters, filled with incandescent bulbs and bordered in neon. They are treated gold on the exterior and white in the interior. The awning cover the entrance, and is treated with neon as well. The face of the square awning is designed with three square recessed panels, with open bottoms. Three tubes of neon line each one of the three closed edges. Each tube takes a turn illuminating, red yellow, and blue. Cantilevered off of the left-hand side of the entrance roof line, a horizontal black cabinet reads "Vacancy" painted in white, and overlaid with red neon. The all caps text faces north/south. Continuing south along the face of the building, a two leveled stretch of structure, continues the last portion of the main building. On the red steel fascia continuing, above the overhang of the second level, "Klondike Hotel" is spelled in large channel letters, treated the same as those seen on the north face of the structure. They are painted gold on the exterior and white on the interiors, filled with incandescent bulbs and bordered with neon. To the left of the text, one on the golden housings for the cabinet, seen on the northern end of the west face, is present but empty. The edge of the overhang, beneath the text is also lined with a raceway and incandescent bulbs
Sign - type of display: Neon; Incandescent; Backlit
Sign - media: Steel; Plastic
Sign - non-neon treatments: Paint
Sign animation: Chasing, oscillating
Notes: The text which spells casino flashes on and steady burns, then oscillates, steady burns again, then shuts off. Moving around the corner to the western face, all the raceways bordering all the elements chase each other, while the incandescent bulbs located within the text which spells, "Casino" oscillate rapidly. The awning adorned with neon also animates, changing color flashing from red, then blue, then gold. The text which reads "Casino" above the awning is filled with incandescent bulbs which oscillate as well. The incandescent bulbs in the main text on the southern half of the western face of the building light up one letter at a time then once they are all illuminated, then they all begin to oscillate. Once they oscillate for a few seconds, then they all light up once again. The sequence is ended once all the letters go dark.
Sign environment: Located just north of the tourist bureau, the Klondike has the honor of being the first casino a traveler encounters as they enter the Strip. Besides the company of the tourist bureau and the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, it stands rather solitary. It's collection of pulsating bulbs and neon make the Klondike the most dominant force in its presence.
Sign - date of installation: 1978
Sign - date of redesign/move: Before the Klondike was opened twenty five years ago, it was known as the Konakai Motel.
Sign - thematic influences: mining, goldrush--small roadside motels
Surveyor: Joshua Cannaday
Survey - date completed: 2002
Sign keywords: Chasing; Oscillating; Fascia; Neon; Incandescent; Backlit; Steel; Plastic; Paint