The 123-foot, 84-ton display was conceived by Gloria & Wally Press, a YESCO salesman, and designed by Dan Edwards. YESCO built the pieces in their Las Vegas shop and assembled the sign on site, finishing up by Sep. 1976. Circus Circus held a contest to name the sign, choosing “Lucky the Clown.”
This is currently the oldest hotel-casino sign on the Las Vegas Strip; only the Welcome sign is older.
Photos by Dan Edwards via The Magic Sign by Charles Barnard. In the background of the first photo, Riviera with The Carpenters and Jimmie Walker on the board (Jul. 1-7, 1976).
Howdy pardner’s! My name is Tyler and I love Las Vegas’ history. I graduated from the UNLV School of Architecture in 2017 with an M.Arch degree. During my time I’m architecture school, I took a research interest in the urban and architectural history of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Image from the Yesco Collection at UNLV Special Collections
The vintage '65 sign was removed and the new marquee was switched on in Oct., all by YESCO. The sign and a new porte-cochère were part of a larger remodeling effort which included a new Copa Room.
Patrick Gaffey tells a story of the Sands sign.
“When I was at Allied Arts Council, one day I got a call from the Sands Hotel, and they said, ‘We're getting rid of our classic sign and we don't know what to do with it, and we thought we would offer it to Allied Arts Council.’ It was that sign that was grid of squares with the big S and the Sands.”
“I said, ‘It's a hugely important sign, but we don't have any place to put it. I don't know what we could possibly do with it. We don't have any way to move it … No, we can't take it.’”
“So it was destroyed. I eventually saw the S sitting in the Young Electric Sign Company boneyard by itself. I don't think that even exists anymore. I felt terrible about that … So I went to the board and we created a Design Arts Committee of Allied Arts Council. We had all kinds of ideas of how a museum should be done …”
Developing an idea for a museum or neon park, the group went on to acquire “ten or twelve signs” from properties that were remodeling, closed, or from local sign scrap yards. The City of Las Vegas agreed to store the signs. The Arts Council never saw the idea to fruition, but these efforts rolled into what would become the Neon Museum.
Photos: Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) Corporate Records (MS-00403) UNLV Special Collections & Archives. Sources: Patrick Gaffey oral history interview (OH-02805) UNLV Special Collections & Archives; New Marquee. Review-Journal, 10/2/81.
Boulder Club, Apache Casino. Fremont St, Las Vegas, c. 1935
“A neon electric sign, bearing the words, ‘Boulder Club,’ and showing a stein of foaming beer, ash just been erected in front of the Boulder Club building.” – Las Vegas Review-Journal, 5/22/33
Thomas Young Sr. brought Young Electric Sign Co (YESCO) to Las Vegas in Mar. '32, opening an office in the new Apache Hotel. Son Thomas Young Jr. recalls him saying, “Think of all that electricity we’re going to get from Hoover Dam to light signs in Las Vegas.”
14 months later Boulder Club was the first major YESCO neon sign in Las Vegas.
A clock was added to the lower section of the sign in '36. The sign can be seen in color film from the late 30s.
YESCO opened its first plant in Las Vegas in '45 for the construction and maintenance of Boulder Club's second sign.
Photo: James H. Down Jr. Photograph Collection (PH-00015), UNLV Special Collections. Sources: Four State Electrical Firm to Operate Here. Review-Journal, 3/28/32; Boulder Club Has Giant Neon Sign. Review-Journal, 5/22/33 p2; Neon Lights, Nevada Dept. of Cultural Affairs; Thomas Young Jr. oral history interview (OH-03255), UNLV Special Collections.
Grand opening of Royal Nevada, Las Vegas, April 19, 1955.
Timeline of Royal Nevada '55-'59
'50: Sunrise Hotel Corp applies for water rights on land it owns north of the Frontier, south of El Rancho Vegas. Owners of the corp are unknown.
'53: Jun, Frank Fishman buys Sunrise Hotel Corp and announces plans for the Sunrise hotel and casino.
'53: Fall, the hotel is now called Royal Nevada. John Replogle of Las Vegas, structural engineer, and Paul R. Williams, architect. (Architect & Engineer, 2/54 p45)
'53-54: Fishman sells a portion of the land to Tony Cornero for his venture, the Stardust hotel, exact date unknown.
'54: Jun., Groundbreaking of Royal Nevada. Hahn-St. John Construction are the general contractors, with Fuez-Page Construction handling carpentry and concrete. (RJ 6/27/54; San Pedro News-Pilot, 6/26/54; RJ 10/17/54)
'55: Apr. 18, Royal Nevada holds a private party for soldiers of the Nevada Test Site.
'55: Apr. 19, Royal Nevada grand opening. Signs by YESCO. The Dancing Waters was the signature attraction. Helen Traubel was the debut headliner. Royal Nevada Inc. is the owner of the hotel, Royal Hotel Inc. is the leasing operator.
'55: Dec. 31, Casino closed. The dinner showroom and hotel closes days later.
'56: Feb., Hotel portion reopens, leased to Jake Kozloff.
'56: Jun., Frontier takes over the Royal Nevada, operating as a hotel annex to the Frontier.
'57: Feb., Casino reopens, licensed to a group headed by T. W. Richardson.
'57: Dec., Casino closes after a complaint by Nevada Gaming Control; briefly reopened and closed again 1/30/58.
'58: Mar., Hotel closed after IRS raid. (UPI 3/6/58).
'58: Sep., Desert Inn/Stardust partners lease Royal Nevada hotel (RJ 8/29/58).
'59: Royal Nevada fully closed, absorbed into Stardust, and turned into Stardust Auditorium. Signs changed in Fall '59. (RJ 9/18/59, 10/12/59)
Photos of the Royal Nevada
Headline Photo: L. F. Manis Photograph Collection (PH-00100) UNLV Special Collections.
Crowning ceremony, 4/12/55. YESCO installs the crown sign. Photos of the model by Jay Florian Mitchell via Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas. The building crown may have been reused for the Tally Ho in '63-'65. The crown marquee sign remained in the YESCO boneyard and became part of the Neon Museum Collection.
Tourist photo dated 4/23/55.
1955
Sources include: Notice of application. Review-Journal, 7/14/50 p13 col. 3; Sunrise, New Strip Hotel, Before Tax Body This Week. Review-Journal, 6/15/53 p3; Work Set Soon on Newest Hotel. Review-Journal, 10/28/53 p1; Revenue men close hotel in Las Vegas. UPI, 3/6/58.
