Skip to main content

The Sign

In this episode, The Sign . . .

Raise your hand if you’ve heard of or remember the futuristic design of the 1950s dubbed Googie architecture? Googie architecture was optimistic, experimental, and exciting. And you might already be familiar with it. Animators for The Jetsons used Googie buildings for inspiration.

Entering Las Vegas, Nevada, from California on Arrowhead Highway/Highway 91, now called “the Strip,” you can still find cherished remnants of roadside America from its motoring past.

While visiting Las Vegas in 2014, staying at Mandalay Bay, I was delighted to discover  the “The Sign.” It’s worth a look just to glimpse Las Vegas’ history.

That is provided you have the pluck to make your way from your room through the maze of the modern monolith hotel/casino and can get outside for an early morning walk; you, too, can discover this quaint roadside attraction.

Admittedly, I’m an early bird, out the door by 5:15 a.m., enjoying a light breeze and a pleasant 78 degrees. Keep in mind even in late May, temperatures in the desert can quickly exceed 100 degrees. My morning walk reminded me of the dramatic scale contrast between the old and the new. The 1950s roadside motels sit in the shadow of the massive Mandalay Bay.

Headed south as the rays of golden sunrise peek over the horizon, unknowingly, I approached the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada sign, built in 1959 and now powered by a solar array. Amazingly, I had never seen this sign before (except in movies).

As I approached from the north side, the large bold red and blue scripted font read, Drive Carefully Come Back Soon. Huh, what’s this? I thought. So, I crossed the street to the median and walked around to read the placard next to the large solar panels.

Here are a few fun facts:

  • 25-feet tall
  • Designed in 1959 by Architect Betsy Willis
  • It is a horizontally stretched diamond-shape
  • The design was never copyrighted and remains in the public domain
  • The white neon circles were designed to represent silver dollars
  • In December 2008, a 10-acre parking lot was built for tourists
  • Added to State Register of Historic Places in December 2013
As it’s known to the locals, the sign is located in the center median at 5100 Las Vegas Boulevard South, just north of the historic stone pillars of the old McCarran Airport and across from the Bali Hai Golf Club. According to the GPS on my phone, this landmark sits in the town of Paradise and is located roughly four miles south of the city limits of Las Vegas.

Surprisingly, the design looked familiar. So, I did a quick Google search and tapped on the Googie link; I had seen this style before. Some examples of those familiar with Los Angeles are Norms Restaurants, Johnie’s Coffee Shop on Wilshire Boulevard, the oldest McDonalds in Downey, California, which opened in 1953, the classic drive-in theater signs, and the central Theme Building at the Los Angeles airport.

Today, you can see many diamonds in the desert in Las Vegas, but not one that represents such a blast from roadside America’s motoring past.

I'm Patrick Ball; keep those screens lit, and thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
My cousin and I were in Vegas in '75. Small town youths in sin city. We stayed at the Hilton. Bill Cosby was headlining there. We slept during the day and went out at night. We were in a blur of alcohol,gambling and strip shows. Quite fun. We saw Cosby's act, Sheckey Green and other famous people I can't remember. Steve Lawrence was in the audience at one show and I got within a foot of him as he was leaving..WooHoo! I had long hair back then and I must have looked like a drug dealer or buyer because people kept coming up to me during our Vegas stay to sell or buy drugs from me. Pretty funny. My only drug was alcohol at that point. Our week went by quickly and we flew back home..first class..cheap back then. Those were the days...
August 25, 2020 at 9:32 AM
Post a Comment

Most Popular of All Time

Resurrecting the '90s Graphite

Let’s face it, there’s a certain danger in reading John Gierach's Trout Bum . His wit, self-deprecation, and sharp, effortless satire are entirely infectious. If you aren't careful, his words will inspire you to drop everything, wade into a freezing river, and try to outsmart a creature with a brain the size of a lentil. In my case, re-reading Gierach recently didn't send me straight to the river. It sent me digging through the dusty, spider-guarded corners of my garage. In the early 1990s, seeking a natural escape from Manhattan's concrete canyons, I decided to learn to cast a fly rod. I bought an Orvis Rocky Mountain —eight-and-a-half feet, three ounces, built for a five-weight line—and had absolutely no idea how to use it. To avoid aimlessly whipping the water like scrambling eggs, I took fly-fishing lessons from Al Cucci, co-author of Hatches , on the Delaware River. With his guidance, I fished renowned waters: the AuSable in New York and Michigan, and New Jersey...
Post a Comment
Read more

A B+ Kind of Life

Welcome back to this week's On the Fly . Retirement has taught me something unexpected: life gets a lot more enjoyable when you stop chasing perfection. Lately, I've been having an absolute blast playing executive par-3 courses like Rancho Carlsbad . A short iron, a sunny morning, and nowhere to be except the next tee—that's my kind of day. This Thursday, though, I'm raising the stakes. I'm heading to The Links at Lakehouse in San Marcos, a full-size par-71 course with enough water hazards to keep the local fish well-stocked with my golf balls. After shooting a 64 on a par-3 course, I've set myself a new goal: shoot an 89 before my birthday next August. Why 89? Because on a par-71 course, that's bogey golf—one extra stroke per hole. For non-golfers, think of it this way: par is like earning 100% on a final exam. Bogey golf is a solid B+. You got the job done, learned something, and probably had a lot more fun getting there. The older I get, the more I appre...
Post a Comment
Read more

From Mailbox to Microphone

In this episode, catching up with Sierra . What happens when you combine a little imagination, modern digital tools, and the willingness to make a glorious, muddy mess? You get our guest’s latest project. I’m Patrick Ball. Welcome back to On the Fly . Today, we are diving into the world of native plants and guerrilla gardening with twelve-year-old creator Sierra. After watching her impressive, self-produced tutorial on how to make ‘Seed Balls,’ I had to know how she did it. It’s incredibly inspiring to watch Sierra evolve from a young artist wielding crayons and stationery into a savvy digital creator. She’s writing scripts, mastering voiceovers, and editing—all to make a positive, green impact on her local community. “She shoots, she scores, and she’s here to tell us all about it.” Please welcome Sierra to On the Fly ! Let’s get into it. Audio interview . . . For more blog posts showcasing Sierra’s talents, see: The Mailbox Surprise . . . and The Summer Surprise I’m Patrick Ball. Sta...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Birth of a Cubs Legend

In this episode, The 162-Game Exhale — and the Birth of a Cubs Legend There’s a hush in the baseball world on Game 162 — a collective breath drawn in and slowly released. Scoreboards stop flipping. Dugouts empty. For six months, the game has been our steady heartbeat, pulsing from the cherry blossoms of Tokyo in March to the crisp, playoff-charged winds of late September. And now, as the regular season exhales, baseball fans everywhere pause to absorb the story we’ve just lived. For me, that story has been deeply personal. This season unfolded in the rhythms of my daily life. It was the summer soundtrack echoing beneath the constant turmoil of politics and sensational headlines. It was a handful of carefully chosen ballpark pilgrimages stitched together with countless nights in front of MLB.TV. And at the center of it all, for a lifelong Cubs fan like me, it revolved around one name — a young center fielder who turned hope into history: Pete Crow-Armstrong. The 2025 season didn’t begin...
Post a Comment
Read more