There is something so exciting and glamorous to me about Las Vegas in the 1950’s and 60’s. The glitz and glamour of the fancy hotels, the celebrities that would party there and even the stories of mobster activities intrigue me. So when I had the opportunity to set up a photo shoot at the Neon Boneyard in Las Vegas, I didn’t hesitate.
The Neon Boneyard is a museum and non-profit organization dedicated to preserving a bit of Las Vegas history by restoring old signs that have been salvaged from demolished buildings. Some of the signs have been refurbished and placed on display throughout the city of Las Vegas. The remaining signs, that are waiting for refurbishment, are stored on a 2 acre lot at the end of town.
I could barely contain my excitement as my contact, Jennifer, unlocked the gate. The poor woman must have wondered what flew by her as the gate opened and I was set free. I had one hour to roam around and photograph whatever I wanted. I knew the hour was going to fly by so I wanted to use my time as efficiently as possible.
As I photographed each sign, I could feel the energy and excitement of a by-gone era. I could hear the The Rat Pack signing and joking, I could see Marilyn with a drink in her hand surrounded by her admirers, and I could even envision a hit-man or two….Yes, I have a vivid imagination! But I can only imagine the secrets these signs must hold, if you believe all the Vegas stories told over the years.
The Famous Stardust…
Binion’s Horseshoe
The infamous El Cortez where a lot of mob activity allegedly occurred.
The Fox Theater and some pink feathers from Bugsy Seigal’s the Flamingo Hotel.
The Desert Inn, Stardust stars and Caesar’s
What’s old is new again…apparently there had been an area called City Center and, as of a couple years ago, they completed the new, very modern City Center.
Here is a gallery of some of the images I captured. I will do another post hi-lighting some of the restored signs that have been refurbished and are located throughout the town. Click on the first picture and you can view all the photos in a slideshow format. Enjoy a moment in time gone by….
Cool. A place where old neon comes to die.
I love the fact that they are restoring them and displaying them throughout town. It’s a great way to keep the history alive.
Hi,
That’s great that they take the time to restore these signs, they are all a part of the history of the area, really good to see.
Great photos.
Definitely, and it’s interesting to see how much Vegas has changed. It is so much more upscale now. almost all the rinky-dink cheesy hotels are gone. So keeping a bit of history alive is good.
Gorgeous series!
Thank you!
These are great! It has a real carnival feel to it
It does have a fun carnival feel to it and that is what I was trying to portray. I wanted to make it feel like they were almost still alive.
Looks like a ton of fun! 🙂
Without a doubt! 🙂
It is wonderful that these signs will be salvaged and restored for future generations, rather than merely trashed to add to our landfills. Great captures of the signs awaiting restoration. Great share. Thank you. 🙂
Thanks ~ I hope they can continue to keep collecting funds to restore them all.
Great shots and it was great to see. I have been to a lot of the places when the old signs were up. Thanks for sharing.
I think it’s great that they are preserving and displaying a piece of LV history.
So cool! Vintage signs are great 🙂
I love vintage signs! This was a fun one for me.
Great shots. You must have felt like a kid in a candy store.
Absolutely! Wish I had even more time there.
Don’t you wish you could put one up in your backyard? So cool!
That’s so funny you said that because I was thinking how cool it would be to have one!
LOVE, LOVE your photos – thanks so much for sharing!!! What a fun experience:)
Thanks, Renee. It was a really fun experience.
Awesome photos!
Thanks! It was fun to do something different.
Wow!! That is such a colorful and fun gallery. 😀
It was fun working with the color. I did increase the hues on these but it’s amazing how colorful they still are.
Very cool! I saw a documentary about this place a while back, and I’ve always thought that one day I’ll go see the place myself.
Oh! Wish I had seen that. My husband was asking a million questions as I was shooting and the curator gave him quite a bit of history but I would love to see a show on this site. All these signs have so much history to them.
So cool, it’s amazing they have retained so much of their color! Wonderful shooting! Tom
These signs are in really good shape! It’s so much fun to see them restored and displayed on the Blvd.
This place is just way too much fun ! I would spend hours there taking pictures and checking things out. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
I easily could have spent hours there! They are REALLY strict on the time factor because they have back to back bookings all day long.
This is awesome! I know you had fun wandering around there! One hour wouldn’t even begin to be enough time 😦
Exactly! It was also fascinating hearing the history behind the signs as well. Next time I’m in town, I’ll just take the regular tour to get all the background on them.
Wow! What an experience – thanks for sharing all the great photos you captured!
Glad you enjoyed it!
We didn’t get to go to the bone yard, we were in Vegas the 1 of 2 days they were closed :L awesome shots btw 🙂
Bummer! I can top that, I was in Rome the 1 day the Sistine Chapel was closed! I feel your pain. 😉
Oh that sucks when that happens!!!!
i LOVE THIS!!! For one day of our honeymoon, I took my husband to a car graveyard that covered 7 acres with the same excitement I know you experienced walking through that gate…what great color and desisng and photos.
Wow! There are some great shots here. What a wonderful place. I particularly like Gas and the Fox Dry Cleaners photographs. Thanks for stopping by Postcard Cafe and for bringing me some photographic gems my way. Best wishes…
Great shots! And love the title! Will surely make time for the ‘neon boneyard’ if ever I am in LV!
Awesome job capturing all of that nostalgia. What an exciting adventure – I can only imagine the events and intrigue these signs “watched over” as they stood lighting the Vegas strip!
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