The Neon Museum boneyard in downtown Las Vegas is where new life is given to old signs. It is where you can stroll past giant relics that used to light the way to casinos, restaurants, hotels and motels. But when Jonathan Jossel visited the boneyard earlier this year, he noticed one iconic sign conspicuously missing, The Plaza hotel-casino sign. As CEO of The Plaza, Jossel said it just did not sit right with him.
“Well I saw some other signs from downtown casinos and I couldn’t be left out,” Jossel said.
So, he had coffee with Aaron Berger, the Executive Director of the Neon Museum, and told him a sign that had been taken down from The Plaza six years ago and put in storage was a perfect fit for the Boneyard. It just needed little refurbishing.
“The size of it, the light bulbs, the combination of light bulbs and neon together and the way it glows,” Jossel said. “You’ll see when we turn it on. It’s going to be the most impressive sign in the whole boneyard!”
It turned out to be an easy sell. The sign has been cleaned up and re-wired and now holds a prominent spot in the boneyard. At the ceremony of its first lighting, Berger touted the sign’s rich history. He reminded those in attendance that The Plaza not only sits at 1 Main Street, one of the most historic addresses in the city, but it was a casino of many distinctions.
“Add to that the fact this was the largest hotel in the world at one point, then add to that it became the first property downtown to have female table dealers,” Jossel said.
As the sun began to set in the west, Jossel stood by the huge sign and on the count of three, flipped the switch giving it life with light.
Original source can be found here.
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