DEBBIE REYNOLDS HOLLYWOOD HOTEL SIGN TO BE RESTORED AND RELIT AT THE NEON MUSEUM THROUGH YESCO CONSERVATION FUND AND OTHERS
24-Foot-Long “Debbie” Sign to be Brought Back to Life in Las Vegas
The Neon Museum and YESCO, the 104-year-old company known for creating, repairing and maintaining internationally recognizable signs, will officially restore and relight the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel / Casino / Movie Museum “Debbie” sign. The massive 24-foot-long fuchsia piece will be brought back to life thanks to an application of the YESCO Conservation Fund that was established in honor of the Museum’s 10th anniversary to maintain, repair and improve signs in the Museum’s collection and in partnership with additional donors including Reynolds’ son Todd Fisher and the Debbie Reynolds Estate. This is the first application of the YESCO Conservation Fund, making this project possible.
“Restoring and relighting the Debbie Reynolds sign is a deeply meaningful project for YESCO,” said Jeff Young, executive vice president, YESCO. “Her contributions to the entertainment industry and her iconic presence in Las Vegas have left an indelible mark on the city, and this project exemplifies our commitment to conserving the rich history of Las Vegas through the YESCO Conservation Fund.”
Reynolds was known for her longstanding Las Vegas legacy and legendary career as a multi-faceted entertainer. Spanning from singing, to dancing, to comedy and acting, Reynolds played pivotal roles in popular movies and television series throughout the 1940s and into the early 2000s. In 1962, she moved to Las Vegas with her two children Carrie and Todd Fisher and signed a first-of-its-kind million-dollar contract for a holiday season residency at the Riviera Hotel and Casino. She looked to Las Vegas to bring stability to her life – both personally and professionally – and established herself as one of the city’s most enduring personalities.
During her time in Las Vegas, she owned the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel. After extensive renovations, it opened in 1993 at 305 Convention Center Drive, featuring Debbie’s Star Theater and its own Hollywood Museum. The museum showcased dozens of Hollywood artifacts that Debbie preserved from various Hollywood auctions, including costumes from various Hollywood classics including a pair of ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz.”
Debbie also performed in Las Vegas at the Desert Inn, South Point, Caesars Palace and more. Her career in Las Vegas spanned from 1962 to 2014. To commemorate her immeasurable legacy in the city, The Neon Museum will bring back Reynolds’ “Debbie” sign from the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel. YESCO sign designer Rudy Crisostomo took inspiration from Debbie’s signature to design the neon sign that adorned the hotel tower.
Todd Fisher said, “We are thrilled to see my mother’s hotel sign restored, relit and installed at its new home at The Neon Museum. In 1992 when the hotel was being designed, the YESCO sign company was engaged to light up the entire hotel with Hollywood themed signage. Immediately they focused on my mother’s iconic trademark signature. This sign is a wonderful part of my mother’s legacy here in Las Vegas. Now it will live on for future generations with other iconic Las Vegas signs to enjoy and understand their part of Las Vegas History. Thanks to YESCO and The Neon Museum for all you do towards this mission.”
In addition to YESCO, the sign is being brought to life by additional donors including Todd & Catherine Fisher, Friends of the Debbie Reynolds Estate, Jonathan James Haas and an anonymous donor.
Aaron Berger, executive director of The Neon Museum, said, “Debbie Reynolds was an internationally renowned entertainer of stage and screen. What is less known is that Las Vegas was home to her personally and professionally. She made a profound name for herself in Las Vegas continuously breaking barriers for women and performers. She was an esteemed businesswoman with her decades-long career, and a dedicated mother who always made her family a priority. The Neon Museum is extremely honored to tell Debbie’s story and can’t express enough gratitude to the donors who helped make this sign restoration possible.”
In 2023, Fisher collaborated with The Neon Museum to create a months-long exhibition dedicated to her titled “The Persona, The Person: Debbie Reynolds in Las Vegas.” Located within Las Vegas’ City Hall, the exhibition honored the Las Vegas legacy with a showcase of her real-life gowns, movie costumes, shoes and more all from the Debbie Reynolds Estate collection which Fisher oversees. The display was part of The Neon Museum’s annual Duck Duck Shed – a citywide cultural, design and entertainment festival – that celebrates the allure of Las Vegas’ past and present with behind-the-scenes tours, exclusive exhibitions and thought-provoking discussions.
The Neon Museum is open daily and includes an outdoor exhibition space known as the Neon Boneyard that is filled with some of Las Vegas’ most iconic neon signs; the North Gallery, home to the immersive audiovisual experience “Brilliant! Jackpot” which uses technology to re-illuminate more than 40 non- operational signs; the Boulevard Gallery outdoor exhibit and event space; and its visitors’ center inside the former La Concha Motel lobby.
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About The Neon Museum
Founded in 1996, The Neon Museum is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying, and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic, arts and cultural enrichment. In 2021, The Neon Museum achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition bestowed to museums in the United States. On its 2.27-acre campus, The Neon Museum has an outdoor exhibition space known as the Neon Boneyard (“boneyard” is traditionally the name for an area where items no longer in use are stored); the North Gallery, home to the immersive audiovisual experience “Brilliant!” which uses technology to re-illuminate more than 40 non-operational signs; and its visitors’ center inside the former La Concha Motel lobby. The museum collection also includes 14 restored signs installed as public art in downtown Las Vegas. Public education, outreach, research, and arts preservation represent a selection of the museum’s ongoing projects. For more information, including tour schedules and tickets, visit www.neonmuseum.org. Also follow @NeonMuseum on Facebook and Twitter and @theneonmuseumlasvegas on Instagram.
ABOUT YESCO
YESCO specializes in the manufacture of custom electric signs, sign maintenance and out-of-home advertising. In addition, YESCO operates sign and lighting service repair stores throughout North America as well as a sign financing business. Thomas Young founded the company in Ogden, Utah, in 1920 after borrowing $300 from his father. YESCO began by offering wall painted advertisements, gold-leaf window lettering and coffin plates. Today, helmed by the third and fourth generations of the founder’s family, YESCO creates, services and maintains award-winning displays for some of the most prestigious brands. For more information, go to www.YESCO.com.