FREE ASPIRIN & TENDER SYMPATHY SIGN OFFICIALLY RESTORED AND INSTALLED IN THE LAS VEGAS MEDICAL DISTRICT
Plans Underway for Sign Relighting in Early November
Free Aspirin & Tender Sympathy sign – on loan to the City of Las Vegas from The Neon Museum – has officially made its home in the Las Vegas Medical District on W. Charleston Boulevard, as part of the evolution of the Medical District and The Neon Museum’s preservation efforts throughout the city. The sign was restored after a multiple-month-long restoration process by Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO). Plans for reillumination of the piece are in process with the goal of an early November relighting event.
“We are celebrating the development of the Las Vegas Medical District while at the same time preserving the historic and symbolic nature of Las Vegas,” said Mayor Pro Tem and Councilman Brian Knudsen. “The love tender sign is another example of our city’s commitment to our Las Vegas residents. We’re so grateful to the Neon Museum for the partnership and encourage all Las Vegans to tender sympathy. “
Dating back to the late 1950s, the Free Aspirin & Tender Sympathy sign was located on what is now Las Vegas Boulevard, and what was originally 5th Street – a part of Highway 91 that linked Las Vegas to Los Angeles. The sign was then placed on what opened as Allen’s Post Union 76 gas station. Located at 3758 S. Las Vegas Blvd. near the Desert Rose Motel – where Park MGM stands today – and Lone Palm Motel, the current location of New York-New York Hotel & Casino. The property changed owners multiple times until Kenneth Lehman purchased the property in the mid-1970s and remained the owner until the closing in 2001. The Desert Rose Motel sign was donated in 2005 to The Neon Museum’s collection. Additionally, the Lone Palm Motel sign is on loan from YESCO and was deposited in 2001, where it is now a part of the scenic byway.
Lehman continued the legacy of the “Free Aspirin & Tender Sympathy” and the “Ask Us Anything” slogan and was quoted saying “You can’t put it on a sign and not do it.” In 2001, upon closing of the station, the sign was donated to The Neon Museum.
Aaron Berger, Executive Director of The Neon Museum, said, “This partnership allows history to be visible in Las Vegas. By placing historic signs in public spaces, we are allowing the public – tourist and local alike –to engage with our city’s past. The fact that this remarkable, whimsical sign is free and available for everyone to enjoy in the Medical District is a wonderful benefit. This sign in particular is a perfect fit for the Medical District.”
The sign has multiple layers of designs spanning over five decades of operation. The original sign from the 1950s-1960s contained hand-painted lettering of the sayings “Free Aspirin & Tender Sympathy” and “Ask Us Anything” outlined in white skeletal neon. S&H Green Stamps is on the header of the sign, which was a reward system created by Sperry & Hutchinson company starting in 1896 that allowed customers to save up stamps rewarded from purchases to get merchandise from their catalog and redemption centers.
The late 1960s-early 1970s owner Jay Manning also is featured on the header of the sign. Vinyl lettering was added in the 1990s and by the 2000s, the sign began to advertise “Mechanic on Duty” and “Snacks, Cold Drinks, and Film,” along with the original slogan of “Free Aspirin & Tender Sympathy.”
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; the Boulevard Gallery outdoor exhibit and event space; and its visitors’ center inside the former La Concha Motel lobby. The museum collection also includes nine 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.