RESTORED HARD ROCK CAFÉ GUITAR SIGN TO BE ILLUMINATED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE NEON MUSEUM BONEYARD, MARCH 4
WHAT:
The newly restored, re-electrified Hard Rock Café guitar sign will be illuminated for the first time during a private event for museum donors and VIPs. The sign was divided into six pieces in order to be transported to the Neon Museum Boneyard from the Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO). Prior to restoration by YESCO, the sign had been located in front of the Hard Rock Café for 27 years. In its new Boneyard home, it joins many other historical Las Vegas neon signs where its history can be shared with guests and visitors from around the world.
FAST FACTS:
- The restoration took approximately 1,650-man hours to complete the rebuild and install.
- The Hard Rock letters comprise up to 1,538, 10-watt clear incandescent light bulbs, spaced out 3-inches on center.
- Neon colors used on the guitar were ruby red, clear red, 3500K white and gold II.
- There are approximately 4,110 feet of neon tubing on the sign, equating to more than three-quarters of a mile and more than 700 individual neon units.
- The footing of the sign required 648 cubic feet of concrete.
- The area of the face of the sign is 800 square feet.
- The largest of the six sections of the sign that had to be transported from YESCO to the Boneyard is the head, which measures 13-feet-six-inches; a special permit was required in order to transport the sign due to its height.
- The neck section is 23-feet tall, and the body sections are between eight and 10 feet tall.
WHEN:
Monday, March 4
6 to 8 p.m.
WHERE:
Neon Museum Boneyard
770 N Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89101
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. It has been ranked No. 1 in Las Vegas Weekly’s list of “Twenty Greatest Attractions in Las Vegas History,” one of “Sin City’s Best Retro Sites” by MSN, “No. 1 Las Vegas Museum Sure to Entertain and Educate” by USAToday’s 10best.com, “One of the Top 10 Coolest Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do” by Forbes.com, one of the “Top 10 Historic Spots in Las Vegas” by Vegas.com; one of “15 Most Fascinating Museums in the U.S.” by VacationIdea.com; and earns a consistent 4.5 out of 5 rating on TripAdvisor. On its 2.27-acre campus, the Neon Museum houses 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 spectacle “Brilliant!” which uses technology advances to re-illuminate more than 40 non-operational signs; the new Boulevard Gallery outdoor exhibit and event space; and its visitors’ center, housed inside the former La Concha Motel lobby. The museum collection also includes nine restored signs installed as public art throughout downtown Las Vegas. Public education, outreach, research, archival preservation and a grant-funded neon sign survey represent a selection of the museum’s ongoing projects. The museum is located at 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North in Las Vegas. For tour schedules and pricing information, visit neonmuseum.org.