THE NEON MUSEUM WELCOMES, PLUGS IN
THE RIVIERA HOTEL & CASINO SIGN
WHAT:
Illuminating for the first time since the property closed on May 4, the Neon Museum officially lit the Riviera Hotel & Casino sign. The Riviera joins a small group of restored signs in the Neon Boneyard that are able to be illuminated. The sign is located just above the iconic Stardust sign. Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) generously updated the sign by donating a new electrical system and bulbs.
ABOUT THE SIGN:
The Riviera opened on the northern part of the Strip in 1955 during a precarious time; this was when there was doubt the Las Vegas casino boom would last due to casinos opening in quick succession. The “Riv” was the first high-rise hotel on Las Vegas Boulevard. Its elegant design set it apart from many of the other resorts that often resembled the motor courts that were popular with travelers. The resort was a successful entertainment spot. Liberace played on opening night and headlined for many years. Dean Martin performed and even owned a stake in the business. The Riviera also played host to a variety of billiards tournaments including the American Poolplayers Association held every year at the resort for more than 20 years, including the week before the Riviera closed in May 2015. Several pieces of the graceful signage were donated to the museum, including this piece that originally adorned the Riviera’s East Side porte-cochère.
WHERE:
The Neon Museum
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. In addition to an approximately two-acre Neon Museum campus, which includes the outdoor exhibition space known as the Neon Boneyard, the museum also encompasses a visitors’ center housed inside the former La Concha Motel lobby; the Neon Boneyard North Gallery, a separate outdoor exhibition space which is open for educational programs, photography shoots, weddings and special events; as well as 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. Both the Neon Boneyard and the La Concha Visitors’ Center are located at 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North in Las Vegas. For more information, visit www.NeonMuseum.org.