Very Vintage Vegas

Think You Know Las Vegas History?

November 30th, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

That’s the topic for the next episode of “Untold Stories”. These are excellent panel discussions that are held monthly at the Springs Preserve. This one ought to be particularly interesting.

Well, if you have been attending “Untold Stories” you do know a lot of Las Vegas History.  However, there is a great deal of arcane and little-known history that should be better known. So, we are putting the focus on that type of history with December’s “Untold Stories”.  Here’s your chance to learn more about street names around the Valley, the more colorful side of shall we say, Block 16 type businesses as well as the social history of Las Vegas from the 1930s to the 1950s. 

From living with no air-conditioning to stories about Helen J. Stewart, Queho and more, “Las Vegas History You Don’t Know” will be a fun and entertaining way to learn more about the place we all call home.
Also, there will be  “Stump the Panel” where you can ask them questions about arcane Las Vegas history that you know.  Will they be able to add to your knowledge or will you have the stories they don’t know.
Join us on Thursday, December 3rd to find out!

Panelists include:
Dr. Michael Green, Professor of History at the College of Southern Nevada.  Dr. Mike is one of the premiere Southern Nevadan historians.

Mark Hall-Patton, director of Clark County Museums and a local author.

Donna and Gail Andress, they have lived in Las Vegas since 1932 when both arrived as children.  They have helped Las Vegas grow from a dusty railroad town into the Entertainment Capital of the World.  In addition, they are both local historians.

Thursday, December 3rd
Las Vegas Springs Preserve
Desert Learning Center
6:30 pm
Admission $9.00 (buy a three-class series pass and get a discount!)
See you there!

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A Retro Mid Mod Remodel In The Vintage Beverly Green Neighborhood Of Las Vegas

November 30th, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Someone FINALLY took me up on it. I’ve offered to show before and after pictures of VeryVintageVegas renovation, restoration and retrovation projects.

Welcome to Heidi and Scott’s before and after in the Beverly Green Neighborhood of Vintage Las Vegas.

Actually, you’ve seen some of this house before. The VERY FIRST EVER Worst MLS Photo of the Day series was from this house. Let’s start with that one.

It was the dirty ashtray that became the focal point of the picture that first made me think about bad MLS pictures.

Here’s the same bathroom today after being redone with aqua boomerang Formica facings instead of the brick facade paneling. Now it has blue ceramic counters, and tub surround, and no ashtray. Though the counter wasn’t in bad shape, the tilework around the tub is what caused the old tile to have to come out. When the vintage tile work isn’t damaged, we recommend re-grouting it. In this case, is was beyond salvation.

Once I’d started doing the series of Worst MLS Photos, I grabbed another one from the same house. I didn’t think this photo quite did justice to the amazing 3 sided stone fireplace that was the centerpiece of the entire home.

Here’s the same rock fireplace in the newly redone living room.

The horrible pergo is gone and was replaced with VCT in one foot squares. VCT (vinyl composite tile) is very retro authentic and is practically indestructible. It’s also amazingly versatile for creating patterns or single color accent blocks as they’ve done here.

Someone along the way had tried to do some sponge painting. It wasn’t pretty. Here’s the east wall of the living room as it was the day Heidi and Scott got the house. That’s the same wall behind the dining room table in the picture above.

Heidi and Scott are especially proud of the kitchen. A local cabinet maker was able to faithfully reproduce the missing doors and drawer fronts. (Yes, we know how to reach him).

 Most people would have ripped out the kitchen and started over. The undamaged parts of the cabinets were beautiful, original, and had never been painted.  Heidi and Scott saved a bundle by saving the kitchen.  

And the real killer in the kitchen is the new aqua boomerang Formica countertops. This is the exact color and pattern that was in the upstairs bathroom of the 1956 mid mod that I grew up in, back in Columbus.

There’s an amazing “butler’s pantry” area of the kitchen. It includes a bar with an indoor rotisserie oven that’s the back of the fireplace. Here’s the before.

And the after:

The Master Bedroom and Bath were special challenges. Especially trying to paint out the Mondarian color blocks that I had mentioned the other day. Removing the foil wall paper wasn’t fun either.

But now it’s all cleaned up and looking good. The cultured marble countertop in the bathroom was salvageable, and the cabinets were refaced with Charcoal Boomerang Formica.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the dramatic change that retrovating can accomplish. So much more fun than doing one over in Mediterranean cookie cutter. 

If you’ve done a project or a room or a whole house that you’d like to have showcased, drop me a line or give me a call.

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Rancho Manor Neighborhood Association

November 23rd, 2009 Categories: Rancho Manor

I was most pleased to find this sign on a lawn in Rancho Manor this morning. It’s truly sign of an actively engaged neighborhood association. “Home of the Month” awards, landscape awards, clean up recognition and many other things can be done to raise awareness and grow community again.

I want to congratulate the property owners, as well as the association.

I’m recommending recognition signs like these to all of the Neighborhood Associations in Vintage Vegas. If you don’t know if your neighborhood has an association, you can check here. There’s very few in the county, but they do have a program where you can start one.

Rancho Manor is used to describe a great little pocket of Vintage Vegas. It’s the east side of Rancho Drive, South of the 95 Freeway.

Some of what’s in the Rancho Manor Neighborhood Association is actually the subdivisions of Rancho Park, Rancho Vista and a small part of Twin Lakes that was cut off when the freeway was built in the 70’s.

The home of the month pictured here is actually in Twin Lakes 11.

There’s a monument sign on Shadow Lane that announces the community. There’s also access off of Rancho across from the Rancho Bel Air gates, as well as from Tonopah Drive.

I’ve mentioned Rancho Manor many times on the blog. Here’s all the posts.

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Odds And Ends

November 23rd, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

City Center: Good friend and fellow blogger Steve Friess has pictures and commentary from a pre-opening tour of City Center. I’m hoping as he does, that a major grand opening will give Las Vegas a shot in the arm. His pictorial is in two parts. Here’s the link to part 1 in case you missed it. .

Berkely Square: It’s official!  Berkley Square, designed by mid-century modern architect, Paul Revere Williams, was the first subdivision to be built in Nevada by and for African-American residents of Las Vegas.  It is now on the National Registry of Historic Places! Read rest of the story at Classic Las Vegas. There’s a newly updated story posted there by Courtney Mooney, the historic preservation officer for the City, about Berkley Square as well.

Modernist Brazil: I’d already spent much too much time on the photo stream of Mid Century Modern Brazil. Julian Weyer took all the pictures. I found it at Mid-Century Modernist. 2 different readers sent me links to it as well, so let’s share it with everyone. Do read the post at MidCenturyModernist, but here’s a direct link to the Flickr page as well.

Mondrian: I don’t think this is what Piet Mondrian had in mind when brought to us the world of color blocks. Pam at Retrorenovation shows us a much better use for Mondrian Blocks in some wonderful “Mondrian kitchens”.

This picture will show up again soon at VeryVintageVegas.

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Flamingo Club Holds It’s First Party In The Scotch 80′s

November 23rd, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

State Assemblyman Tick Segerblom and his lovely wife Sharon hosted the first Flamingo Club Party in the west side historic Neighborhood of Scotch 80’s.

The Flamingo club hosts a “get to know your neighbors” cocktail party on the last Saturday of the month. Each month the party is at a different home, and has always before been in the Historic Neighborhoods of the east side.

The Flamingo Club started in the Beverly Green Neighborhood, but has grown to now include people from all the historic neighborhoods of downtown.  

 We’re still hoping that other neighborhoods will start up something similar to the Flamingo Club. 

A special surprise guest was Steve Evans, who’s running for City Council next year. Steve’s been a dedicated and tireless proponent of historic preservation, neighborhood regentrification and sane building and zoning codes. He’s served as the Planning Commissioner for Ward 3 for the last 8 years. I’m honored to be one of his friends and an ardent supporter in the race for City Council.

Steve Evans is shown here, in the last picture with State Assemblyman Tick Segerblom.

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The Las Vegas McNeil Mid Mods That Most Mesmarize Me

November 22nd, 2009 Categories: McNeil, Mid Century Modern

There’s 2 of them. Side By Side. Neglected and forlorn.

I had a chance to get inside the Mid Mod to the north a few years ago. The tenant had the place on a lease option and said he was going to restore it. Nothing ever changed from the outside. Now it’s abandoned. I have no idea as to what the inside is now like, or what it’s current status is.

The home was built by Tom and Wilma Panos in 1962. The Panos were restraunteers who ran the coffee shop at Nellis AFB and from 1941 to 1961 owned the Melodie Lane coffee shop at 3^rd and Fremont. They were leaders in the Greek Orthodox Community, and the church hall off of Jones and Hacienda is named for them. A brief history of them is in an article in the Summerlin View from June 20, 2003. There’s no mention of the house, however.

Las Vegas Mid Mod In McNeil For Sale

The other most intriguing Mid Century Modern home in McNeil, came on the market this weekend. It’s on the corner of Mason and Rancho in McNeil. You’ve driven by a hundred times and wondered, as I have. Kirsten Shafer of Realty One Group has the listing. I don’t yet have permission to show the interior pictures i took, and there’s none in the MLS. I’ll update if I get permission.

Trust me, the walls of glass, triangular clerestory windows, and folded plate ceilings are killer! It’s been added onto several times in the 1980’s. It appears to have originally been a 2 bedroom and 2 bath. Now it’s just shy of 3000 sf, on a 16,500 sf lot. The folded plate roof only exists in a very few homes in Vintage Vegas. There’s a few in Paradise Palms, one on Maria Elena, and this one.  There’s some loving that’s needed, but architecturally…It’s a mid mod gem. $150,000, subject to short sale.

McNeil is one of the favorite middle class neighborhoods of Vintage Vegas. It’s boundaries are Rancho, Charleston, Cashman and Oakey.  One of the funny things about McNeil is that the 1/3 and 1/2 acre custom homes in McNeil are labeled as “McNeil Tract”. There’s another part of McNeil on 8000 to 10000 foot lots that are labeled “McNeil Estates”.

Most of the homes are Ranch styled Mid Mods. But there’s also some great “Desert Modern” such as the 2 I’ve mentioned today, especially in the 3 cul-de-sacs (Laurie, Llewellen and Karli) that are accessible from Rancho. There’s also some really nice desert modern along Ashby Drive. There’s many dozens of posts that I’ve done over the last few years that mention McNeil, or that feature various homes, decorative block walls and privacy screens, and other great things about McNeil. You can see them all here.

I’m truly hopeful that both of these homes can once again be beautiful examples of the best of Las Vegas’s Mid Century Modernism.

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Neon Sign For The Downtown Las Vegas 18B Arts District

November 20th, 2009 Categories: Arts District

UPDATE: MORE PICTURES OF THE SIGN BEING INSTALLED HAVE BEEN ADDED BELOW.

The Regional Transportation Commission is installing the new neon sign at the ACE Transit Stop at Casino Center and Coolidge Street (just north of Charleston) today. The sign will announce the 18B Arts District in Downtown Las Vegas.

Brian Paco Alvarez sent over these pictures of the truck arriving early this morning.

 The sign arrived on location this morning, and is being installed today. No announcement has been made of any lighting ceremony or dedication event.

I’ll gather more pictures later today as it gets lifted into place.

The ACE Transit system has been under construction all year, and will loop thru the “New Downtown” in the old railroad yards, and will provide easy transportation for the Smith Center, the World Market Center, County Government Center, Fremont Street Experience and into the Arts District.

Eventually it will also connect with the Las Vegas Strip and the Las Vega Convention Center.

The various stations have been designed by local artists in the style of the classic Mid Century Modern buildings that adorn Downtown Las Vegas.

The new neon sign for the 18B Arts District will tower over the intersection of Casino Center and Charleston.

Yorgo Kagafas, the Urban Design Coordinator from the City Of Las Vegas Planning and Development Department sent me these picture of the sign being installed.

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Demolition Nearly Complete At The Paradise Palms “Green” Makeover

November 18th, 2009 Categories: Paradise Palms

I told you last week about the home in Paradise Palms that’s being greened and re-built for the International Builder’s Show in January.

Putting things back together takes much longer than ripping out what you don’t want. They’ve been busy all week and I’m VERY happy to report that the wall of french doors and small paned windows is finally gone for good.

They do a much better job of cleaning up after themselves than I do!

Yes, this is the same wall at the back of the house that I first posted about this home back in January, 2008.

Even worse than that the small paned french door windows (and therefore lots of mullions), was the fact that they had oppressive iron gates behind them as well. The merging of indoor and outdoor living space had been completely undone by previous owners.

In the rebuild, all the clerestory windows will be triple pane, low-emissivity glass, and the bottom half will be triple pane, low-E sliders all the way across for maximum visibility and north light.

The mirrors and 4 inch tiles have been removed from the floating hearth fireplace. It’s original to the house, but the “80’s mirrors were not. Thankfully, the original design will be kept.

The previous expansion of the master bathroom and walk in closet into the original courtyard is being undone as well.

Some of the new framing is being started. The original bedroom windows went clear to the floor. In some cases the windows will be slightly smaller to further reduce heating and cooling loss. Remember, the goal is to acheive a 70% reduction in energy usage.

Electrical and plumbing work began today, and the windows and glass will start to be installed the first week of December. I’ll be talking, then, with the glass guys, and the environmental engineer who did the calculations for acheiving the 70% reduction in average energy consumption.

If you want to see the original 2 posts I did about this house, they’re on page two of the January ‘O8 Archive or they’re about 7 pages back if you did a search in the top left column for “Paradise Palms”. (which is a good place to read every post I ever did that mentions Paradise Palms. There’s some real good stuff there, if you haven’t been reading along with us for the last 3 years).

I was all excited at the time to see a home on the golf course for under $250,000. It looked like a great deal at the time. Who knew?

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Odd and Ends – “Las Vegas Is A Spiritually Uplifting Wonderland”

November 18th, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Mindy Kaling Strikes Again – but Craig Fergeson has the right answer at 0:48 and from 3:10 to the end. 

Fall Colors:

I was just struck by the sudden splash of color I stumbled onto in McNeil. The fall colors are one of the few things I miss about the midwest and east coasst.

Most of the trees in Las Vegas stay green year round. The mulberries lose their leaves but don’t get colorful in the process.

If you spot some more great fall color in the trees….send me a picture and we’ll publish them. 

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My Collection Of Mid Century Modern Decorative Concrete Blocks

November 16th, 2009 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Somehow, I think I’ve ended up with the only collection in the world of Decorative Concrete Blocks. At least I don’t know of another. Lots of you have (or want) a wall of them on your Mid Century Modern home in Las Vegas, but I don’t consider that to be a collection if you’ve got 40 of the same block put together to create a “Stone Screen”

Most of the ones I’ve collected came from walls that were demolished in car accidents. Some were gifts from friends that are of questionable origin (the blocks, not the friends).

It started with a single loose one laying in the backyard of a bank owned vacant home in Huntridge. Lately, I’ve acquired 2 patterns that have never been seen in Las Vegas. I documented all of the patterns that I could find in Vintage Vegas. You can see that whole series here. 

One of the funniest things in the “law of unintended consequences” category is that I get 2 or 3 calls or emails a week from people all over the country calling me to order a dozen of this pattern or a hundred of that pattern. Google has a long memory. Try it yourself. Google “Decorative Concrete Block” or “Mid Century Modern Block design” etc, and various posts from the series will come up first.

One such call had a happy ending. Raida emailed me from Denver: 

I am interested in obtaining about 10 Cordova blocks to replace the broken ones after some construciton work that was completed on our house. I live in Colorado and was hoping you know someone here that carries them, if not will need to look at shipping costs. Hope to hear from you soon.

Raida

I wrote back:

I’m sure you’ve misunderstood. I’m a REALTOR in Las Vegas.

I merely documented all of the patterns that I’ve found in Las Vegas. I’m sorry to say that I don’t sell them, However, Allied Building Materials in LV carries the Cordova.

 

My personal collection is a dozen different patterns that I’ve found laying around after car crashes etc. I attached a picture of my collection.

 

I hope allied can help you.

  

Jack

 

 I didn’t hear back from her, and didn’t expect to either. However, the other day she wrote:

I knew you were a realtor but wasn’t sure if you sold building materials on the side. Just wanted to make sure.

Anyway everything worked out great. Your web page on your brick collection helped me find the bricks I wanted.
I called Allied Building materials and they had the 15 bricks I needed. When I asked how much it was going to cost to ship them to me it was going to be $500 in shipping cost. If I’m going to spend $500 I would like to be doing something fun with it rather than give it away sort of speak.

So Las Vegas is about 12 hours from here so we decided to make a quick trip and have some fun on the way. Made some reservations then drove all day to get to Las Vegas, the weather was great, got in at 6:00pm. We got a room at Bellagio’s, over looking the fountains, got tickets to the “O” show there( the show was fabulous, highly recommend it to anyone)and had a delicious meal at Circo with a good bottle of Italian wine.  Got up the next morning headed over to Allied (they were all very nice over there)and picked up bricks and back to Colorado. Again weather was great. The bricks matched the ones I had perfectly and they have been installed in the retaining wall in the front yard.
Have had many compliments on how it turned out.

So thanks again for responding to my emails and directing me to the right place.Hope all is well with you and that you have a good holiday season. Take care.

Raida

I’ve emailed her and asked for pictures of the finished wall. I’ll add them to the post if she sends them. I just thought it a cute story, and hope you did as well.

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IS HE DEAD? – A Play By Mark Twain At The Las Vegas Little Theatre

November 16th, 2009 Categories: Culture

I’ve been a lifelong fan of Mark Twain. I never knew that he’d written an unpublished play.

From 702Events

Is He Dead? A Comedy by Mark Twain Adapted by David Ives

Las Vegas Little Theatre presents Mark Twain Comedy – Is He Dead?

When asked to name a famous playwright, many audience members will offer up names such as Williams, Ibsen, Mamet, Shakespeare, and (perhaps begrudgingly) Neil Simon.  Now there’s another name to add to the list.  The name of a man whose novels have been read and loved by millions.  This new playwright?  Mark Twain.  

In 1898, Mark Twain was suffering from financial hardships, as well as the recent loss of his youngest daughter.  There were those who wondered if the famous author would ever find his humorous muse again.  Twain’s response was to write IS HE DEAD?, a high-spirited romp that he planned on premiering simultaneously in New York and London. But the play was never produced, and remained largely unknown. 

IS HE DEAD? was first published in print in 2003, after Mark Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin read the manuscript in the archives of the Mark Twain Papers at the University of California at Berkeley. The play was long known to scholars but never attracted much attention until Fishkin arranged to have it published in book form. She later played a primary role in getting the play produced on Broadway in 2007. And now the Las Vegas Little Theatre is giving local audiences its chance.

IS HE DEAD?  focuses on Jean-Francois Millet, a young painter of genius, who is in love with Marie Leroux, but in debt to a villainous picture-dealer, Bastien Andre. Andre forecloses on Millet, threatening debtor’s prison unless Marie marries him. Millet realizes that the only way he can pay his debts and keep Marie from marrying Andre is to die, as it is only dead painters who achieve fame and fortune. With the help of his friends, Millet fakes his death and prospers, while passing himself off as his own sister, the Widow Tillou. Now a rich “widow,” he must find a way to get out of a dress, return to life, and marry Marie.

The cast features Tony Blosser as “Millet”; TJ Larsen as “Chicago”; Scott DelGuidice as “Dutchy”; Brian Scott as “O’Shaughnessy”; Ed Knutson as “Papa LeRoux”; Joel Wayman as “Andre”; Renee Valdez as “Marie”; Carla Chiron de la Casiniere as “Cecile”; Gloria Hoffman as “Mme. Bathilde”; Mary Ann Hebinck as “Mme. Caron”; and Dave Pomeroy in multiple roles.  Directing this wild production is Joe Hammond.             

IS HE DEAD? by Mark Twain, adapted by David Ives, will be presented live on stage at the Las Vegas Little Theatre, 3920 Schiff Drive in Las Vegas,  from November 6-22, 2009.  Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening performances begin at 8 PM, and Sunday matinees start at 2 PM.  Tickets are $22 for adults, and $19 for students and seniors.  For more information, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.lvlt.org, or phone the theatre box office at 362-7996 during Box Office hours…. Mondays 4p-8p, Wednesdays 10a-1p, and Saturdays 9a-12p. 

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Paradise Palms Home To Get Energy Efficient Makeover For International Builders Show

November 12th, 2009 Categories: Paradise Palms

I’ve been talking to them behind the scenes for over a month now. A subsidiary of Dupont, called Building Media is going to do a top to bottom rebuild of a home in Paradise Palms. The entire process will be filmed, since that’s what Building Media does. They create training videos for the construction industry.

The original home had little attention paid to energy conservation. Green wasn’t even a topic in the 60’s, never-the-less a movement. One of the most important things that can be done to the 50’s and 60’s Mid Century Modern homes is to improve their energy usage, or as they say – the Carbon Footprint. Very few homeowners will ever go to ALL these lengths, but each element that will be used can be applied to any MCM home.

I’ve been consulting with them on the history of Paradise Palms, as well as the architecture and style of the home as it was originally conceived. They’re not “purists”, however. Their goal will be energy related, not perfect historical preservation accuracy. But they will attempt to preserve as much of the architectural and design character as possible. When all is said and done, it will still be a home fitting of Paradise Palms, and will bring major international attention to the neighborhood, and to Mid Century Modern in general.  

I’ll be visiting the home – camera in hand– as it progresses, and I’ll try to share with you everything that I learn.  We’ll have a chance to watch the progress, and discuss the concepts, materials and techniques that will be used to obtain a 70% reduction in energy usage in the home.

Major demolition began on Monday.

I’m not supposed to give out the address quite yet, but since I’ve had pictures of this house on VeryVintageVegas in the past, some of you will figure it out. Especially since there’s a huge dumpster in front of it at the moment.

There will be several weeks in January when the home will be hosting bus loads of attendees for various home builder shows, especially the International Builders Show, January 19–21, 2009, which will be held 2 miles away at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

I’ve been assured that the readers of VeryVintageVegas will be offered a private opportunity to view the home once the shows are over. Stay tuned. This should be both fun and educational.

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The Las Vegas High School Historic District In Downtown Las Vegas

November 10th, 2009 Categories: Historic Preservation

Many of the oldest existing buildings in Las Vegas are in what we refer to as “Lawyer’s Row”. The area was the prewar WWII suburbs of Las Vegas. Amusingly, it’s the area is between Fremont Street and Charleston on the East side of Las Vegas Boulevard. 6^th, 7^th and 8^th Streets to be exact. In their day, the homes were not in Downtown Las Vegas. They were they suburbs. Las Vegas’s population at the time was less than 50,000.

Technically, the area is the “Las Vegas High School Historic District”. Most of the homes there have been converted to Professional use. Far too many of them have been torn down or have had their charm and character stripped away.  I use the area all the time to point out the distintive difference between PRE WAR housing, and the post war housing that we now refer to as Mid Century Modern.

There’s a walking tour map of the district on the City Historic Preservation Website.

I bring this up because 4 side by side properties in the district – at the corner of 7^th and Bonneville are going to be auctioned this Saturday morning.

These are the moments that stop the heart of serious preservationists.

I’m hoping that they don’t all sell to one buyer. They’re being offered first as a group, and if they don’t sell all at once, they’ll be offered individually.

If they sell as a group, the chances that the buyer will want to tear them down to build a McOffice or two.

Here’s pictures of the 4 houses. Three of them are pre-war, built between 1937 and 1939. The fourth one was built in 1947, but still with the pre-war aesthetic.

The weather is beautiful. Take a walk or a drive thru the tree lined streets of Downtown’s Las Vegas High School Historic District.

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Las Vegas Boulevard Scenic Byway Program – The Lights Are On

November 10th, 2009 Categories: Historic Preservation

Last night was the dedication and inaugaral lighting of the first 3 newly restored neon signs in the “Cultural Corridor” of Las Vegas Boulevard.

Congress created the National Scenic Byway Program in 1997. The Nevada State Legislature designated Las Vegas Boulevard from Washington Avenue to Sahara Avenue as the State of Nevada’s 17th Scenic Byway in 2001,

In 2004, The Las Vegas City Council adopted the a plan for the Scenic Byway that called for the restoration and installation of 20 historic neon signs.

Acording the the progam, all new signs in this designated stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard will have to have at least 75 percent neon and or animation.

The special guest of honor last night was Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, who helped secure $300,000 in federal funding for the restoration of the signs, and for the completion of the “La Concha” visitors center at the Neon Museum.

About 100 guests were in attendance for the lighting ceremony.

At 5:45, just as it turned dark, the ceremonial switch was thrown, and the three signs lit up the night sky for the first time.

The Silver Slipper sign is in the median across from the La Concha Shell. The Bow and Arrow sign is just slightly to the south, and the Binions Horseshoe sign is down the hill at the intersection of LVBN and Washington Ave.

Take a drive north on Las Vegas Boulevard. Either night or day – the signs are stunning.

(UPDATE)

When I first published this post, I didn’t have a picture of the Horseshoe sign. None the picture I took came out decently. I must have pushed some extraneous button or another on the camera. 

Reader Clay H. (who’s going to be the next new resident of Paradise Palms) sent me one today that he took, so a big tip of the fedora to Clay.

And here’s the Las Vegas Sun coverage on the lighting ceremony which includes some 1950’s and 60’s pictures of the Silver Sliper Sign in it’s original location.

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Random Notes And Pictures From First Friday, The Book Festival, and Fremont Street – Part One

November 9th, 2009 Categories: First Friday

The weather couldn’t have been better! I’d worn a jacket, and wish I hadn’t…..it was that nice. I feel like a actually took a Staycation. I know many of you took advantage of an event filled weekend, since I ran into dozens of readers and friends along the way.

The evening started with hysterically bad Haiku from the Mayor and Dayvid Figler, as part of the Vegas Valley Book Festival’s “Sin City Sonneteer Spectacle”

I picked up a great little skinny red and black tie – at Fifi’s “Tie One On” display at Retro Vegas on Main Street. Fifi tells me that it was so popular, that she’s leaving it there all month, and may even expand it and leave it there forever. Not sure why I didn’t take any pictures of the rack of fabulous ties, scarves and gloves from the 20’s to the 70’s.

We discovered a great little shop next door to Retro Vegas called Glam Gallery. It features all kinds of blingy accessories.  

The Southern Nevada Center For The Arts (which has moved from Neonopolis to 3^rd Street at California) is quickly getting their act together. There’s about 20 artist represented now. I was fascinated watching Ruel James. He’s a remarkably talented clay sculpturer. He’s permanantly set up there now.

Tiki carving at the outdoor festival.

No fences, no baracades, no problems. Just people strolling thru the streets!

DRUNK! at Atomic Todd on Mainstreet. Drunk is a collaborative effort hard-cover comic book that’s just been published by mostly local artists. I picked up my copy and met some of the author/artists at the Comic Book Festival on Saturday.

You can get a copy at Atomic Todd’s Gallery on Main Street. There’s snipets of the book on the walls. A comic book about drunks is both sad and hysterical. Our friend and View writer Andy Taylor is on of the collaborators.

Kristen Peterson reviewed it in the Las Vegas Sun this last July.

And, naturally, they have a website for it called Vegas Drunk.

And a Youtube video. You’ll want to turn your volume down a bit, as the music is most fitting for a late night drinking binge at the Beauty Bar!

Oh what the heck, I’ll keep you on the page and embed it for you.

There’s more to come in Part 2 as we visit the newly re-invigorated Holsum Lofts, The Vegas Valley Book Festival, and a Saturday Night jaunt on Fremont Street!

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