The lost art

Back in the day, motorists driving from Southern California to Las Vegas were greeted by the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign. The sign, designed by Betty Willis and installed in 1959, served as a beacon of sorts -- a lighthouse on the shore of the Strip.

The sign has stood through many changes. Highway 91, now known as the Strip, is no longer the main road into Las Vegas. The annual passenger count at McCarran Airport, directly east of the sign, shot from 1 million in 1960 to 41 million in 2004. The sign's backdrop has also blossomed: smaller, spread-out hotel-casinos replaced by a seemingly never-ending row of megaresorts.

And there's at least one other obvious change: The charming neon signs of the Strip are gradually being replaced by monolithic electronic screens -- towering carriages that contain images of Carrot Top, butt-ugly advertising boards and a bunch of other weird shit.

"It isn't about the sign so much anymore; it's about the building," said historian Michael Green, who moderated a panel discussion on the sign industry Oct. 7 at the Stardust. "The building is what we notice. There are some really nice signs still up, but the emphasis isn't on the neon anymore. It's on the beauty of the building and the other things in front of it."

The two-hour panel discussion focused on the top designers, the evolution -- or devolution -- of the industry and the uniqueness of Las Vegas signs. Panelists included Willis, veteran designer Jack Dubois and Raul Rodriguez (who designed the Flamingo's facade).

Topics included the competitive nature of the industry, landmark signs and the major sign companies (YESCO, AD-ART and others).

But the panelists inevitably returned to the good old days and how much the business has changed, going from pencil and paper to computers and mega-corporation clients.

"I think the beauty is that the signs offered so much to so many people," said Rodriguez. "The client was involved. The structural engineer was involved. And then you had the aesthetic of what the final outcome of the sign would be. You were working with a client who was buying a piece of art, and you wanted them to be thrilled with it."

Added Dubois: "In the old days, the customer was different. They were colorful. They were edgy. Maybe they were connected to sources we'd rather not know about. But they had money and we dealt with them on a one-on-one basis. It was more direct and visceral. It was more fun."

Instead of working with reputed mobsters, Dubois elaborated, designers now work with corporations. Instead of dealing with one person, they deal with boards.

But don't characterize the panelists as old-timers who can't handle change. Dubois, Rodriguez and others -- while nostalgic -- had some negative things to say about the sign industry of old. Hours were often long, pay short. At other times, work was scarce. And women designers were not always taken seriously.

The panelists also saved some praise for today's industry.

"I love the big signs," said Willis. "I think they are so glamorous. The town is what I miss being small and charming. But I like that they have gone back to neon a little more. I love the flashing effects they use. It's nice that you don't hear the loud clicking sounds that some signs used to make. Overall, I think the big signs are great. I'm not against progress."

To sample some of the old signs, head over the S2 Art Center. A photo exhibition titled 50 Years of Fabulous Neon is on display there through Oct. 31. Also, you can check out the Neon Museum and its storage area "The Boneyard."

"All you have to do is wander over to 'The Boneyard' and you are immediately struck by what is lost," said Dubois. "Like Margaret Mitchell said, 'Civilization is gone with the wind.' You are just overwhelmed by this nostalgia for the old days.

"But I don't think those days are ever going to come back. The [hotel-casino] architects are now designing their own themes. The signs companies are relegated to building these giant supports for the electronic message boards. There's no more silver slippers or Fitzgerald's characters. There's no more Fiberglas kings or dragons. It's all been kind of taken away from us."

Matt O'Brien is CityLife's news editor. He can be reached at 871-6780 ext. 350 or obrien@lvpress.com.