Neon Museum facility taking shape to preserve local history

The visitor center, which has an expected completion date of May 14, 2012, will be located in the former La Concha Motel lobby. The Neon Museum acquired the shell-shaped building, designed by Paul Revere Williams, who also was the architect for the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the Royal Las Vegas Casino, in 2005.

Danielle Kelly, the Neon Museum’s chief operating officer, said the cost of renovations to the shell is $1.39 million. Kelly said the museum has the funds necessary for renovations but is still in need of money to reach the $3 million mark, which will help with its staffing needs.

Since the museum opened in 1996 and became a non proft organization in 1997, the number of its visitors is limited, as advance-only, $15 per-person tours are offered at noon and 2 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.

Kelly said having a visitor center will better accommodate the number of people seeking tours, which continues to grow.

"The idea of having a visitor center started about 10 years ago, and the acquisition of the La Concha Motel lobby really helped to catapult that process," Kelly said. "Once construction is completed, it will serve a much-needed purpose."

In addition to creating a visitor center, construction also includes complete renovation to the Boneyard, which contains more than 150 neon signs, and the addition of an event facility and administrative offices.

To separate the shell from these new additions, glass elements will be placed between them.

The former La Concha Motel lobby shell is listed on the city of Las Vegas Historic Register. Because of its history, construction on the shell must adhere to several structural guidelines, such as not adding objects to the shell itself and making any additions reversible.

Patrick Klenk, president of WESTAR Architects, said striking the balance between the old and new elements while following the National Trust for Historic Preservation guidelines is a challenge, but visitors can expect these spaces to complement one another.

"The new addition has its own aesthetic so it won’t be competing with the shell," Klenk said. "We’re replicating the pendant lights (from the old lobby) and re-creating the desk to have this building come as close as possible to what was here before."

Once the museum opens to the public, Kelly said visitors can expect more than just tours.

The event facility will be available for meetings, weddings, parties and other festivities, and the new structure will house administrative offices. There also will be a multipurpose room available for lectures and a space for archived items, including artifacts, videos and documents in a collection that Kelly said will continue growing over time.

But even with the acquisition of the shell, Kelly said that what visitors can truly look forward to is seeing the completed Boneyard.

"The completion of the Boneyard had always been approximated," Kelly said. "This will mark the completion, and seeing those signs back into place is going to be spectacular."

Bill Marion, chairman of the museum’s board of trustees, said that because few people are able to tour the Boneyard, its impact is limited. He said the new structures will positively change this impact.

"I think the Neon Museum is going to be an economic catalyst to bring people downtown who didn’t necessarily go downtown before," Marion said. "We’re going to be part of that renaissance that renovates downtown."

Marion anticipates opening the Neon Museum to the public in June. He said the museum will provide visitors with an insight into the history of neon as an art form.

"(The neon) is something that really captures people’s attention," Marion said. "The best neon designers came to Vegas and created these world-class signs that make downtown so unique."

Contact Paradise/Downtown View reporter Lisa Carter at lcarter@viewnews.com or 383-0492.