Originally installed in 1968 at a reported cost of $500,000, the glittering 188-foot tall 97-foot wide (at its broadest point) Stardust pylon was the largest free-standing sign in the world, earning it the nickname of the "Queen of the Strip" for many years. The award-winning design, by local sign artist Paul Miller of the company Ad Art, replaced the original 1950s planet-Jupiter-style sign (see below), but used the same Electra-Jag lettering as the building's cosmic façade (which comprised 7,100 feet of neon tubing and 11,000 light bulbs), inspired by the Russian Sputnik space program.
The new shimmering starburst pylon was apparently designed to suggest an atomic mushroom cloud, reflecting the evolution of one of the Strip's first ostensibly "themed" hotels from its '50s space-age roots to the subsequent fascination with all things atomic, thanks to the frequent atom-bomb tests being conducted in the Nevada desert by that time.
In a combined drive toward modernization and energy conservation (the building's galactic signage was costing a fortune in the midst of an energy crisis), in 1977 the massive "Stardust" frontage signs were removed and replaced with a new neon-and-mirrors design. The roadside starburst pylon remained untouched, however, until 1991, when the final remaining vestige of the space-age theme bit the dust and the Electra-Jag Sputnik lettering was replaced by a subdued contemporary typeface. The designers at Ad Art were mortified: "We couldn't believe it when they called us up and said they wanted to take down the old letters and put up Helvetica. We were heartbroken. But we did it. We basically screwed up our own sign." The Sputnik lettering went to the Neon Boneyard, where it's still sitting today -- awaiting, hopefully, a reunion with its original housing.
Which brings us, finally, to the answer to your question. At the time that this QoD originally ran (7/20/2006), the fate of the sign still hung in the balance. While Boyd Gaming was officially "recognizing its significance in Las Vegas' history," and the Neon Museum was hoping to be the beneficiary, nothing had yet been decided and the logistical challenges posed by relocating the sign weren't counting in its favor.
Evidently, the obstacles were overcome, however, and we're happy to confirm that the sign was finally taken down on Feb. 15 and transported downtown to its temporary new home in the Boneyard, where it joins its predecessor and awaits the funding needed to turn a three-acre field of evocative old signage into a more conventional museum. It also joins the sections of La Concha, another piece of retro Vegas that was dismantled this year, which will house the visitors center, just as soon as they've raised the other half-million dollars needed to reassemble it. (You can make a donation on their Web site at www.neonmuseum.org, where you can get the walking route for their Fremont Street outdoor exhibit of restored signs, including the famous Hacienda Horse and Rider and one the Aladdin's lamps.
For now, the Boneyard location is deemed too unsafe to allow general admission, although it is open for guided tours by prior appointment to groups of 10 or more at $5 each (or smaller groups, for a $50 donation). All details can be found on their Web site. Not surprisingly, the bizarre backdrop that the Boneyard affords has long made it a popular location for TV, film, and magazine shoots. For a sneaky peak, check out the June '06 issue of Vegas magazine, available online here, to view an extensive fashion shoot that used the Boneyard as its location last summer. And click here for a link to a Web site that's been following the dismantling of the Stardust and its sign, from closure until now, in photographs and video clips.
Photographs appear courtesy of the Las Vegas News Bureau.
