The Young Electric Sign Company, better known as YESCO, was founded by Thomas Young in Ogden, Utah, back in 1920. The company quickly found success amidst the Roaring Twenties speakeasy era, cashing in on signs for non-alcoholic beverages when Prohibition was introduced.
When gambling was legalized in 1931, it was bonanza-time for YESCO, as downtown Las Vegas exploded and the company, whose first office here was located in the Apache casino, was commissioned to create ever-more elaborate "neon spectaculars," as they came to be known, for the Boulder Club, El Rancho, Golden Nugget, Las Vegas Club, Eldorado Club, and others. When Vegas Vic was built for the Pioneer Club in 1951, at 75-feet high and 12,000 pounds, it was among the largest neon signs in the nation.
It wasn't until after the war, however, that YESCO opened a plant in Las Vegas, located out on E. Charleston. Back in the day, many properties leased their signs, as opposed to buying them, so there was often need for somewhere to house signs that were broken, or being upgraded or used for salvage, or just awaiting installation. If a business closed, the sign would revert to its owner-manufacturer, and in YESCO's case, this storage facility was a big vacant lot located at 899 Encanto Dr., just east off N. Las Vegas Boulevard. This location provided the original surreal "Neon Boneyard" backdrop used in movies and TV shows, including Vegas Vacation, Mars Attacks, and "Crime Story," not to mention numerous bad '80s hair band videos, but was sealed off and not open to the public, not least for safety reasons. You can see it (actually, it's two locations, on opposite sides of the street) if you select the "street view" option on Google Maps for that address.
In the '60s, we were informed, YESCO's Las Vegas HQ moved across to the west side of town, where it still resides at 5119 Cameron Street, but the boneyard remained at its original home. While the signs were originally stored only for their salvage value, in the '80s, thanks to the prompting of the Allied Arts Council, YESCO began consciously preserving the best of the signs that reverted to its possession, and in 1996 the Las Vegas Neon Museum opened downtown, comprising some restored classic signs installed on and around Fremont Street.
In 2002, a permanent display site was found at 821. N. Las Vegas Boulevard, and now, more than a decade and much fundraising later, it looks like this will be the year the facility finally opens for real. YESCO has donated many of its signs to the project, which is located nearby, at 821 N. Las Vegas Blvd., as have other sign makers (YESCO is certainly the major player in town, but there have been and remain other sign-making companies, like AdArt and Western Signs), and a number of hotels that have closed their doors or upgraded their look over recent years, including the Stardust, Binion's Horseshoe, Treasure Island, and the New Frontier.
Although the visitor center, to be housed in the reconstituted La Concha motel lobby, is still under construction, the Neon Museum currently offers daily tours Tuesday through Saturday at noon and 2 p.m., by advance appointment only. The minimum donation for the tour is $15 per person and it's recommended to book at least two weeks in advance.
Images appear courtesy of the Neon Museum. Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
