No problem, and with our traffic-accident rate currently off the charts for this year, we're happy to hear that you focused on the road, not the sign.
Here's the lowdown: The Normandie Motel, to which the sign belonged, was demolished early in the 2000s (we can't pin down the exact date). Built in 1937, what later came to be a garishly painted pink-and-white vaguely Norman-styled building, was located at 708 Las Vegas Boulevard South, north of Gass Street (near to the current home of Gold & Silver Pawn of "Pawn Stars" fame), and for some years boasted the last neon light travelers passed until they reached Baker, Calif. The sign, which features a medieval-style hatchet, was one of the ealier works by famed designer Betty Willis, who also brought us the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign, among many others. You can find some great historic images of it on Flikr, and here's what it looked like in the pre-pink days.
When the rundown Normandie finally closed earlier this century, owner Diane Herz donated the sign and marquee to the Neon Museum, which has since restored and added them to the median display on Las Vegas Blvd., between Fremont and Bonanza, as part of the Neon Signs Project. Other restored signs on this National Scenic Byway to date include those from the Lucky Cuss Motel, Society Cleaners, Binion’s Horseshoe, the Bow & Arrow Motel, and the Silver Slipper. The Neon Museum is not yet sure whether they'll retain the "Elvis Slept Here" slogan, or use the marquee to share other messages, we were informed.
As to whether or not there's any truth to that claim, famously promoted on the motel's marquee for many years, that The King laid his head down there sometime, we could find no evidence either way. It's certainly possible, but then again, Elvis was such a marketable brand in this town that many dubious claims have been made and questioned, including whether or not he ever actually lived at what's been dubbed "The Elvis House" (he almost certainly did not).
The only other vaguely notable information that we found out about the Normandie in the course of our research involved a series of burglaries in 1960, during which two of the perps were found to be staying at that motel. If anyone has any other light to shed on the subject, or stayed there at any time, please drop us a line.
