LAS VEGAS – January 6, 2014 – An iconic marquee that has spanned the
Las Vegas Strip entrance to New York-New York Hotel and Casino since the resort first opened in 1997 will be retired to the Neon Museum on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
Workers from Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) will remove eight- and 10-foot sections of the gold-border neon reader board and canopy. The project makes way for construction of an all-new exterior façade at the southeast corner of the resort.
Media is welcome to film the dismantling and interview resort officials on Tuesday, January 7, 10 AM – 1 PM. Best visuals are at 10 a.m. and Noon, when large sections are scheduled to be removed. To gain access to the Brooklyn Bridge to cover the event, please call Yvette Monet, MGM Resorts International, at (702) 491-6426.
“We are very pleased to donate this sign to the Neon Museum and to see it become a permanent part of Las Vegas history,” said Cynthia Kiser Murphey, New York-New York President and Chief Operating Officer. “Millions of people the world over have photographed and filmed this famous entrance to the hotel, and now many more will be able to continue to enjoy it as a symbol of Vegas’ past, and its culture of innovation and evolution.”
YESCO will use a 30-ton, 110-foot crane to disassemble the signage in three sections and transfer it to the Neon Museum, 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North, Las Vegas. The board and canopy will be stored for several months while workers reassemble and prepare to place it in the museum, also known as “Neon Boneyard”.
“We are delighted to accept this significant and very recognizable remnant of American culture for prominent exhibit at the Neon Museum,” said Danielle Kelly, Neon Museum Executive Director.
New York-New York’s famous Brooklyn Bridge and Strip entrance are being transformed with a dynamic and engaging “patio culture” that is expanding the Nine Fine Irishmen pub experience and introducing new retailers. Swatch, stupidiotic and a Starbuck’s outlet recently opened on the bridge and anchor Hershey’s Chocolate World is expected to move in this spring.
The $460 million New York-New York Hotel and Casino opened on January 3, 1997.
About the Neon Museum
Founded in 1996, the Neon Museum is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic and cultural enrichment. In addition to an approximately two-acre Neon Museum campus, which includes the outdoor exhibition space known as the Neon Boneyard, the museum also encompasses a visitors’ center housed inside the former La Concha Motel lobby as well as nine restored signs installed as public art throughout downtown Las Vegas. Public education, outreach, research, archival preservation and a grant-funded neon sign survey represent a selection of the museum’s ongoing projects. Both the Neon Boneyard and the La Concha Visitors’ Center are located at 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North in Las Vegas. For more information, visit www.NeonMuseum.org.
About New York-New York
Inspired by the famous energy and landmarks of New York City, New York-New York Hotel & Casino offers all the excitement of the resort’s namesake, from the provocative and sensuous Cirque du Soleil production Zumanity and the thrilling Roller Coaster to tantalizing restaurants including Gallagher's Steakhouse and Nine Fine Irishmen, an authentic pub offering the best of Irish drink, food and music. New York-New York is a wholly owned subsidiary of MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM).