The Neon Museum is moving.
The new site is a to-be-constructed parking garage — what will be come an indoor-outdoor space at the top of the garage, built just north of the Arts Factory — with a nearby, secondary location to be determined. It’s expected to increase its footprint by three times, giving it space for more signs, exhibitions and storage. And yes, they’ll also move the legendary Googie-styled La Concha shell that serves as the attraction’s lobby.
So what does this mean for the Arts District, the museum itself, and local culture?
One person very bullish on the move is Brian "Paco" Alvarez, an expert on local culture and history and board member of the 18b Arts District Association. He previously worked with the Neon Museum in the mid-2000s, when talk first began of establishing the attraction in the Arts District.
"We had actually done a site visit at what eventually would become Art Square to move the museum there," he says. "So this is exciting to see that the museum is going back to its roots, in eventually going back into the Arts District."
Alvarez feels the museum's importance to Las Vegas — and as a cultural ambassador for Las Vegas — is huge.
"It's one of two foundational museums that are very important in the history of Las Vegas," he says. "One of them is the Atomic Museum, which talks about an incredibly important moment in Vegas history. And then the Neon Museum [plays] an incredibly important role in the history of the city. It is our architectural vernacular. ... Globally everybody knows Vegas for its neon signs, and the Neon Museum preserving those signs is key to that discussion."
And nothing may benefit more from the move than the Arts District, which is booming with new dining and nightlife destinations, but has seen many galleries close and artists vacate the neighborhood over the last 10 years. Alvarez believes the move may re-attract the arts community (though it remains to be seen if affordable spaces for artists will become built or available), as well as lure many more tourists into the area. The Neon Museum has said that it turned away 30,000 people last year due to sellouts of its beloved Neon Boneyard tours.
"The Neon Museum moving down there is just going to give us the kind of energy we desperately need down there to help preserve art and artistry in the Arts District," he says, adding that he sees the museum "being the catalyst for keeping public art local, where all of a sudden you have a whole series of public art that's being exhibited across the city and the region that was first created at the Neon Museum."
The move won’t be completed until 2027, and for now, the museum will remain open at its current spot in the Cultural Corridor on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Guest: Brian “Paco” Alvarez, local anthropologist, cultural expert, and arts entrepreneur; board member for the 18b Arts District Association
