For the first time since arriving at The Neon Museum Boneyard, the iconic Moulin Rouge sign was re-illuminated on Wednesday, September 16. The monumental Moulin Rouge letters—one of The Neon Museum’s most historically significant Neon Boneyard sign exhibits—have been rearranged and re-electrified to accurately portray how the sign was originally displayed in 1955. These letters now join the growing number of illuminated Las Vegas neon signs on display in the Boneyard.
The Moulin Rouge was famous for being the first major racially integrated casino and, later, in March of 1960, played a crucial role in ending segregation in Las Vegas. The Moulin Rouge sign was designed by one of the few female sign designers of the era, Betty Willis, who spent several days researching Parisian-style fonts before drawing the entire sign by hand.
“We are thrilled to re-electrify the historic Moulin Rouge sign and illuminate this monumental piece of Las Vegas history,” said Rob McCoy, president and chief executive officer of The Neon Museum.
Fun Facts:
- To re-lamp the 11 letters, which range in height from 14 to 18 feet tall and span from 17 to 3 feet, Hartlauer Signs of Las Vegas used more than 832 feet of neon tubing.
- Neon gas and phosphorous blue glass were used to give the neon its iconic, fluorescent pink color.
- Weighing in at 1,200 pounds, the letter “M” was one of many letters rearranged during the project.
- In total, re-electrification and reinstallation took 293 man-hours to complete.
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, arts, and cultural enrichment. To learn more, visit https://www.neonmuseum.org/.
