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Architectural drawing of the Flamingo Hilton tower addition (Las Vegas), typical plan for handicap units, July 27, 1976
Architectural plans for the addition of a tower to the Flamingo in 1976. Reduced sheet. Original material: parchment. Socoloske, Zelner and Associates, structural engineers; Harold L. Epstein and Associates, structural engineers; Bennett/Tepper, mechanical engineers; J. L. Cusick, electrical engineers.
Site Name: Flamingo Hotel and Casino
Address: 3555 Las Vegas Boulevard South
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Architectural drawing of the Flamingo Hilton tower addition (Las Vegas), transverse building sections, July 27, 1976
Architectural plans for the addition of a tower to the Flamingo in 1976. Reduced sheet. Original material: parchment. Socoloske, Zelner and Associates, structural engineers; Harold L. Epstein and Associates, structural engineers; Bennett/Tepper, mechanical engineers; J. L. Cusick and Associates, electrical engineers.
Site Name: Flamingo Hotel and Casino
Address: 3555 Las Vegas Boulevard South
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Architectural drawing of the Holiday Inn (Las Vegas), entrance from casino to Holiday Inn lobby, January 17, 1973
Plans, elevations, and details of the Holiday Casino entrance of the Holiday Inn lobby in Las Vegas. Original medium: paper ozalid. The property became Harrah's Las Vegas in 1992. Rissman and Rissman Associates, Ira Tepper and Associates, mechanical engineers; J. L. Cusick and Associates, electrical engineers; Harold L. Epstein, structural engineer.
Site Name: Holiday Casino
Address: 3475 Las Vegas Boulevard South
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Architectural drawing of additions and alterations to the mens' and womens' health clubs in the Sands Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, April 19, 1965
Floor plans, sections, elevations for mens' and womens' health clubs at the Sands Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada. Includes door and finish schedules. "Sheet no. 17A. Job no. 420. Drawn by Shoji Yasuda. Job captain, Mas Tokubo. 2-26-65. Revised 4-19-65."
Site Name: Sands Hotel
Address: 3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South;
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Charles Lanman Papers
Charles Lanman Papers (1864-1868) contain the title page of the Dictionary of the United States Congress and the General Government, written by Lanman, solicitation requests for biographical information from notable government figures, and written replies. Of interest with regard to Nevada are the original handwritten letters from James W. Nye and William M. Stewart.
Archival Collection
Transcript of interview with Anthony A. Marnell II by Stefani Evans and Claytee White, September 29, 2016
Twentieth-century visitors to the Las Vegas Sands Hotel experienced the masonry work of Anthony A. Marnell, who removed his family from Riverside, California, to North Las Vegas in 1952 in order to build that structure. When he formed his own masonry company in 1958, he taught his namesake nine-year-old son the skills of a mason and the value of honest work. The younger Marnell learned all he could about construction from his father and completed his education by graduating USC School of Architecture in 1972, serving his apprenticeship, and becoming licensed in 1973. After designing McCarran Airport's A and B Gates, he teamed up with Lud Corrao in 1974 to form Marnell Corrao Associates, the first design-build firm in Southern Nevada. Marnell Corrao built many of Southern Nevada's most iconic hotel-casinos including the California Hotel, Maxim Hotel, and Sam's Town and Steve Wynn and Treasure Island, The Mirage, Bellagio, and New York New York as well as the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino and the M Resort Spa Casino. In this interview, the Riverside native speaks to the importance of teaching future generations about the value of work, of earning the sense of accomplishment, and of fueling one's inner spirit. His philosophy built a work environment that encouraged employee longevity from the beginning in 1974 (he is employee number one, and his assistant is employee number two). He talks of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), of entrepreneurial gamesmanship, and of casino greats Bill Boyd, Jay Sarno, Cliff Perlman, Kirk Kerkorian, and Steve Wynn. He describes the evolution of Las Vegas resorts from prioritizing casino games to fine dining to night clubs and entertainment. He credits his own Rio staff tradition of serving Chef's Table to the employees and the Rio's award-winning chef, Jean-Louis Palladin, for beginning the Las Vegas food renaissance in the late 1990s that rebranded Las Vegas as a Mecca for celebrity chefs. The nine-year-old who worked part time in his father's masonry business learned his lessons well, much to the benefit of Southern Nevada's growing skyline, its residents' growing waistlines, and its businesses' growing bottom lines.
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Transcript of interview with Doug Unger by Barbara Tabach, August 26, 2014
Interview with Doug Unger by Barbara Tabach on August 26, 2014. In the interview, Unger discusses his schooling, his family's mattress business, and his endeavors in the company and the mattress industry in Las Vegas. Unger becomes involved in Holocaust education and the Sperling Kronberg Mack Holocaust Resource Center.
Doug Unger was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up working summers in a mattress factory, a family business started by his maternal grandfather. After graduating from high school in Cleveland, Doug attended the University of Cincinnati until moving to Steamboat Springs, and enrolled in Denver University, though ended his college career one class away from graduation. Eventually, Unger moved back to Cleveland, then to Las Vegas. In 1976, Dough bought Supreme Mattress and moved to Las Vegas to build his new business. Outside his successful career, Doug was always an active member in the city's Jewish community. He joined Congregation Ner Tamid, where he was a trustee. He became involved with the Jewish Federation, serving as treasurer and later as president. When he moved to Reno, Doug joined Temples Sinai and Emanu-el, and also became heavily involved with Guide Dogs for the Blind Friends Committee, serving as its director for a period of time. He was also the co-chair of the Governor's Advisory Council on Education Related to the Holocaust (GAC). Doug was instrumental in establishing the Library for Holocaust Studies as a successful organization, independent of the Jewish Federation. The Library is now located in its own, donated space, run by trained staff, and receives $200,000 from the state biennially.
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Las Vegas Israelite newspaper, Section B, June 22, 2001
Issue of the Las Vegas Israelite newspaper.
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Photographs of Laughing Jackalope signs, Las Vegas (Nev.), 2002
Site address: 3969 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign owner: Dan, Ron and Randy Horowitz
Sign details: The motel resides on the east side of the strip, and is one of the larger properties on the southern tip of Las Vegas Blvd The facility fits into the typical model of the roadside motel on this portion of the strip. An official building sits on the north side of the property and precedes a span of pavement centered with a pool, and backed by the flanking wings of rooms. A pylon side is on the north end of the property, across a span of pavement from a grass island with a rather large statue of an elephant made of fiberglass. In the near distance behind the island, the pool house for the said pool, is adorned with distinct neon as well.
Sign condition: Structure 3 Surface 2 Lighting 4 Notes: Certain neon tubes around the top of the building are falling and in disarray. Besides that, the signage seems to be in good repair.
Sign form: Pylon; Fascia
Sign-specific description: On the north face of the building, two internally lit, horizontal, rectangular cabinets. Located on the right hand side of the plane of the wall, the yellow steel cabinets hang in close proximity to each other. One in the top right-hand corner, and one sitting right below the former. Both signs are identical in size and a yellow raceways which are lined with incandescent bulbs. The face of the top cabinet reads "Laughing Jackalope", in smaller text on the left hand side, while the rest of the sign is occupied by all capital, yellow, text reading "Bar & Grill." The bottom sign reads "Progressive Video Poker," and "24 HR." Moving around to the west face of the building, another internally lit cabinet rests on the wall above the main entrance. This cabinet has rounded ends, but is the same as the previous two in color and design. This surface reads "Bar & Grill" in yellow text, flanked on either side by the angled logo text, which reads "Laughing Jackalope," also in yellow text. Further south, down the face of the building, above the driveway to the covered valet, a cabinet hangs, which is identical to the one above the main entrance. The only difference is the text. The text reads "Video Poker" in large, all capital, yellow letters. The same two signs seen on the west face are represented on the south as well. The one that reads, "Video Poker," hangs on the left near the "Bar & Grill" cabinet. The pylon sign resides further south in the parking lot. A two sided rectangular pylon rests atop a square post which transforms into a "V" shape. The inverted triangular section supports, an internally lit, black, double-backed cabinet. The face of the cabinet is designed with two sections. The top third of the face is an LED message center, while the remaining two-thirds is purple backlit plastic with Yellow text. The text reads in two lines, "Motel, Bar, & Grill." The rectangular cabinet rises out of the top of the previous cabinet, with the vertical edges angling slightly outward. At the top of the sign, upon the purple steel surface, the "Laughing Jackalope" logo text is spelled in yellow channel letters, and outlined with neon. The interiors are lined with yellow neon on the interior, and on the outside is lined with red. The remainder of the face of the cabinet is occupied by a two-dimensional cabinet. It is crafted into the shape of jackalope/ man figure, playing a slot machine. The surface of the cabinet is graphically treated with the details of the figure and apparatus. Silver coins adorn a pink face, complete with the proper details of a slot machine. The figure is treated appropriately as well, with brown antlers, and white tuxedo. The exterior of the cabinet is painted yellow with a yellow raceway border, lined with incandescent bulbs.
Sign - type of display: Neon; Incandescent; Backlit
Sign - media: Steel; Plastic
Sign - non-neon treatments: Graphics; Paint
Sign animation: Chasing, flashing
Notes: Each one of the letters on the laughing jackalope pylon illuminate one at a time, starting from left to right. They all simultaneously flash off then on then off before restarting the sequence
Sign environment: The environment for the Laughing Jackalope is interesting. Not only is it present on the declining, and simultaneously growing southern end of the strip. It stands out in the dusty remains of the south standing in purple and yellow, screaming at who ever walks by, with an atmosphere that is reminiscent of the garish imagery portrayed by authors such as Hunter S. Thompson. It almost seems surreal, yet fits right in with the surroundings as well. The motel portion fits into the typical design of the roadside motel. Across the street, the Mandalay Bay and the Luxor remind the laughing Jackalope of its place, and maybe imminent fate. The signs are very pedestrian friendly, providing access right up close.
Sign manufacturer: Diamond Head Sign Co.
Sign - date of installation: 1997
Sign - date of redesign/move: Before the Laughing Jackalope was opened it was a property called the Sunbird Inn.
Sign - thematic influences: An interesting theme presented in this southern Las Vegas Blvd Property is centered around the fictitious animal called named the Jackalope, presumably a presentation of the marriage of an antelope and rabbit bodies. Other than the presence of him as a mascot, the theme presented is none other than the aesthetics of hue and nature of the establishment. The hanging wall cabinets are adorned on the edges with raceways lined with incandescent bulbs that chase each other in a rapid fashion, along with a uniform design of font in a combatant duel of the complimentary colors of purple and yellow. It definitely fits into the common design rubric of animation and placement as well as that of the roadside motel. The low level bank of rooms further east on the lot from Las Vegas Blvd is accompanied by a bar and grill. The Laughing Jackalope
Surveyor: Joshua Cannaday
Survey - date completed: 2002
Sign keywords: Chasing; Flashing; Pylon; Fascia; Neon; Incandescent; Backlit; Steel; Plastic; Graphics; Paint
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