Lighting the Way
From glowing neon to brilliantly illuminated marquees, The Neon Museum preserves the commercial signs that transformed Las Vegas into one of America’s most recognizable destinations.
For decades, neon signs beckoned travelers from America’s highways, their colorful glow promising everything from a hot meal and a comfortable bed to live entertainment or a tank of gasoline. As automobile travel flourished during the 20th century, illuminated signs became more than advertising. They became landmarks, welcoming visitors, defining downtowns, and creating unforgettable identities for businesses large and small.
Introduced to the United States in the early 1900s, neon quickly became one of the most recognizable forms of commercial advertising, prized for its brilliant colors and seemingly limitless design possibilities. By the middle of the century, neon tubing, incandescent bulbs, and other illuminated sign technologies combined to transform theaters, motels, diners, casinos, and downtown business districts into dazzling visual spectacles that reflected the optimism, innovation, and artistry of the era. Although many of these signs disappeared as businesses closed, relocated, or embraced new technologies, those that remain preserve an important chapter in the history of American commercial design, craftsmanship, and popular culture.
The Palms sign illustrates the dramatic transformation that made neon one of the most effective forms of commercial advertising, evolving from sculptural artwork by day into a brilliant beacon after dark
Preserving that heritage is the mission of The Neon Museum in Las Vegas. Founded in 1996, the museum collects, preserves, studies, and interprets iconic Las Vegas signs, illuminating the city’s vibrant past, present, and future. Under the leadership of Executive Director and CEO Aaron Berger, the museum has expanded its educational programming and outreach while earning regional, national, and international recognition across print, digital, podcast, and broadcast media. In both 2025 and 2026, Travel + Leisure named The Neon Museum among its “Top 27 Museums in the United States,” recognizing it alongside such world-renowned institutions as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Getty Center, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. It was also honored by USA Today as the nation’s “Best Pop Culture Museum.”
Berger, who became Executive Director and CEO in 2021, brings more than two decades of museum leadership, nonprofit fundraising, and community engagement experience to the institution. In the following interview, he shares his perspective on preserving historic neon and other illuminated commercial signage, the artistry behind its creation, and why these illuminated landmarks continue to connect generations with America’s commercial and cultural past.
Kovels Antique Trader (KAT): What makes vintage neon signs such enduring symbols of American commerce and culture?
Aaron Berger (AB): I can’t speak for all of America, but I believe that Americans feel a sense of nostalgia when it comes to neon signage. It reminds people of family road trips with kids in the backseat, sometimes for days, playing “I Spy” and other road games. Then being drawn into roadside stores, restaurants, and motels. These memories are a part of the youth of several generations. The orange-glow neon said, “this is a respite for a weary traveler.” It meant this is a place to stop and stretch your legs, get refueled, or even get some well-earned sleep (or get a break from the kids!). Neon signage speaks to a time that has been replaced with air travel—not that it’s better or worse—just different. But I will say, the family road trip is as Americana as it gets.
KAT: How did neon signage help businesses establish their identity before the digital age?
AB: Imagine yourself in a car. Neon signs, with their variety of colors and/or animation, fight for your attention. Each one is saying, “look here! No, look here!” But it’s all being done through a windshield, so as the business owner, you have to outdo the business next door – even if that business is a gas station and you’re a restaurant. The eye can only absorb so much. As a business, you’re forced to be noticed.
KAT: What qualities make a vintage neon sign historically significant or especially desirable to collectors?
AB: The history of the sign is what is critical. Was it an important location, well recognized, media worthy?
KAT: For someone interested in acquiring a vintage neon sign, what should they look for when evaluating a piece?
AB: First, it’s important to recognize that as a museum, we would not use the term “vintage.” You can buy vintage clothes from another decade, but that doesn’t mean there’s an historical significance to them. The Neon Museum focuses its attention on historic pieces. We would not encourage anyone to collect historical objects but instead give these pieces to museums. What is important to “dad” becomes less important to his kids, and these historic objects often end up in the trash. I do many lectures on the importance of turning your collection into your legacy by donating historically significant objects to museums.
KAT: How do you decide whether a sign should be restored, stabilized, or preserved in its existing condition?
AB: It is based on its historical significance, state of repair (is it at risk of further damage or decay), and, of course, available funding to allow us to restore a piece. We have created two funds: The Barbara Molasky Acquisition Fund, which allows us—when donation is out of the question—to purchase a piece. The Sign Conservation Fund allows us to care for objects—restored and yet-to-be restored—so they do not degrade any further. Generous donations to these funds have truly “kept the lights on” for us at The Neon Museum.
KAT: How much of a historic neon sign’s significance lies in the craftsmanship behind its creation, the tube bending, fabrication, and engineering, rather than the advertising message it carried?
AB: The process of neon bending has not changed in almost any way since it appeared in this country in 1910. Neon bending is not a job that will be replaced by AI. It takes skilled craftspeople to know how to style, size, bend, shape, and properly gas (the term “bombard”) the work. Unlike HVAC training, there is no tech training or certification with neon bending. It’s apprenticeship. If you visit The Neon Museum, we can show you how neon tubing is used sparingly but allows for the greatest impact, and we can show you purely artistic design. The Museum of Neon Art in Glendale, CA, is a museum dedicated to artists working with neon, argon, xenon, krypton, and helium (the noble gases). There is a rise in artists working in neon, which is positive to see a resurgence in interest in the form.
KAT: Have any restoration projects revealed unexpected stories about the sign, the business it promoted, or Las Vegas history itself?
AB: In 2024, we unveiled the restoration of the Lido de Paris sign, which was created in the 1970s. The Lido was a production inside the Stardust and one of the first topless French revue shows in Las Vegas. It was a destination for travelers from around the world. While conducting the restoration, we discovered a transformer (electrical source) inside that was from the 1930s. It still provided power, but current electrical code prevented us from keeping the piece in the sign itself. We did add the transformer to our permanent collection to show that sign makers use a Boneyard (what The Neon Museum is fashioned after) to take pieces from scrap metal, neon tubing, and transformers to reuse them for other pieces. It was sustainability before sustainability was cool.
KAT: Is there one sign in the collection that you feel best represents the golden age of American advertising, and what makes it so special?
AB: There isn’t one sign. Each did its job, which was to grab the attention of the passerby and set the tone of the establishment. A visit with one of our Museum Guides can point out the difference in styles, eras, designers, and graphics.
KAT: If future generations could learn one thing from the signs preserved at The Neon Museum, what would you hope it would be?
AB: Las Vegas is the “Implosion Capital of the World.” We don’t simply blow up our buildings; we have a great big party to celebrate bringing down a building with 70 years of history. Being a preservationist in this environment can be tough! But despite Las Vegas’ ability to reinvent itself and add new and exciting things year after year, attracting 40 million annually, history still lives here. You have to look past the glitter and the glam, but there are great opportunities to see the city’s origin – even stay in a hotel room dating back to 1906, a year after the city was established. It helps to have an interpreter, which The Neon Museum aims to be.
KAT: Is there a sign in the Neon Boneyard that staff members believe deserves more attention than it typically receives?
AB: I would say each staff member has a favorite and as such, they may spend a bit of time telling more stories, but that’s the point: these signs are more than directional pieces; they’re portals into history. They are gateways into “what happened here,” and “who sang on this stage,” and “I love the way the bender created these curves…” Each person, staff or visitor, connects with pieces.
The Neon Museum preserves the illuminated landmarks that shaped Las Vegas, celebrating not only the artistry of neon but also the broader history of commercial sign design and the skilled craftspeople who brought those remarkable creations to life. Whether illuminated by neon, incandescent bulbs, or other technologies, each sign stands as a reminder that these icons of American commerce are also works of art, preserving the stories of the businesses they represented and the visionaries who helped define an unforgettable city.
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