Saved from the Junk Yard

The Museum of Modern Art (MONA), a non profit Art museum in Los Angeles, is launching a fundraising campaign to restore one of the neon dragons formerly on the iconic marquee at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.  For 43 years these neon dragons graced the theaters marquee with their glowing presence, which  is now the site of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

According to MONA, in 2001, the theater's owners had planned to remove the iconic neon dragons and donate them to the museum. However, when the time came, the owners changed their mind and decided to move them to an outdoor storage yard. Although the marquees were in perfect, working condition when they were removed from the Chinese Theater, neglect took a heavy toll. For 6 years the signs sat ravaged by the elements and souvenir hunters. The owners decided to junk the dragons in 2007, but MONA officials found out about the signs' impending disposal, and were able to save them from heading to the dump.

Today, MONA has retained the one of the dragons and gifted the other to another local non-profit institution. The museum's goal  is to restore their dragon to its former glory in time to greet visitors at the grand opening of their new facility in Glendale in 2015. With the help of the public Mona hopes to raise the funds needed to restore the neon sign.

The restoration will entail three phases: the first will involve a thorough cleaning and stripping of rust and old paint off the 40 foot sign and then priming and repainting; the second requires new neon glass units fabrication by a skilled tubebender of the sign's 65 glass units in the original colors; and, the final phase includes recreation of the original animation sequence, wiring and the metal framework that will support the exhibit. The 1974 Mel Brooks classic "Blazing Saddles" will be used to view the animation of the neon tubing on the dragon and will help our restorers recreate the sequencing.

For more information about the campaign and to support the restoration, contact MONA. 

Vintage Neon Signs in Las Vegas

Want to see a cool restored film of some of the old neon signs that made Las Vegas famous? One or two of the signs featured in the film are still visible in Vegas today. However most have been lost to us, as anyone who's paid a visit to the cities Neon Museum can attest.

Neon Marquee Signs Make a Comeback

We often hear about the death of neon advertising. Yet neon signs have been making a comeback in the last 10 years or so. Cities have begun to embrassed the restoration of their old landmark neon marquee signs in an attempt to re-juvinate barrn downtowns. Neon marquee signs have begun to illuminate the streets and as the saying goes "bright lights...big city!". Detroit has sprouted neon marquees in parts of the city that haven't seen this art form for decades. The Fox Theater was restored to it former glory in the late 80's. Some new comers on the block include the Greektown Casino, the Trapper's Alley watertower, the Hockeytown cafe, and the retro sign at the newly reopened Gem Theatre just to name a few.

In Scottsville Michigan, the neon marquee on the old Star Theater has been renovated to its former glory, even though the building itself no longer houses a theater and is a facade for a business.