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1. Name:
Monte Carlo Casino Resort
2. Owner: Mandalay
Resort Group (50%), MGM Mirage (50%)-Mandalay manages the property.
3. Address: 3770
S Las Vegas Blvd.
3b. Additional Site
Details: The Monte Carlo is located
on the west side of the strip just past the New York New York. The
signage on the front of the Monte Carlo is limited, with the dominant
honors going to the architectural aspects instead. The front façade
is made to represent the classical architecture actually found in
Monte Carlo. Giant patina fountains are flanked by sweeping staircases,
where giant recessed arches and niches hold an abundant array of
diversely positioned statuary.
4. Condition:
Structure 5
Surface 5
Lighting 5
Notes: See
description
5. Form: plyon,
fasica
6. Specfic Description:
Through the main arch behind the
fountain, located on the south east corner, an entrance is guarded
from above by black channel letters spelling "Monte Carlo"
and filled with incandescent bulbs. This entrance faces southeast.
The architecture continues with relief entablature upon fluted columns
supporting Corinthian caps, and more statuary. Light posts adorn
the sweeping walk in front of the property. Throughout the architecture
you can see pools and fountains contained between arches and recessed
into other area. Another entrance in the same fashion as the southeast
entrance sits facing northeast. Another set of channel letters is
set above these doors as well. Just north of the last entrance is
the pylon for the Monte Carlo. The pylon fits into the category
commonly seen at resorts such as The Mirage,
or Luxor. Essentially a giant rectangle
in its general silhouette, a multi leveled collection of signs are
designated into geometrical planes by the use of classical architectural
elements. The sign is at the north end of the Monte Carlo property
and faces north/south, and is double sided. The bottom half of the
structure is occupied by a tall arch, creating a pedestrian element,
allowing passage through the sign. The two legs that flank the arch
are created utilizing a pair of double columns supporting a series
of crowned ledges supporting yet another architectural element of
a pilaster. The resultant effect is two rather massive collections
of elements creating the outer legs of columns, combined with pilasters,
for the recessed borders of the impressive arch. Above the arch
the cabinet rises up divided into two planes, one on top of the
other, each holding a message cabinet with a pair of the square
post as seen on the structure just below. It creates another pilaster
from the front with rows of stacked columns on the structures width.
The two arrangements are identical in structure and façade.
The difference lies in the different types of display each on holds.
The top is a back lit color advertisement currently for magician
Lance Burton, while the bottom is an LED matrix screen . The top
is an entablature crowned with sweeping overhangs, and containing
the text Monte Carlo in black channel letters and filled with incandescent
bulbs. The signage on the towers of the hotel are the repeated Monte
Carlo logos in giant black channel letters, and filled with incandescent
bulbs. On each face of each one of the wings Monte Carlo is spelled
in it's trademark text, in black channel letters and filled with
incandescent bulbs.
7. Type of Display:
incandescent, backlit, ambient
8. Media: steel,
plastic
9. Non-neon treatments:
n/a
10. Animation:
oscilllation
Notes: The
incandescent bulbs inside the channel letters oscillate, at the
entrances on the building as well.
11. Environment:
The environment the Monte Carlo
creates with its various forms of advertisement abruptly changes
in aesthetic contrast to its southern companion and precursor to
the northbound traveler. One minute the pedestrian is listening
to the nasal audio streaming from the ESPN Zone loudspeakers, to
the delicately ornate façade of the Monte Carlo's fountains
and highly detailed statuary. Once you cross the drive it is not
hard to be attracted the by classical architecture which serves
its purpose of bringing in the patron with the limited space utilized
for pedestrian passage across the front. I say limited, even though
it is one of the more ornate and expansive ones, that is in comparison
to its related properties of the Mirage and the Bellagio. The use
of architecture makes the utmost use of this great strength of aesthetic
by making it interactive for the pedestrian by allowing them to
pass up close to the elements while entering the building or traversing
the façade. The two giant wings on either end of the property
act as arms to pull in people using swooping steps and large fountains.
The signage is integrated into this environment, blending in nicely,
in similar fashion as the previously mentioned examples. The oscillating
incandescent bulbs can be found inside the channel letters, which
is the most common animation seen in this type of signage in the
other properties as well. |
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