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1. Name:
Westward Ho Motor Inn
2. Owner: {owner}
3. Address: 2900
S. Las Vegas Blvd.
3b. Additional Site
Details: The space of the westward
Ho is limited yet busy on the landscape of the strip. Approaching
from the south, the property lies on the West- side of the Strip.
Signage is available on the south elevation, wrapping around into
the east elevation, which happens to be the front. Starting with
the pylon sign a similar courtyard stretches north with its translucent
vinyl awnings, until it reaches its abrupt end with the Circus
Circus and Slots A Fun properties.
4. Condition:
Structure 5
Surface 5
Lighting 5
Notes: All
elements of the signage are functioning and in good order.
5. Form: plyon,
porte cochere
6. Specfic Description:
Approaching the Westward Ho headed
north you are immediately confronted by a couple of signs. The first
being giant yellow channel letters in Western style font and outlined
in blue neon. The font is similar to that of the Frontier Hotel
and Casino. The ends of extended appendages of the letters swell
in block shapes with points jutting from the flat surface. The letters
are filled with incandescent bulbs which all flash on together almost
illuminating the entire parking lot in for a brief few seconds and
then off again. Below that the building is horizontally striped
with polished gold panels sporting three back lit signs for various
resort attractions of buffets and drink specials. The building long
panel is bordered on the top and the bottom by chasing incandescent
bulbs on a polished raceway from left to right when facing this
south elevation. The brick façade is adorned with a long
backlit message cabinet with yellow painted raceways with incandescent
bulbs. On either end of the backlit cabinet are two large square
backlit cabinets. These two are bordered with a large steel raceway
painted black. Dividing the two large raceways is a channel painted
yellow. Inside the recessed channel are incandescent bulbs. The
black raceways are faced each with three stripes of neon in blue,
whir. The facade of signage and mirrored panels leads the eye to
the obvious main pylon sign for the motel. The giant exploding pylon
of gold raceways shooting upward into the sky and finally mushrooming
out into umbrella formations at different elevations. The sign is
comprised of five separate towers: One giant one in the center,
which is the tallest, two lower ones flanking the center poles,
then one smaller one on the south side of the sign and one equal
size on the East side of the structure. The polished gold aluminum
raceways comprise the body of the structure and are illuminated
with incandescent lamps. The very base of the structure is supported
with a structure of red brick masonry. The only elements of actual
signage are the back-to-back color animated LED message centers,
which are crowned by the 'old west' style text of various sized
red neon bordered channel letters. Viewed from the side the Westward
ho sign takes on a more sculptural aspect than that of signage.
The reason for this is the brilliant finishing of the backs of the
message centers. The rears of each panel are finely finished with
brushed aluminum gold panels, which combined with the electrifying
animation of the incandescent bulbs, creates a high degree of reflectivity.
(Barnard) As if echoing the main pylon sign, stretching to the north
is a small plaza utilizing the same three-dimensional sculpted umbrella
designed awnings to create a pedestrian ready experience to the
design. The umbrellas are made into coverings by the addition of
illuminated vinyl. The pole structures are steel, covered with brick
masonry. Each one of the umbrellas has a planter base and benches
where visitors my rest or enjoy the surrounding environment. As
the pylon, bulb laden, polished aluminum raceways form the skeleton
of the Umbrella. Non-illuminated brass raceways stretch down from
the inside and down the center pole. As well as the pylon, polished
metal lacework finds its way around the circumference of the Umbrellas
bottom edge. The East face of the building is mirrored to ad to
the reflectivity of the entire plaza, and adding the illusion of
depth to the rather limited space. The half columns and half umbrella's
are set into the wall looking as if it is whole against the mirrored
surface. A backlit triangular polished cabinet is of particular
interest, because it is a sculpted cabinet frame. The top of the
two faces is made to mimic the shapes of the pylons swelled crowns.
IWestward Ho is spelled in red paint.
7. Type of Display:
neon, incandescent, backlit, matrix,
ambient
8. Media: steel,
plastic, glass, masonry
9. Non-neon treatments:
graphics, paint
10. Animation:
chasing, flashing, oscillating
Notes: The
text, which resides on the southern wall and reads "Casino,"
is filled with incandescent bulbs that all illuminate at the same
time, and oscillate. They then shut off at the same time, and then
repeat. The raceways of incandescent bulbs chase each other while
the neon, which surrounds the back lit, plastic, screens on this
wall flash on then off. The bottom two raceways sandwiching the
reflective panel chase from left to right, while the remainder of
the raceways surrounding the signs, run right to left. The incandescent
bulbs on the pylon chase each other gracefully up the length of
the pylon. The animation is patterned so as to appear as if a section
of several bulbs are pulsing its way up the towers, hugging the
edge of the bulbous tops. The raceways continue around the east
face of the building. The umbrellas in the plaza behind the pylon,
also are animated with incandescent bulbs chasing each other downward
along the raceways.
11. Environment:
The Westward Ho's unique design
of an incorporated courtyard frontage, creates a small strip of
closed environment between the Stardust and the Circus Circus/Slots
A Fun. The space between the Stardust's property and the Westward
Ho's is separated by a small parking lot, which holds claim to the
giant letters which boom out casino to the passerby. With its party
atmospheric, umbrella design, and mirrored backdrop the pedestrian
element makes its own environment distinct to the passerby. Walking
through this section gives a sense of a specific taste held in Las
Vegas two decades ago, yet still evident today in almost every casino
design. |
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