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Flamingo Hilton

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Artist/Creator (1)	Russell, George Vernon (1905-1989)
Artist/Creator (1).Nationality	American
Artist/Creator (1).Role	architect
Artist/Creator (2)	Pereira and Luckman (founded 1950)
Artist/Creator (2).Nationality	American
Artist/Creator (2).Role	architectural firm
Artist/Creator (3)	Stern, Martin, Jr.
Artist/Creator (3).Nationality	American
Artist/Creator (3).Role	architect
Artist/Creator (4)	Rissman & Rissman Associates (founded ca. 1960, dissolved ca. 2001)
Artist/Creator (4).Nationality	American
Artist/Creator (4).Role	architectural firm
Title/Caption	Flamingo Hilton
Variant Title/Caption	Flamingo
Site/Creative Center	3555 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas (Nevada)
Date of Work	Constructed 1945-1947. Opened 1946. Remodeled 1968. Tower addition 1974. Four towers added 1980s
Description of View	Casino entrance on Las Vegas Boulevard (the Strip)
Notes	[In 1974, renamed Flamingo Hilton] ;Sponsor/Developer: Now the Hilton, originally Benjamin Siegel followed by Kirk Kerkorian. ;Project Description: Animated neon feathers form a champagne goblet that supports the porte cochere while a frieze of mirrored, rear-lit flamingos strut above the sidewalk. Although not the trendsetter it was in the 1950s and '60s, some the elegance and spectacle of the old Flamingo is expressed in its signs. Now owned by the Hilton, the Flamingo has added several corporate-looking towers which overshadow the original low-rise structure. The plume-shaped signs standing on Flamingo Road dates from 1967. It is a redesign of the plume signs by Ad-Art's first art director, Bill Clark, with the signature reverse-F in the name. ;Project History: The hotel was built to bring the glamour of Sunset Strip to Los Vegas in order to attract the sophisticated Los Angeles crowd. Billy Wilkerson had the original vision and hired George Vernon Russell. But he ran out of money to finance the project. Mobster Benjamin Siegel adopted this vision, made it even more luxurious, and convinced his contacts to help with the financing. The project cost $6 million and Siegel was murdered before it began to turn a profit. However, the Flamingo was soon very profitable, and its style had an impact on every upscale resort in Las Vegas. The original Flamingo was a low-rise asymmetrical structure with a strong horizontal roof and a glass entry. The roofline was wood and the walls were concrete faced with green stone (or stucco). The vertical sign was topped with a neon Flamingo and stood to the side of the door. There were two wings. A waterfall stood at the entry. The bar and casino formed a long room that overlooked the pool terrace. The pool had scalloped sides and was surrounded by grass and lawn chairs. The room wing was three stories high and stepped up to a fourth to accommodate Siegel's penthouse. Also on the property was a 93-room hotel. A restaurant and more rooms were added by Douglas Honnald, Russell's former partner. In response to the success of the Sands, Pereira and Luckman out of Los Angeles were hired to remodel the Flamingo. A long facade and porch with an upswept roof replaced the former entry. The sign, spelling Flamingo in script lettering, floated above the porch. This sign was designed by YESCO. A cylindrical tower made of animated neon circles that rose like champagne bubbles toward the sky. Kirk Kerkorian purchased the Flamingo in 1967 for $13 million. He removed the champagne tower, added a 300 seat theater, and expanded the casino behind a new two-story porte cochere. A new glass enclosed restaurant overlooked the Strip. New signs, pink plumes with the word Flamingo in script with the legendary reverse F, were designed by Ad-Art's Bill Clarke. In 1977 and again in the '80s, the Flamingo added towers designed by Rissman and Rissman Associates. These towers are steel-framed clad with white concrete aggregate in a grid pattern. A new porte cochere and sign designed by Heath & Co. were constructed in 1977.
Technique/Process	architecture, electric lighting
Century	20th Century
Subject	American architecture American art 20th Century architecture Gambling casinos Hotels (public accommodations) Entrances Architectural lighting Exterior lighting Decorative lighting Electric lighting Neon lighting Signs (declatory or advertising artifacts) Neon signs Birds Flamingos
Publisher	ART on FILE
Publisher.Location	ART on FILE. 1837 East Shelby St. Seattle, Washington 98112 (United States). www.artonfile.com
Set/Project Title	Las Vegas Style: Fantasy Architecture and Signs
Reference Number	Art on File LV-07-05-03
Collection Title	Architecture (Art and Art History Department images)
Collection Information	Collection administered by Visual Resources manager, Architecture Library (402) 472-1193
Copyright Information	http://contentdm.unl.edu/ah_copyright.html

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