Las Vegas Nevada - Illuminated arches that are 80-feet-tall now form a gateway to downtown Las Vegas on Las Vegas Boulevard North. They are located on Las Vegas Boulevard between St. Louis and Bob Stupak avenues at the base of The STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod.
Background
The idea for the archway came in July 2016 when the Welcome to Downtown Las Vegas sign was destroyed when hit by a car.
We'll miss you, Welcome to Downtown Las #Vegas sign 😓 #dtlv (it was destroyed in an accident yesterday) pic.twitter.com/DAjYfow8ar
— City of Las Vegas (@CityOfLasVegas) July 18, 2016
We started looking at signage options to let people know they were entering historic downtown.
Conceived and designed by Selbert Perkins Design and fabricated and installed by YESCO, the 100-year-old company synonymous with Las Vegas’ most iconic signs, the archway marks travelers’ official arrival into the city of Las Vegas. The arches cross over Las Vegas Boulevard in the area between St. Louis and Bob Stupak avenues, and feature an emblem hanging over the boulevard with a script “Las Vegas.”
The contract and funding from the General Fund for the project was approved by City Council on September 4, 2019. Construction began in March 2020 on the $6.5 million project that made its debut on November 18. The project employed approximately 80 people from a variety of construction trades.
Fun Facts
- One leg of the Gateway Arches weighs 18,400 pounds
- Number of lights on the arches: 13,016
- City Of Las Vegas emblem measures 20-feet x 40-feet and weighs 7,300 pounds
- The entire arch draws over 61,000 watts of power
- The arches are comprised of over 13,000 + RGB light-emitting diode (LED) pucks that are individually programmable
- Over 700 feet of fully programmable RGBW LED Flex Neon, each pixel is 4.92 inches
- Fully programmable, the color-changing sign contains more than 170 IP addresses
- Each arch leg spans 140 feet across Las Vegas Boulevard
- 900-plus LED lamps in the southern face of the hanging “Las Vegas” cabinet
- Four footings were drilled with a drill rig and are 20-feet in depth x 4-feet wide with a steel reinforced cage
Gateway Arches Compliment Showgirl Sign
A short distance from the gateway arches is the showgirl sign that features dice, poker chips stacked high enough to sit on, a roulette wheel, the city of Las Vegas logo and 26-foot tall showgirls. Elements of the sign light up so it’s gorgeous in the daytime or at night. Bonus – this hidden gem on Las Vegas Boulevard next to The Strat is hardly ever as crowded as most of the other outdoor spots. This photography spot out-Vegases any other selfie spot in the city. The sign is located at 1810 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 89104.
Continuing To Provide Community Services
In addition to beautifying and rehabilitating the city, we are continuing to provide services to the community. Some of the things we are doing currently include:
- spending more than $21 million on the expansion of the Courtyard Homeless Resource Center
- providing $6 million in CARES Act grants to local businesses in need of personal protective equipment
- funding Vegas Strong Academy locations for parents who need a safe place for their children to attend school during the pandemic
For more information on how we our supporting our homeless residents, please visit www.lasvegasnevada.gov/homeless. For more information on how we supplement education through city programming, please visit www.lasvegasnevada.gov/ydsi.