Las Vegas’ El Cortez Gets Snazzy New Neon
Posted on: June 3, 2025, 06:58h.
Last updated on: June 4, 2025, 09:45h.
- Las Vegas’ oldest casino has received a facelift
- New neon signage lights up the historic El Cortez in downtown
- The casino’s landmark rooftop sign remains
Don’t freak, sign geeks! The classic El Cortez roof sign, installed in 1952, isn’t going anywhere. But two shabby-looking corner signs have been significantly snazzed up and an additional neon canopy now advertises the downtown casino hotel’s new ShowBar.
Part of a $20 million makeover for the El Cortez, the new signs were designed to “evoke the nostalgic aesthetic of the property while adding a dynamic, eye-catching element to the entrance,” according to a press release from the Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO), which fabricated and installed the signs over the past two years.
El Cortez History is Vegas History
The El Cortez was opened in 1941 by Marion Hicks, John Grayson, and J. Kell Houssels Sr.
It was briefly taken over by mobsters Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Moe Sedway, Gus Greenbaum, and their frontman, David Berman — representing the mafia’s first ownership stake in a Las Vegas casino — from March 1945 to July 1946.
Jackie Gaughan bought the El Cortez for $4 million in 1963 and held onto it until 2008, when he sold it for an undisclosed amount to its current owner, Kenny Epstein and his company, Ike Gaming.
The El Cortez is the oldest continuously operating casino in Las Vegas. (Most people assume that title goes to the Golden Gate, and most people are wrong.)
In 2013, the building became the only existing casino to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
YESCO, which created approximately 80% of the El Cortez’s interior and exterior signage, is the same company that fabricated and installed Vegas Vic — Las Vegas’ second most famous sign after the one that welcomes you to it — just down the street from the El Cortez in 1951.
Founder Thomas Young started YESCO in Ogden, Utah, in 1920 with $300 borrowed from his father.
Initially, it specialized in wall-painted advertisements, gold-leaf window lettering, and coffin plates. Today, it’s still helmed by the third and fourth generations of Young’s family.
Last Comments ( 2 )
My favorite because it was the only casino in Vegas that had a sign: "Gambling"
It is so nice to learn that the original sign will remain for the El Cortez. My family has been here since 1961. This hotel became a main go to for my parents. Dad enjoyed playing Keno and Mother the slots. There was a drawing for a free dinner by posting only four numbers of one's social security number. They were lucky and enjoyed the dinners there. As years went by, date night at the dinner restaurant was a must. Never left hungry this is for sure. The best Prime Rib dinner in town. Thank you El Cortez family of locals.