Vegas Motel, Las Vegas, Triblend Tee

Venue History

Vegas Motel was a roadside lodging property located at 2216 East Fremont Street, east of downtown Las Vegas. Opened in 1964, it belonged to the motor courts and budget motels that once filled Fremont Street and the Boulder Highway corridor, serving travelers who wanted inexpensive accommodations away from the major casino resorts. The motel remained in operation for more than half a century, surviving after many neighboring properties had disappeared. Its most memorable feature was its freestanding neon sign. A tall white support rose through a red arch, topped by a starburst and a sharply angled panel reading “VEGAS.” Large circular letters spelled “MOTEL” below, while smaller oval panels advertised air-conditioned rooms and weekly or monthly rates. Historical sign research indicates that the structure was already in place by the mid-1960s and was originally painted black, green, and yellow before later receiving its familiar red, white, and blue appearance. Vegas Motel represented a different side of Las Vegas tourism. It had no casino (though it did offer some slots), showroom, elaborate theme, or luxury tower. Instead, guests parked near their rooms and received the basic conveniences expected from a mid-century roadside motel. Its location placed it among a dense collection of independently owned lodgings, restaurants, drive-ins, and neon signs that greeted motorists traveling east from downtown. During the 1980s and 1990s, the neighboring Gray-Son Motel at 2212 Fremont, later known as the Liberty Inn, was incorporated into the Vegas Motel operation, enlarging the property. Over time, however, East Fremont’s motel district declined as newer resorts, interstate highways, and changing travel habits pulled visitors elsewhere. The aging property increasingly catered to longer-term and lower-cost guests rather than vacationers. Vegas Motel closed and was demolished in 2015. Its neon sign remained standing on the vacant property for several more years, a solitary reminder of the motel and the roadside landscape that had surrounded it. The sign was removed by 2019, and its present location has not been publicly confirmed. Although never glamorous, Vegas Motel remains part of Las Vegas’s vernacular history: an everyday lodging place whose bold sign captured the optimism, affordability, and automobile-centered character of the city’s mid-century growth. Today, 2216 East Fremont Street is a vacant lot.