Reno City Council recently voted to demolish two downtown motels, leaving some residents wondering, “What will happen to their neon signs?”
For the last 20 years, Reno native Will Durham has collected neon signs all over Nevada. Since the Golden West Motor Lodge and the Heart o’ Town Motel are being demolished, Durham bought their neon signs and will store them himself.
He took down the sign for the Heart o’ Town Motel a year and a half ago, and will be removing the sign for the Golden West Motor Lodge later this month.
“They’re beautiful design, great typography, and just really evocative names, Golden West and Heart o’ Town,” he said. “You just say the names and you conjure up ideas of what those places are.”
Conjuring up Reno’s past is exactly what Durham wants.
“I think that maybe Reno’s motel days are no longer relevant,” he said. “They will be missed, but their legacy will live on in the signs.”
Durham has about 75 signs and is looking to open a neon sign museum in downtown Reno. Until then, he says he is happy to keep exhibiting his collection at places like the University of Nevada, Reno, or the Holland Project.