Holiday Inn Great Sign
Name/Title
Holiday Inn Great SignEntry/Object ID
2002.0079.0001Description
Known as the Great Sign, the Holiday Inn sign was once an icon of the American road trip—a true design landmark that dotted the nation’s highways and bi-ways. The sheer scale, bright yellow and orange lightbulb-lit arrow, and neon starburst topper were all intentionally designed to surely catch motorists’ eyes from the highway. It was the creation of Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson, and later made/designed in 1954 by Cummings Company of Nashville, TN. The Museum acquired the Great Sign in 2002 from the Young Electric Sign Company of Las Vegas, who had displayed the Great Sign in the famous "boneyard" of their Las Vegas plant. However, the sign was missing its star topper. Thanks to community fundraising, the Museum was able to restore the Great Sign to its full brilliance with a complete re-creation of its topper, rewiring, and refabrication of some of the missing panels. The Great Sign was retired in 1982 during a company rebrand and has become a rare find today with only a few still in existence. The Museum’s Great Sign is likely the only remaining authentic, full-sized exterior sign.Collection
Permanent CollectionCategory
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