Big building signs a sign of the times in downtown Las Vegas

The city’s downtown design review committee approved a master sign plan for D Las Vegas hotel-casino that includes a massive graphic wrapped around the tower facade.

The building wrap, also called a super graphic, has been up for months under a temporary permit, but its inclusion in a more permanent plan means it will stick around for a while.

It’s important to D Las Vegas because owner Derek Stevens is looking to establish a brand identity for the hotel, which was called Fitzgeralds when he bought it from the estate of former owner Don Barden.

Terry Murphy, a lobbyist for D Las Vegas, said the sign has helped burn the new name into the public consciousness in large part because it can be seen from miles away.

"When you are driving from pretty much everywhere you can see there are things happening," she said, describing it as a beacon that draws the eye to the downtown skyline. "The more I think about it and the more I see it I think it is really cool for downtown."

In addition to the building wrap, the plan includes LED signs for the rooftop that will highlight the hotel’s name and include some animation.

Unlike the Strip, which is in Clark County and where such signs are more common, building wraps aren’t allowed under Las Vegas city code without special permission.

The signs on the D Las Vegas’ facade are about 22,000 square feet each, well beyond the existing 1,500-square-foot limit. In addition to D Las Vegas, owners of the Downtown Grand, formerly the Lady Luck, have sought support for building-sized signs.

A proposed ordinance has been working its way through city government for months and, if it is approved by the City Council, signs like the one on D Las Vegas would probably become more common.

‘THEY BRIGHTEN UP’ FREMONT STREET

"We may see more, we hope there will be more," said attorney Greg Borgel, who spoke on behalf of the D Las Vegas’ sign plan. "We think they brighten up the presentation of Fremont Street."

Under the proposed ordinance, building wraps would be allowed on large commercial buildings, but they would be limited to advertising the business within the building itself.

A hotel-casino could display its name or the title of a show or restaurant inside but it couldn’t use the facade as a billboard for unrelated products, such as shoes, cologne or anything else.

The restriction is proposed because City Council members are wary that an ordinance allowing wraps without any further guidance could result in ads for booze, strip clubs or other products people might find distasteful.

"I have never been against these big signs," said Councilman Bob Coffin, whose Ward 3 includes downtown. "It is the content; you have to be careful what gets put up. We don’t want anything raunchy on these signs."

Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285 .