Race On To Save Lou Taubert Neon Sign, Last Remnant Of Casper’s “Little Las Vegas”

The neon nirvana that was once Center Street in downtown Casper, Wyoming, earned it the nickname of “Little Las Vegas.” The bright neon used to light up the fronts of such iconic businesses as The Rialto, Townsend, America Theater, Lou Taubert Ranch Outfitters and the Wonder Bar.

Slowly over the decades, these neon gems were taken down and replaced by flat facing signs until now only one reminder of Casper’s “Little Las Vegas” glory remains — the huge, handmade Lou Taubert sign that went up in 1964.

Louis Taubert Jr. was just 10 years old when his dad approved a unique design for a neon sign for their world-famous Western store. His son was especially enthralled by the flashing neon rope that circled the top and looped down to the bottom of the sign.

“I just remember how beautiful it was,” Taubert told Cowboy State Daily. “At that point in time, it really fit good with all the other signs.”

Last year’s extreme cold temperatures damaged the historic sign, and the east side began to peel while the paint flaked off the west side. The neon tubes also stopped working and no longer fully light up.

Taubert would like to restore the neon sign before more damage is done. As he looked at his options, he contacted the DaVinci Sign Systems in Fort Collins, Colorado, to see what could be done to save the sign.

“These are historic signs that deserve to be put back into their original condition and left up for just those purposes,” consultant Ian Senesac of DaVinci said. “New signs with electronics aren't as artsy or original as these old signs that were hand-built back in the ’50s and ’60s.”

Megan Stanfill of Alliance for Historic Wyoming stressed the importance of preserving these signs, especially keeping them in their original place.

It’s a treasure and absolutely worth saving,” Stanfill said. “ It just really shows the character of downtown Casper.”

‘No Other Signs Like This’

The Lou Taubert sign is iconic and part of a bygone era of downtown Casper. It has been grandfathered in since current ordinances only allow flat-facing signs on buildings.

“There’s just no other signs like this that I've seen,” Senesac said. “This sign was actually hand-crafted, and I guarantee you won't see another sign like this anywhere in the world.”

In their family’s archival papers, Taubert had found several proposed designs that his dad had considered before finally deciding on the design with the rope and unique T shape. It is truly a one-of-a-kind sign and can only be seen in downtown Casper.

In 2010, Taubert finally had to have the sign repainted. Now 15 years later, the sign is in need of a more extreme makeover.

However, Taubert wants to make sure it is done correctly, and that comes with a price tag of $52,000. This is no surprise to Stanfill who is passionate in her work to preserve Wyoming’s historic places.

“You have to find someone who can actually still do this,” Stanfill said. “You need to work with neon specialists and people who understand historic restoration.”

Fortunately, DaVinci Sign Systems is experienced in this type of restoration.

The proposal to preserve the sign will be intensive, and it will need to take it down for the repairs. The surface of the sign would be sanded completely down, primed and repainted. Then the neon will be put back into working order before being put back in place on the side of the building.

Senesac said that he does not want to change the look of the sign and would just be bringing it back to its former glory.

“We try to get our customers to stay with the original design,” Senesac said. “Instead of using vinyl stickers or anything like that, we would bring in an old school pinstriper.”

Looking For Historic Partners

Senesac is also looking for partners for Taubert that may be able to help with the cost through grants or provide other financial help to preserve this sign that is part of Casper’s legacy.

Lou Taubert is a famous name and remains a stalwart Casper downtown anchor. It’s also a family owned business where profit margins are narrow, making a $52,000 sign repair a huge expense.

Stanfill said that there are some options that could be looked into, but warns that it could be problematic because there is very little funding for preservation work. She said that there is the possibility of finding an eligible partner who could possibly apply for grant money.

She explained that private property owners usually don't have access to that type of funding.

“We usually try to reach out because it's a hefty expense to get these signs back to their original glory,” Senesac said. “A lot of times historic preservation, downtown committees, things like that will round up their monies, put them together and help the customer.”

He points out that historic signs like Lou Taubert’s help drive tourism and encourages people to take a trip downtown to check out the neon.

“It’s a blast from the past and something really, really cool,” he said.

As Taubert considers how to best save the historic sign, he continues to look forward to the future by remembering the past.

“We've been in Wyoming 105 years and in Casper since about 1945,” Taubert said. “We just like what we do, and we try to make things better every year.”

Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.