Official Name: Jerry's Nugget Casino Sign (Rotating Cabinet Atop Oil Derrick Tower)

Original Business: Jerry's Nugget Casino, North Las Vegas
Address: 1821 Las Vegas Boulevard North, North Las Vegas, Nevada
Years Active: 1964 – Present (still operating, 60+ years)
Original Location: Town House Bar site (1964-1968), moved across street to Bonanza Club location (1968-present)

Designer/Company: YESCO (Young Electric Sign Company), Ogden, Utah
Sign Fabrication: Circa 1970s
Sign Features:

• Rotating cabinet atop vertical tower spelling "NUGGET"

• Skeleton neon outlining

• Hand-painted details

• Chased lightbulbs illuminated in sparking pattern

• Incorporated famous oil derrick from Bonanza Club (once tallest sign in Las Vegas)

Museum Acquisition & Restoration:

• Donated to Neon Museum: 2014

• Location: North Boneyard, Neon Museum Las Vegas

• Restored by: YESCO (2014)

• Restoration Sponsor: Angelo Stamis (son of co-founder Jerry Stamis), gift in honor of casino's 50th anniversary

• Featured in: PBS documentary "Restoration Neon" (2014)

• Dedicated: November 12, 2014

Jerry's Nugget represents something rare and precious in Las Vegas history: the survival of the American immigrant dream. While mega-casinos rose and fell on the Strip, this North Las Vegas institution has endured for six decades as a testament to family, community, and persistence.

The Two Jerrys: Greek Immigrants Who Built an American Institution

In 1964, two Greek immigrants—Jerry Lodge and his brother-in-law Jerry Stamis—pooled their resources to purchase the Town House Bar on Las Vegas Boulevard North. Both had fled poverty in Greece, seeking opportunity in America. Lodge, who arrived as a young teenager, had operated casinos in Alaska, Idaho, and Lovelock, Nevada before settling in Las Vegas. Stamis (original family name: Stamatelatos) retired at 60 to move his family to North Las Vegas to open the casino.

The original Jerry's Nugget was modest: an 80×80-foot casino with one craps table, 100 slot machines, a restaurant, bar, and keno lounge. But the Stamis family worked with immigrant determination—Angelo Stamis recalls working 20 hours a day, seven days a week. "We went five years without taking a day off," he said.

The Bonanza Acquisition & The Tallest Sign in Las Vegas

In 1968, Jerry's Nugget achieved its defining moment: the purchase of the Bonanza Club across the street, bringing 10,000 additional square feet and a 400-seat bingo hall. Most significantly, they acquired the neon oil derrick—at the time, the tallest sign in Las Vegas—a towering landmark that became synonymous with Jerry's Nugget identity.

The oil derrick wasn't just a sign; it was a beacon for North Las Vegas, a working-class community often overshadowed by the Strip. When the sign was updated with "Jerry's Nugget" lettering, it symbolized the ascent of immigrant entrepreneurs in American gambling culture.

The Locals Casino Movement

Jerry's Nugget was one of the first casinos to specifically cater to the local market rather than tourists—a revolutionary concept in Las Vegas. While Strip casinos chased high-rollers, Jerry's focused on North Las Vegas families, shift workers, and multi-generational regulars. This philosophy created legendary loyalty: waitresses like Mamie Morris and Grace Jimenez worked there for 29+ years, and customers brought their children and grandchildren decade after decade.

The casino became famous for value: a 49-cent breakfast in the 1970s, slow-cooked prime rib (10 hours), and handmade desserts prepared in-house—40,000 meals per month, all made from scratch.

Three Generations, One Family

Jerry's Nugget remains one of the last family-owned casinos in Las Vegas. The ownership has passed through three generations:

1. Jerry Lodge & Jerry Stamis (1964-1993/2001) — Founders

2. Angelo Stamis (1990s-2010s) — Son of Jerry Stamis

3. Jeremy & Joseph Stamis (2010s-present) — Third generation

This continuity is nearly extinct in modern Las Vegas, where corporate consolidation has erased family-owned establishments.

Greek Immigrant Success Story

Jerry's Nugget is fundamentally an immigrant story—Greek families escaping poverty to build multigenerational wealth through hard work in the American West. The Stamis family's original name, Stamatelatos, was shortened to Stamis upon arrival, a common assimilation practice. Today, Angelo Stamis honors his heritage by producing Stamatelatos and Avithos Extra Virgin Olive Oils from Kefalonia, Greece, sold through the casino website.

This connection to cultural roots while embracing American opportunity makes Jerry's Nugget a case study in immigrant entrepreneurship.

Angelo Stamis: A Story of Redemption

One of the most compelling human stories tied to Jerry's Nugget is Angelo Stamis's 33-year journey to redemption. In 1975, Angelo (son of co-founder Jerry Stamis) had his gaming license revoked after being caught participating in a blackjack cheating scheme at Caesars Palace. Though never convicted, he admitted his role.

For 33 years, Angelo worked in non-gaming roles at Jerry's Nugget—primarily food and beverage operations—while rebuilding his reputation. In 2008, he successfully petitioned the Nevada Gaming Commission to restore his gaming license, becoming the first person in Nevada history to have a revoked license reinstated. Gaming Commissioner Radha Chanderraj stated: "When you look at the actions demonstrated over the years, he truly has been rehabilitated."

This story of second chances and family loyalty resonates with Jerry's Nugget's identity as a place that values people over profits.

North Las Vegas Community Anchor

Jerry's Nugget has served North Las Vegas—a historically working-class, diverse community—for 60 years. Unlike Strip casinos that cater to transient tourists, Jerry's Nugget is where locals celebrate life milestones: birthdays, funerals, family reunions. One family tradition: gathering at Jerry's Famous Coffee Shop after funerals to honor the deceased.

The casino employs 465+ people and maintains Culinary Union membership despite being non-hotel—rare for a casino of its size. This commitment to fair labor practices strengthens community ties.

In 2014, the City of North Las Vegas proclaimed January 15 as Jerry's Nugget Day, recognizing the casino's role as a cultural institution.

Endangered Craftsmanship: Hand-Painted Signs & Skeleton Neon

The Jerry's Nugget sign represents endangered artisanship: skeleton neon (minimal neon tubing outlining letterforms) and hand-painted cabinet details—techniques requiring human skill that are vanishing in the LED era.

The sign's 2014 restoration by YESCO preserved these hand-crafted techniques, making it a living artifact of mid-century American commercial art.

YESCO: The Architects of Vegas Glow

YESCO (Young Electric Sign Company) was founded in 1920 by Thomas Young, a 25-year-old English immigrant sign painter in Ogden, Utah. By the 1930s, YESCO identified Las Vegas as the future of electric signage and helped define the city's visual identity.

YESCO's legendary Vegas creations include:

• Vegas Vic (1951) — 40-foot animated cowboy

• Stardust sign (1958) — Atomic Age icon

• Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign (maintained)

• Binion's Horseshoe, Moulin Rouge, and hundreds more

YESCO is still family-owned (4th generation) and headquartered in Utah.

Neon Bending: An Endangered Art

The Jerry's Nugget sign features skeleton neon—a technique where neon tubing outlines letterforms rather than filling them completely, creating elegant minimalism. This requires master craftsmanship:

The Neon Bending Process:

1. Glass tubing (4-5 feet long) is heated over open flame

2. Artisan bends tubing without gloves (must feel the heat to avoid cracking)

3. Artisan blows into flexible hose to maintain tube diameter

4. Each letter requires multiple bends; mistakes cannot be fixed (glass molecular structure changes)

5. Electrodes are welded to tube ends

6. Tube is "bombarded" (high-vacuum purification)

7. Noble gas (neon, argon, xenon) is pumped in

Endangered Artisans:

• In 2011, YESCO had ~40 neon benders

• By 2021, only 3 benders remain at YESCO Las Vegas (Eric Elizondo, one of the last, retired in 2022)

• Total YESCO company: 6 neon benders across 25 states

• Nationally: Only ~10-15 master neon benders remain

Oscar Gonzalez: Mexican Neon Bender at YESCO
Oscar Gonzalez, a Mexican immigrant, began bending neon at age 14 in Guadalajara. His first sign spelled "vino" and took 8 hours. After 30+ years at YESCO, Gonzalez is one of the last artisans keeping traditional neon alive. "Definitely, it's an art," he said. "Art is something that gives you that kind of peace of mind."

Hand-Painted Details

The Jerry's Nugget sign cabinet features hand-painted lettering and decorative elements—a craft requiring steady hands and artistic skill. Modern signs use vinyl graphics; hand-painting is nearly extinct.

The 2014 Restoration

YESCO's 2014 restoration of the Jerry's Nugget sign preserved:

• Original skeleton neon tubing

• Hand-painted cabinet details

• Chased lightbulb circuitry (sparking pattern animation)

• Rotating mechanism

The restoration was funded by Angelo Stamis as a gift to celebrate the casino's 50th anniversary and to honor his father's legacy. The process was documented in the PBS film "Restoration Neon," showcasing the painstaking work of YESCO technicians.

Primary Sources to Locate:

1. Las Vegas Sun Archives

   • https://lasvegassun.com/photos/1905/may/15/4627/

   • Vintage photo: Oil derrick towering over Jerry's Nugget building (1960s-1970s)

2. UNLV Special Collections & Digital Archives

   • https://www.library.unlv.edu/speccol/collections/photographs

   • Search: "Jerry's Nugget," "North Las Vegas Boulevard 1960s," "Bonanza Club oil derrick"

   • UNLV holds extensive North Las Vegas commercial photography

3. Jerry's Nugget Playing Cards (1970)

   • Card backs feature image of oil derrick sign

   • Decks now worth $500-600 each (collector's items)

   • Image available through playing card collectors' archives

4. Neon Museum Collection

   • YESCO Photograph Collection (late 1990s) — archived retired signs

   • Neon Museum Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NeonMuseum/

   • Posted 2014: "Jerry's Nugget Casino founded in 1964 by Jerry Lodge and Jerry Stamis..."

5. PBS "Restoration Neon" (2014)

   • Documentary footage of sign restoration process

   • Before/after restoration images

   • Available: Vegas PBS archives

6. Historical Markers Database

   • https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=92471

   • Jerry's Nugget Historical Marker (erected 2014 at Neon Museum)

Recommended Archival Search:

• Nevada Historical Society: North Las Vegas commercial photography 1960s-1980s

• Las Vegas Review-Journal photo archives: "Jerry's Nugget," "North Las Vegas casinos"

• Getty Images: "Las Vegas 1960s neon signs"

Film & Television

• PBS "Restoration Neon" (2014) — Documentary featuring Jerry's Nugget sign restoration as primary subject, alongside Liberace Museum sign. Showcases YESCO craftsmen at work, the technical restoration process, and the cultural significance of neon preservation.

Playing Card Collectors' Culture

• Jerry's Nugget Playing Cards (1970) have achieved cult status among magicians and cardists worldwide. Originally sold for 50 cents in the casino gift shop, they now fetch $500-600 per deck. The cards were rediscovered in storage around 1991 and sold out by 1999 when French magician Dominique Duvivier purchased the remaining 14,000 decks. The cards are prized for their superior handling quality and are considered the "Holy Grail" of vintage playing cards.

Vegas "Locals Culture" Documentary Subject

• Jerry's Nugget is frequently cited in studies of Las Vegas "locals casinos" vs. tourist casinos—a cultural divide that defines Vegas identity. It appears in local news features as the archetype of family-owned, community-focused gaming.

North Las Vegas Cultural Identity

• Jerry's Nugget is synonymous with North Las Vegas identity—distinct from the Strip's glitz. It represents working-class Vegas, multi-generational family gatherings, and affordable luxury (prime rib, desserts, bingo).

The Decorated Shed vs. The Duck

In Learning from Las Vegas (1972), Denise Scott Brown, Robert Venturi, and Steven Izenour identified two architectural typologies:

1. The Duck — Building where form expresses function (modernist ideal)

2. The Decorated Shed — Simple structure adorned with symbolic signage to communicate meaning

Jerry's Nugget is a textbook Decorated Shed. The building itself is utilitarian (simple rectangular casino), but the oil derrick sign does the cultural work—announcing identity, attracting customers, and embedding the casino in the landscape.

Commercial Vernacular as Legitimate Architecture

Scott Brown and Venturi argued that architects should study vernacular commercial architecture (gas stations, strip malls, casino signs) as seriously as European cathedrals. They wrote:

"Las Vegas was a place people voted for with their feet... they went there in droves."

Jerry's Nugget exemplifies this principle: it's architecture designed for people, not architectural elites. The neon sign, hand-painted details, and rotating cabinet represent democratic design—accessible, emotional, and effective.

Symbolism Over Form

Scott Brown emphasized that in car-oriented landscapes, communication across space (via signage) is more important than architectural form itself. The oil derrick sign—visible from blocks away—performs this function perfectly. It's a semiotic beacon, not just decoration.

Continuity with Post-War American Landscape

Jerry's Nugget connects to the broader post-war American roadside vernacular: diners, motels, gas stations with towering signs. These commercial structures weren't designed by famous architects but by local craftsmen and sign companies (like YESCO), creating a uniquely American visual language.

Academic Legitimacy: Why Jerry's Nugget Matters to Museums

By framing Jerry's Nugget within the Learning from Las Vegas framework, your photography becomes architectural documentation, not just "cool retro aesthetics." You're continuing Scott Brown's project of taking vernacular seriously, elevating commercial signage to museum-worthy cultural artifact.

Key Academic Angles:

• Mid-century American visual culture — Jerry's Nugget sign as artifact of post-war consumer capitalism

• Immigrant entrepreneurship — Greek-American success story via neon

• Endangered craftsmanship — Last generation of neon benders

• Locals vs. tourist culture — North Las Vegas working-class identity

This photograph positions within several curatorial frameworks:

Documentary Photography Tradition Walker Evans photographed American commercial vernacular in the 1930s. This work continues that lineage—documenting endangered mid-century signage before it vanishes. The dual versions (documentary day / cinematic night) explore the tension between objective documentation and artistic interpretation.

Immigrant Entrepreneurship Angelo and Jerry Stamis—Greek immigrants—built a 60-year family legacy from a small bar purchase in 1964. Three generations later, Jerry's Nugget remains one of the last family-owned casinos in Las Vegas. This is American Dream documentation.

Endangered Craftsmanship The sign was restored in 2014 by YESCO, including master neon bender Oscar Gonzalez—one of only 3 craftsmen remaining (down from 40 in 2011). Within one generation, hand-bent neon techniques may disappear entirely. This is endangered labor documentation.

Working-Class Vegas Jerry's Nugget serves North Las Vegas residents—the working-class community overlooked in favor of Strip tourism narratives. This "locals casino" represents authentic Las Vegas: immigrant families, blue-collar workers, community gathering spaces.

Relevant for collections focusing on:

• Immigration and American Dream narratives

• Endangered American crafts and labor history

• Working-class community documentation

• Documentary photography (Walker Evans lineage)

• Family business heritage

Institutional Alignment:

• SFMOMA: Walker Evans vernacular continuity, endangered craft documentation

• Getty Museum: Western American immigrant entrepreneurship, regional history

• Centre Pompidou: Social documentary, labor history, European interest in American working class

• Smithsonian: Greek immigrant success story, artisan labor, post-war capitalism

Primary Sources (Neon Museum / YESCO Official)

1. https://neonmuseum.org/news/meet-yesco-the-company-behind-much-of-vegas-glow/

2. https://neonmuseum.org/the-collection/blog/how-many-of-the-signs-light-up

3. https://www.yesco.com/yesco-and-the-neon-museum-las-vegas/

4. https://www.facebook.com/NeonMuseum/ (Jerry's Nugget post, 2014)

Jerry's Nugget Official / Historical

5. https://www.jerrysnugget.com/our-story.html

6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry's_Nugget

7. https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/a-family-landmark/ (Las Vegas Review-Journal, 2017)

8. https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/jerrys-nugget-executive-has-gaming-license-restored/ (LVR-J, 2008)

9. https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/question/2012-01-21/ (Who is Jerry in Jerry's Nugget?)

PBS Restoration Neon Documentary

10. https://www.pbs.org/video/vegas-pbs-restoration-neon-promo/

11. https://www.vegaspbs.org/shows/restoration-neon/

Archival / Historical

12. https://lasvegassun.com/photos/1905/may/15/ (Las Vegas Sun photo archives)

13. https://www.library.unlv.edu/speccol/collections/photographs (UNLV Special Collections)

14. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=92471 (Jerry's Nugget Historical Marker)

Academic / Learning from Las Vegas

15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_from_Las_Vegas

16. https://www.udg.org.uk/publications/udlibrary/learning-las-vegas (Urban Design Group review)

17. https://www.frieze.com/article/learning-denise-scott-brown (Denise Scott Brown profile)

18. https://aperture.org/editorial/denise-scott-brown-las-vegas/ (Aperture interview, 2022)

19. https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/lessons-from-las-vegas/ (99% Invisible podcast)

Neon Craftsmanship / Artisans

20. https://lasvegassun.com/news/2021/nov/07/neon-stokes-nostalgia-las-vegas-dimming-technology/ (LV Sun, neon benders)

21. https://lasvegasweekly.com/ae/2024/nov/14/vegas-local-craftspeople-keeping-trades-alive/ (Oscar Gonzalez profile)

22. https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/lighting-up-las-vegas-family-run-yesco-blends-neon-heritage-with-led-tech/ (YESCO neon dept, 2025)

Playing Card Culture

23. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry's_Nugget_playing_cards

24. http://playingcards.wikidot.com/rare-decks:jerrys-nugget