Neon Alley, Kansas City’s ‘museum with color’

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - There’s a new kind of buzz around Pennway Point in the Crossroads these days. And no, we aren’t referring to the KC Wheel.

Kansas City photographer and LUMI Neon Museum President, Nick Vedros, is opening up “Neon Alley” next to the Wheel.

Vedros and his team started the LUMI Neon Museum, a nonprofit whose goal is to save as many historic neon signs from around the city as possible. To date, the team has rescued over 80 signs and 50 have been fully refurbished.

“We really want the ‘Neon Alley’ to be a virtual portal. They’ll be able to look back in time at Kansas City. It is like a Kansas City history museum with color,” Vedros said when we talked to him about the project. “When you gaze into neon, you can kind of realize that these signs have a story. Our goal has always been to tell those stories. It will be able to help Kansas City not forget these great businesses that helped create our city.”

Some of the signs going up include a Broadway Hardware sign from 1937, the Savoy Hotel sign, and even the iconic Katz Drug Store sign.

Neon Alley is expected to open sometime this year. There won’t be an ission fee. Vedros and the team hope people will visit Pennway Point, grab some food, and appreciate the bright history of Kansas City.

To learn more about the LUMI Museum and the nonprofit, visit the website here.

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