Blue Angel Motel Sign and Statue

The fifteen-foot-tall Blue Angel statue is a figure with blonde hair and wings, perched high on a pedestal. Designed by artist Betty Willis in nineteen fifty-seven, she originally stood atop the Blue Angel Motel on Fremont Street. Willis, who also created the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, modeled the statue after a blend of actress Jean Harlow and local showgirls. For decades, the angel served as a landmark for travelers entering the city from the southeast.