THE PRESS DEMOCRAT - “H” is for hot pink, as in the color of the rotating sign outside the Flamingo Resort & Spa along Fourth Street in Santa Rosa, which had new lights installed Friday.
The unusual wheel-spoke pattern is one of only three known to have been designed by Homer Rissman, which originally included the Las Vegas Hacienda (1956), Santa Rosa Flamingo (1957), and Palm Springs Riviera (1959). Only the Flamingo and Riviera have survived following the demolition of the Hacienda, which served as the prototype, according to a statement nominating the Flamingo Hotel for federal historic designation.
The City of Santa Rosa designated the hotel’s original neon Flamingo sign as a local landmark in 1997. The hotel was slated for a $20 million upgrade in 2019. The renovation was completed in 2021.