It has taken more than two years of planning and negotiations, but the unique Museum of Neon Art (MONA) got glowing reviews when it inked a deal recently with the City of Glendale to make its new home in a beautiful gallery offering easier parking for guests than currently exists in the museum's temporary downtown Los Angeles space. A spacious facility comprised of two buildings — 212 and 216 S. Brand Boulevard — will provide more exhibit space and a partnership focused on success.

A 15-year lease agreement seals the deal to introduce a new element to the city's Downtown Art and Entertainment District, which is a two-block area located on Maryland Avenue, just off Brand Boulevard and Broadway. Laemmle Cinema Lofts, GATE program and Urban Arts Fund are elements to the the arts and entertainment-driven future of Glendale which has been strategically engineered to attract tourists and Southern Californians who will shop, eat and maybe even sleep in Glendale's affordable dozen or so hotels. Among them is a four star Hilton with complimentary shuttle to Burbank Bob Hope Airport.

The Museum will be housed in two Glendale Redevelopment Agency-owned buildings at 212 and 216 S. Brand Boulevard across from the Americana at Brand. The buildings will be renovated and undergo significant exterior make-overs to create an artistic appearance. Memorable architecture and landscaping will revitalize the district, making it slightly elegant, hip and chic.

MONA will exhibit its extensive neon collection along with its contemporary art works in electric and kinetic media and photography that document neon. The Museum was founded in 1981 as a non-profit cultural and educational organization. In addition to its collection of neon, it incorporates the history and science behind the luminous tube.

Glendale's Downtown Art and Entertainment District is a two-block area located on Maryland Avenue, just off Brand Boulevard and Broadway. The City of Glendale has an inventory of public art that includes around 30 installations ranging from sculptures and paintings to an entire park, Chess Park, that was designed as a place for the public to come and play chess in an artistic environment that includes light posts shaped like chess pieces. -neonmona.org