Wow. First Mercy Corps comes in and takes away the beloved mural of Packy the elephant and now University of Oregon (based in Eugene, no less) wants to change the iconic Made in Oregon neon sign that welcomes all crossing the Burnside Bridge. I honestly can’t believe they have the balls to ask for the change. Then again, will Portland’s laissez-faire attitude to anything old prevail? We’re slowly letting the neon on N. Interstate go bye bye, why not this?
The Made in Oregon sign has been around for ages. Not always in its current form though, so U of O has something to stand on. Over on Neighborhood Notes, we get some history. The sign was originally White Satin Sugar which changed to White Stag and then to its current form of Made in Oregon. Also, while the sign is protected, it is only the form and typeface, not the words. So, in all honesty, The Dancing Bare (a strip club in N. Portland) could have bought the building and changed the sign too. Wouldn’t that be a hoot?
You can have your say on whether this happens or not. There will be a pre-application conference regarding U of O’s proposed change on December 9th and is open to the public. You can also submit your comments to the city for consideration. And they will read them.
My opinion? U of O shouldn’t change the sign. It is probably one of the most photographed signs in the city and is a symbol of being proud of the products Oregon produces. Don’t change the sign.
Photo licensed under Creative Commons by Aaron Michael Brown. Thanks.
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We had the same debate when it changed from White Stag to Made in Oregon. Well, similar. The Naitos wanted to take the thing down, since they had no plans to light it. The city had to step in with a compromise. The Naitos basically got the thing for free.
While I hate the Ducks, if they’re willing to pay for it, I say change it.
The sign has been changed 3 times already, the owners of the building have every right to change the wording because the sign isn’t owned by the city. While I will miss the “Made in Oregon” wording (which, was changed by every company who occupied the building before UofO for marketing purposes…White Satin to White Stag to Made in Oregon), let’s embrace the change that is happening in the neighborhood. UofO and Mercy Corps are part of a movement that is revitalizing an area of the city in desperate need of reactivation. As for Packy, was it really “beloved”? It was done in the 70s (so not that old) and it was poorly painted and looked terrible and need I remind that it was a advertisement for the zoo! Plus, that building needed to be saved because it was deteriorating. Mercy Corps saved the 100+ year old historic building and in the process had to remove an old advertisement to do so. Thanks Mercy Corps for saving the historic building I say!
AP, I disagree a little. While you are right that the owners should have the right to decide, Made in Oregon is different than any other brand in my opinion. It is similar to Made in the USA. Something we should be proud of being Oregonians. Sorry, I don’t really care about U of O. Probably a great school, but not based in Portland. White Satin? White Stag? Both bygone brands that didn’t necessarily invoke pride in the state.
My thoughts.
“Made in Oregon” is not generic like “Made in USA”, it’s the name of a crappy gift shop that no longer has a presence in Old Town.
Changing the sign from an ad for a private business that has pulled its investment out of the neighborhood to an ad for a public institution that is moving in just makes sense.
Then in ten years when somebody wants to change it again, people will bitch about its history as a U of O sign….
Steve, it has been there 13 years. My point is that U of O isn’t Portland and people coming from out of state, not knowing the history see the sign and maybe surmise that we’re proud of our works made in Oregon whether they are sold at a crappy gift shop or at a local boutique.
The University owns that site, they should be able to do with it what they want. Even though UO is based in Eugene they are making an effort to revitalize an area of town that is greatly in need of it. Besides, this is the Portland campus and although the main campus is in Eugene, it is the University of Oregon. Not just Portland.
When I first moved to the East side of Portland, my favorite thing was when I turned the corner and saw that neon 7up sign where the bubbles were created by little white lights. Now, it’s a Budwiser sign, wiht no interesting bubbles. I’ll miss the Hung Far Low sign if it doesn’t come back to Old Town. I love the Palms hotel on Interstate, and the beautiful neon at the Alibi.
I also felt a pride when I came home from of Seattle and saw that Rudolph had gotten his red nose while I was gone. I think the problem is that we’ve all associated it less with the gift shop businesses owned by the Natio’s and more with a sign that belonged to us, as a state and Portlanders. I use the photo in a presentation for people out of town all the time; I won’t if it changes.
We have an emotional attachment to the sign, just like I did over that silly 7up sign in Hollywood. I turned the corner after they tore it down and started to tear up.
The ultimate question is who’s sign is it? Is it ours, does it belong to the city and its residents, or does it belong to the owner of the building to do what they please. I think it migh belong to the building owner, who is trying to advertise their presence, classes and investment in Portland with a new center in Old Town, a great revitilzation of the area.
Whatever happens, I’ll miss the old sign terribly, but I’ll understand the new one, too.
This highlights the difference between right-wingers and the left-wingers: The right actually believes owners have a right to choose what they do with their property (within the law/reason) and the left feel “Entitled” to have a say in what you do with your own life, things, property, and most importantly money. Take your idealistic, sentimental, “stick your nose into other people’s lives” Butt and Butt out. If you want to keep the sign then make an offer to the U of O to buy the freaking thing.
This is absurd. If any version of the sign should be protected then it should go back to being “White Stag,” since that was the version that lasted 38 years. Thirteen years is nothing, and the sign is an ADVERTISEMENT. We could do a lot worse than “University of Oregon.” We’re lucky the damn thing doesn’t say “Listen to Lars Larsen” by now.
> Take your idealistic, sentimental, “stick your nose
> into other people’s lives” Butt and Butt out.
If you don’t like how we do things in Portland then there are lots and lots of other places you could take yourself and be a lot happier. Idaho maybe. Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out.
@oh shut up – wow, Oh Shut Up, you’re kinda an ass. So, if I read your comment correctly, anyone who has a disagreement about anything – and I mean anything – in Portland should just leave? Is that what I’m hearing? How would anything get done? Most every change that happens in this city causes dissent and people discuss it as ADULTS and we move forward instead of immediately brushing dissenting opinion aside and telling people to just plain leave.
Me likee the sign!
@Beanhead61: It has nothing to do with entitlement, and your rightwing/leftwing assessment is laughable. For me it has everything to do with this being a public institution, who takes public funds/tax dollars, and is in my opinion wasting it on such trivialities while tuitions skyrocket. It’s a waste of time and money.
as the photographer of the photo, I’m also in favor of not changing the sign.
This sign is a historical landmark and if any changes are to be made, they should be to restore it to the original purpose, held sacred and dear to those of us who grew up with it being there over Old town Portland. The last thing that should be done is to allow U of O buy it and put their name on it. Not EVERYONE in Portland is a fan of theirs! Please listen to the people who pay the taxes to keep the sign there. If we must pay a little more to keep it original, that’s better than defacing it to please some Oregon college people…
Rather than make this a University of Oregon sign, which disregards the other fine Universities in our state and makes it look as if the only University presence in Portland is the U of O…I would like to see it either say Welcome to Oregon or just remain Made in Oregon. I think it’s absurd to change it to University of Oregon! It has a deer, not a duck on it, afterall!
I think the sign should remain as is. I think that the UofO is very rude and inconsiderate in even wanting this change.
I wonder if all of the “keep it as it is” folks would be willing to contribute to some sort of trust fund that’s used for the maintenance and upkeep of the sign…
Would the U of O keep it as it is if they weren’t having to bear the costs of maintenance?
Portland Commisioner Randy Leonard has submitted an offer to U of O to have the city buy the sign (pending city council approval) in order to keep it as it is. Apparently, U of O has been less than cooperative.
http://commissionerleonard.typepad.com/commissioner_randy_leonar/2009/03/a-portland-icon.html
Aaron, not sure how that would work unless a non-profit or organization would formally form to take over the sign. Good idea. I doubt the cost of maintenance is really the issue here though.
I agree with dieselboi 100%. I mean, it’s going to take a ton of money to do this, and there is more important things to do with this money. Since when does Oregon have all this money lying around? Schools and jobs need it more than anybody.
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