White Stag sign facts for kids
Quick facts for kids White Stag sign |
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The White Stag sign displaying the wording it has carried since November 2010
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| Former names | White Satin Sugar sign (1940–1957) Made in Oregon sign (1997–2010) |
| Alternative names | "Portland Oregon" sign (since 2010) |
| General information | |
| Type | neon-and-incandescent-bulb sign |
| Location | Portland, Oregon |
| Address | 70 NW Couch Street (White Stag Building) |
| Coordinates | 45°31′24.19″N 122°40′13.87″W / 45.5233861°N 122.6705194°W |
| Construction started | 1940 |
| Renovated | 1957 1997 2010 |
| Owner | Ramsay Signs (1940–2010); City of Portland (September 2010 to present) |
| Renovating team | |
| Renovating firm | White Stag Sportswear (1957) Naito Properties (1997) Venerable Properties (2010) |
The White Stag sign is a famous lighted sign in downtown Portland, Oregon. It sits on top of the White Stag Building at 70 NW Couch Street. This sign faces traffic coming into downtown Portland from the Burnside Bridge.
The sign uses both neon lights and regular light bulbs. Since November 2010, it has read "Portland Oregon." Before that, it advertised different companies.
During the Christmas season, the stag's nose on the sign glows red. This makes it look like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This special feature has made the sign a popular local landmark for many years. In 1977, the City of Portland officially recognized it as a Historic Landmark.
Contents
The Sign's Story
The idea for the sign began in 1940. Ramsay Signs built it, and it first lit up in October 1940. The sign originally advertised "White Satin Sugar" and showed an outline of the state of Oregon. In 1950, the sign was updated to show the state filling with sugar.
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In 1957, the sign changed to advertise White Stag. This company made clothing and owned the building. The sign then read "Home of White Stag Sportswear." A silhouette of a white stag was added to the top. For Christmas in 1959, a red neon nose was added to the stag. This tradition has continued every year since then.
White Stag moved out of the building in 1973. However, the company still paid for the sign's lights and upkeep. By 1977, the sign had become a symbol of Portland, especially during Christmas. It was then named a City of Portland historic landmark.
In 1986, White Stag left Oregon completely. The sign stayed lit until May 1989, when it went dark. The building's owner, Bill Naito, agreed to pay for the electricity for Christmas that year. After some repairs, the sign was lit again and stayed on through the mid-1990s.
"Made in Oregon" Sign
Bill Naito passed away in 1996. After his death, there was a disagreement about who would pay for the sign's repairs. The city's mayor, Vera Katz, helped solve the problem.
As a result, the sign's lettering changed in 1997. It began to advertise "Made in Oregon," a gift brand owned by the Naito family. The smaller words at the bottom changed from "Sportswear" to "Old Town." This showed the sign's location. The outline of Oregon and the leaping deer stayed the same.
New Owners and University Plans
In 2004, the Naito family closed their business in the building. Two years later, they sold the building to Venerable Properties. This company renovated the White Stag Building and nearby historic buildings. They created a new area called the White Stag Block.
In 2008, the University of Oregon became the main tenant of the White Stag Block. They moved many of their Portland offices and programs there.
Later that year, there was a plan to change the sign to read "University of Oregon." This idea caused some debate in the community. Some people felt it was not right to advertise an out-of-town university. Others simply wanted to keep the sign as it was. In 2009, the city and the university agreed to change the sign to just "Oregon." However, another part of the plan, to add the university's "O" logo to a nearby water tower, was not approved. Because of this, the university decided not to pay for the sign anymore.
Portland City Takes Ownership
With the University of Oregon no longer paying, Ramsay Signs turned off the sign in October 2009. They even considered taking it down. City leaders, like Commissioner Randy Leonard, worked to save the landmark. They thought about changing the sign to say "Portland Oregon."
The sign remained dark until the Friday before Thanksgiving that year. It was then lit for the Christmas season and stayed on until January 2010.
In September 2010, the Portland City Council decided to take ownership of the sign. Ramsay Signs donated the sign to the city. The city agreed to pay Ramsay Signs a monthly fee for its upkeep and electricity. A local developer also donated money to change the lettering to "Portland Oregon."
Work to change the sign began in November 2010. The newly worded sign was officially turned on for the first time on November 26, 2010.
Award-Winning Design
In 2011, Ramsay Signs received an award for their work on the redesigned sign. They won First Place in the Historic Reproduction category from the International Sign Association.
See also
- Portland sign
- Skidmore/Old Town Historic District: the 1907 White Stag Building on which the sign is located is a contributing property to the historic district
