The city’s Historic Landmarks Commission has voted to delay a
decision about changing downtown’s “Made in Oregon” sign to say
“University of Oregon” until early April.

The vote to table the controversial redesign took place on Monday,
March 9, after months of review and a two-hour meeting, essentially
sending the University of Oregon back to the drawing board to tweak the
sign’s text to meet historic design requirements.

Legally, the city has no say in what the sign should say: The neon
phrase emblazoned beneath the leaping stag is protected as free speech
under the Oregon Constitution. But the landmarks commission can rule on
whether the font used for the phrase keeps with the sign’s historic
character. The group asked the university to return on April 6 with a
sign composed of smaller, “more 1950s” style letters, so that they fit
with the “historic” designation of the sign.

Nevertheless, City Planner Mark Walhood says he received over 300
emails from citizens concerned about changing the sign’s slogan, 4-1 in
opposition to the new phrase.

Darryl Paulsen, whose company Ramsay Signs has owned and maintained
the “Made in Oregon” sign since it was first built as an ad for White
Satin Sugar in the 1940s, says the landmark will go dark if he cannot
find someone to pay the tens of thousands of dollars a year it costs
to maintain the 52-foot tall neon icon. The University of Oregon has
paid upkeep costs since last January.

But another option might also be on the table. In December, City
Commissioner Randy Leonard wrote a letter to the University of Oregon,
cautioning that the controversy over the sign change could “overshadow”
the university’s positive relationship with Portland. Leonard offered
to negotiate some way for the city to purchase the beloved
landmark.

Leonard’s chief of staff, Ty Kovatch, estimates that buying the sign
would cost $500,000, but says the steep pricetag is worth it to keep
the landmark unchanged.

Sarah Shay Mirk reported on transportation, sex and gender issues, and politics at the Mercury from 2008-2013. They have gone on to make many things, including countless comics and several books.

13 replies on “Signs They Are a Changin’”

  1. Oh, Portland. The sign has only said “Made in Oregon” since 1995. Isn’t it pretty lame to give (this much of) a fuck about a stupid sign? In 15 years we’ll be arguing about the “SUPER, SUPER HISTORIC UNIVERSITY OF OREGON” sign.

    And for realsies, Ty Kovatch? Half a million dollars of public money to keep two words of a sign from changing would be “worth it?”

  2. it’s a pride thing. personally, i don’t want it to change. i think that the U of O should pull their heads out of their asses and just leave it be.

  3. Commenty Colin – You’re an idiot. For realsies. Talk about wasting public money, what’s the U of O doing paying to maintain and change the sign in the first place.

  6. @ sarah a:
    You really think changing a sign on a building to reflect what is actually happening in the attached owner’s building is a waste of money? I’d argue that’s a pretty important (even desirable) function of a “sign.”

    For example, if you bought a house, and that house had a huge neon “sign” on top that said, “NOT a dumb slut’s house,” you’d be free to change (or remove) the first two words, just like U of O is about to do.

    That’s the neat thing about owning “signs.”

  7. What a monumental waste of time, money, and energy. Couldn’t we be doing something better with our time? How important is it to change the sign? Why should UO get to have a sign changed to reflect them in a town where their presence is limited to a satellite campus? If we go by their standard, and their logic, the sign should say Portland State University, instead.

  8. Add you name to the Facebook Cause “Save the Made in Oregon sign”. The next hearing is April 6 and the City is watching to see how many people sign up. There are over 15,000 so far.

  9. The sign should stay as is. U of O isn’t even in Portland so why the hell do they need a lighted sign in the middle of downtown.

  10. $500,000 for a sign! WTF? Our state has the third largest
    unemployment rate in the country and the biggest concern of the city counsel is paying $500.000 for a f-ing sign? The only signs they should be concerning themselves with are ones that read “NOW HIRING”.

    http://www.MarconiBologna.com

  13. Change it back to White Stag! Do you all love Made in Oregon for making it easy to buy your parents kitschy tourist crap whenever they come visit you from whatever midwest shitpile you moved here from? Where the fuck was the outrage when they tore down Jello’s phone booth so Taco Bell could have a drive thru?

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