The comments are in, the committee has heard, and the sign will not go up for U of O– at least not in the recommended form. Read the whole report yourself if you prefer. It’s actually interesting in parts– I highly recommend reading what Portlanders had to say, since they agree with the comments posted here. The most important information: the proposed sign will not go up for two reasons, according to the Portland Landmark Commission. First: the “University of Oregon” text would be too long, and require too many letters, which would change the overall effect of the sign. Second, the sign wouldn’t include several of the quirkiest characters from the original sign: the cut off cursive letter g, and the unusual cursive uppercase e‘s. I assume that if those changes are met, the committee will review the project again.
The report also included some compromises suggested in public letters and comments. Instead of changing the sign to read “University of Oregon,” why doesn’t it read…
- ‘Portland, Oregon’
- ‘Education is the Future’, using green and yellow to identify U. of O.;
- ‘Find it in Oregon’;
- ‘Do it in Oregon’;
- ‘Make it in Oregon’;…or…
- ’Live it in Oregon’?
Any of those strike your new downtown skyline fancy? Another recommendation: remove the “Made In,” and just keep/recenter “Oregon.”
Which is your favorite proposal? Or are you as loyal to the “Made in Oregon” text as I am?
Top photo by Michelle Owner of the Squishy.
I dont think the sign has ANYTHING to do with the former store anymore, or the future tenants, to me it is a landmark of Oregon pride and manufacturing and should be left alone.
Oregon would work best, since it is simultaneously representative of general civic pride and also represents the university, which is often referred to as “Oregon,” as opposed to Oregon State.
I like the idea of just keeping “Oregon,” since it seems quite fair. After all, the “Made in Oregon” sign read “White Stag” a few decades back. Still, when I remember the first time I saw Portland, I’ll see the “Made in Oregon” sign. I guess what I’m asking myself is this: Is the Made in Oregon sign representative of Portland, or Oregon as a whole? Also: Does changing the sign to just read “Oregon” make our neighbors to the South in Eugene happy? Is that like a sign of good will toward Eugenians? (Eugenites?)