White Stag sign
| White Stag sign | |
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The White Stag sign displaying the wording it has carried since November 2010
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 Location in Portland
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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°WCoordinates: 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, also known as the “Portland Oregon” sign, is a lighted neon-and-incandescent-bulb sign located atop the White Stag Building, at 70 NW Couch Street in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States, facing the Burnside Bridge. The sign faces westbound traffic as it enters downtown Portland coming across the Willamette River. The sign was acquired by the City of Portland in September 2010, and the lettering was changed to read "Portland Oregon" in November 2010.
Due in no small part to a Christmas tradition in which the nose of the stag on the sign glows red in imitation of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the sign is an identifying landmark of Portland and was designated a City of Portland Historic Landmark in 1977. In 2014, Willamette Week referred to the "famous White Stag sign" as "one of the most instantly recognizable parts of the Portland skyline".
Since its installation in 1940 the sign has carried various messages and animations, generally advertising Portland companies, the longest-lasting version being for White Stag Sportswear, from 1957 until 1997.
The city permit for the original sign was received on September 19, 1940. The sign was built soon afterward by Ramsay Signs, who also owned it, and was first illuminated around the end of October 1940. The sign read "White Satin Sugar" inside an outline of the state of Oregon, advertising a brand of sugar. In 1950, the sign was animated to show the state filling with sugar.
In 1957, the sign was changed to advertise White Stag, an apparel manufacturer that owned the building and had occupied it since 1924. The lettering was changed to "Home of White Stag Sportswear" and a silhouette of a white stag was added to the top of the sign. For the 1959 Christmas season, a red neon "nose" was added to the stag's snout in imitation of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, a tradition that has been repeated annually ever since.
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Wikipedia