Portland offered to buy White Stag sign

Erik Sine · March 11, 2009

University previously said sign would go black if not purchased by UO

by Kelly Walker | Freelance reporter |

PUBLISHED ON 3/11/09 IN News

Although the University has maintained that the "Made in Oregon" sign on the White Stag building on its Portland campus will go black unless the University purchases it, the City of Portland also offered to buy the sign in a Dec. 12 letter from Portland city commissioner Randy Leonard to University President Dave Frohnmayer, the Emerald discovered Friday.

Ramsey Signs, the owner of the well-known sign in the Old Town area, is seeking to change the wording of the historic sign to "University of Oregon." If the change is approved by the Historic Landmark Commission, Ramsey intends to redesign the sign's message and sell it to the University.

Jan Oliver, special assistant to the University's vice president of advancement, said unless the change is approved and the University purchases the sign, without a sponsor its neon lights will go dark. But she said the University has no interest in paying for a sign without its name on it.

"I love that attitude on the part of Jan Oliver that we should be grateful that the U of O wants to manipulate the sign for its own purpose," said Ethan Seltzer, professor and director of urban studies at Portland State University. "It's like saying if it weren't for the U.S., there'd be no democracy in Iraq."

If the city of Portland were to buy the sign, its message and design would remain as it is now or would change to read "Portland, Oregon" or another neutral message that would be civically oriented, Leonard said.

"(The University's protests) are disingenuous," Leonard said of the University's resistance to pay for the sign if it does not represent the institution's presence in the building. He said the University objected to having to pay for such a sign, and the city of Portland offered to foot the bill. "So now what's their objection?" he asked.

Leonard addressed these questions in his letter to Frohnmayer.

"In our meeting, you raised the concern that the University was planning to make a significant investment in acquiring and operating the historic sign, and you did not feel it was appropriate for the University to do so with a non-University message on the sign," Leonard wrote. "I think that is a legitimate concern, and I would like to reiterate that I am willing to work with my colleagues on the City Council to find a way for the city to purchase the sign and become responsible for its operation and upkeep."

The University has not responded to the letter, Leonard said.

However, Frohnmayer said Tuesday the University has not ignored the letter, but a response would be premature.

"The present law doesn't provide for what Commissioner Leonard is trying to suggest, which would mean for a whole legal process, and we'd rather go with what we understand and what's in the law than go down this whole other avenue," he said.

University spokesman Phil Weiler said Portland Mayor Sam Adams "injected himself into the process" and had some ideas and proposals about the sign. However, he said, the mayor has not come back with a solid proposal.

Leonard said that under the city's proposal to purchase the sign, the University would still be able to create a new sign representing its presence in the building. He said he also offered to amend the sign code to allow the University to build a new sign to represent its presence in the building. That sign would also be visible from the east side of the Willamette River.

However, Oliver takes issue with that offer.

"It's (the building) on the national historical registry ... You cannot make changes like that to a nationally recognized historic building. You can't do it. That is something that Randy Leonard either doesn't know or chooses not to acknowledge," she said. "We have been advised that that would not be possible."

Leonard said he has had a personal conversation with Ramsey Signs, conveying the contents of his letter to Frohnmayer. "I offered to work with the University in negotiating a fair price for the sign but have not got a response to that offer as well," he said.

The historic sign's wording may change, but other key features, such as the white stag at the top and the red words "Old Town" at the bottom, would remain the same. The stag's red nose would still be lit during the holiday season.

"Historically the sign has always reflected the primary tenant in the building, be it the sugar company or the White Stag clothing company or Made in Oregon and their retail world, or, now, the University of Oregon. The sign changes to reflect that," Oliver said.

However, the issue has drawn numerous protests from Portland residents and others.

"Essentially what it's doing is commandeering the skyline for (the University's) own purposes," Seltzer said.

On Friday, city planners opposed the change, and the issue went before the Historic Landmarks Commission on Monday. The commission established clear guidelines that must be addressed by April 6, when the commission should make its final decision, relating to the size and fonts of letters and concentration of letters in the space.

Oliver also said that while there was a good-sized audience, it wasn't standing-room-only.

"Given the strong feelings in our community about the historic value of the 'Made in Oregon' sign, I fear that a public debate on the University of Oregon's proposal will spark a controversy that could overshadow the otherwise positive relationship the University is building in our community," Leonard wrote in the letter to Frohnmayer. "I'd much rather be standing next to them, talking about all the good things they're doing in Portland."