Made in Oregon sign compromise

April 8, 5:28 PMPortland Progressive ExaminerMichael Stone

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New sign design, approved by Portland City Council and the U of O

City Commissioner Randy Leonard announced Wednesday morning during a City Council meeting that the city of Portland and the University of Oregon reached a compromise on Old Town's iconic “Made in Oregon” sign. The iconic sign at the west end of the Burnside Bridge will not be purchased by the city after all.

A compromise between the city and the University of Oregon means the sign will simply read “Oregon” in greenish-yellow lettering, and the words “Old Town Portland” will appear in yellow with a green background at the bottom of the sign.

The compromise concludes weeks of passionate debate over the fate of the historic sign. The battle has been an interesting one for Portland, since it pits two cherished values against each other: the university’s rights to free speech in labeling its own sign under the Oregon Constitution, versus the value of preserving a historic landmark for its nostalgia as well as cultural and marketing value to the city.

All's well that ends well. And good news: the reindeer’s red nose will still light up every holiday season, the day after Thanksgiving, just like it has since 1959.