Portland sign, Vertical sign at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, United States.
The Portland sign is a vertical neon installation on the facade of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, a performing arts venue on SW Broadway in downtown Portland. It rises several stories along the building's corner and can be read from many blocks away.
The sign was first installed in 1928 alongside the building and was updated in 1930 to read "Paramount" after the theater signed a deal with Paramount Pictures. When the building was later converted into a concert hall, the sign was changed to read Portland.
The sign marks the heart of Portland's arts district along SW Broadway and draws people who stop to take photos before or after a show. Its red glow gives the block a recognizable character that locals and visitors alike associate with a night out in the city.
The sign stands at the corner of SW Broadway and SW Main Street in downtown Portland and is easy to reach on foot from most central hotels and attractions. Visiting after dark gives the best view, as the neon lettering is far more visible at night than during the day.
Although the sign reads Portland, it has never displayed the name of the concert hall itself, which often surprises first-time visitors. The 2017 renovation replaced aging parts with new aluminum components while keeping the original shape of the letters intact.
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