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.
A "Portland" sign hung on the Portland Publix Theatre when it opened in March 1928. In 1930 the owners signed a contract to show Paramount films and changed the lettering, though not the design, to "Paramount". The city bought the building and began a $10 million renovation in September 1983; the 65-foot Paramount sign came down on March 18, 1984, and Ballard Sign Company of Salem used it as a model for a replica with five-foot neon letters restoring "Portland", attached on September 4, 1984.
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.
The 65-foot "Paramount" sign was taken down on March 18, 1984, and Ballard Sign Company of Salem used it as the model for the replica that restored the original "Portland" wording. The new sign, with neon letters five feet tall, went up on September 4, 1984, and the theatre reopened four days later.
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