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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.〔"Commission designates White Stag sign Portland landmark". ''The Oregonian'', October 13, 1977, p. A17.〕〔Tripp, Julie (November 4, 1986). "Fate of White Stag sign unclear". ''The Oregonian'', p. D9.〕 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 1959 until 1997. ==History== The city permit for the original sign was received on September 19, 1940. The sign was built by Ramsay Signs in 1940–41, and Ramsay also owned it. 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 1959, 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.〔 White Stag was purchased by the Warnaco Group in 1966,〔 and the company left the building in 1973.〔 In 1972, the building was sold to the H. Naito Corporation and occupied by one of its divisions, Norcrest China Company, but Warnaco still paid for the sign's electricity and maintenance.〔 In 1977, the sign, which had come to symbolize Portland, especially at Christmas time, was designated a City of Portland historic landmark.〔 It continued to be owned by Ramsay Signs, who leased it to White Stag/Warnaco.〔 In 1986, White Stag moved out of Oregon entirely, but Warnaco continued to pay for the sign to be lit until May 1989, when the sign went dark.〔 Bill Naito, president of the H. Naito Corporation, owner of the Norcrest China Company which occupied the building, agreed to pay for the sign's electricity for the Christmas season beginning in October,〔 but trouble with the wiring led to the sign remaining dark until after Thanksgiving. With Naito paying the approximately $200-a-month electric bill and the Ramsay Sign company providing maintenance, the sign remained lit into the mid-1990s. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「White Stag sign」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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