Join Portland’5 Centers for the Arts as we celebrate the renovation and relighting of the historic Portland sign with live music, food and beverage, and local guests Wednesday August 16, 2017 at 7pm.
The iconic “Portland” sign at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall returns to Broadway (located at Main Street and SW Broadway in downtown Portland, Oregon) after a months-long renovation project. Renovation work on the sign began on May 2nd and the reinstallation will culminate on August 16th at the re-lighting ceremony. The sign, which has been on the concert hall in some form since 1928, underwent extensive renovations this spring and summer. The sign’s overall look and design remains the same.
Improvements to the sign include:
• A new, lightweight aluminum shell, replacing some corroding sheet metal
• A fresh coat of paint – paint on the south side of the sign had faded
• UV coating to limit future fading
• New, brighter neon letters
• Replacement of some structural support elements
The $500,000 project is being funded by Portland'5 Centers for the Arts' capital fund. The work was performed by TubeArt, a Bellevue, Wash.-based sign company.
"Broadway has definitely looked like it’s missing something since we took the sign down," said Robyn Williams, executive director of Portland'5 Centers for the Arts. "It will be nice to have that icon back where it belongs."
The 65-foot-high "Portland" sign first went up in 1928, when it was opened as the Portland Publix Theatre. In 1930, the sign was changed to say "Paramount," as the theater was contracted with that studio to show Paramount films. When the theater opened as the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in 1984, the sign was changed back to say "Portland."
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall is a part of Portland'5 Centers for the Arts, a service of Metro. In addition to the concert hall, Portland'5 Centers for the Arts also operates the Keller Auditorium and the Newmark, Winningstad and Brunish theatres at Antoinette Hatfield Hall.
This event is free and open to the public. Food and beverage will be available for sale.