It’s still anyone’s guess what message Portlanders will see in lights on top of the White Stag building next year.
It appeared not too long ago that University officials and city commissioners had compromised on the legend that would adorn the University-leased building’s iconic neon sign. Rather than changing the sign’s legend from “Made in Oregon” to “University of Oregon,” University officials agreed, they would put only the word “Oregon” up in lights. It was the conclusion of a long argument that went back and forth and involved city officials at one point threatening to condemn the sign to save it from the University.
But the Oregonian and Willamette Week reported Monday that tensions have arisen anew over the manner in which the University plans to emblazon its “O” logo on the water tower next to the sign. University officials want neon; Portland city commissioners insist on paint. The City Commission will make a decide definitively what can be done with the sign on July 27, but has provisionally rejected the University’s plans.
Willamette Week has some damn good quotes on the subject:
“It’s not exactly a commodity they’re selling,” says (restaurant owner Kurt) Huffman, who went to Reed College. “I can only imagine the most demented people in the world deciding to send their child to the University of Oregon because of a sign on a water tower.” (words in parentheses inserted by me)
The University bought the building back in 2006 and uses it to house classes and administrative offices. Its attempts to change the sign on the building have been ridiculously unpopular.
This should be in your newspaper not just hidden away in your blog.
Zach:
1.) This story broke Monday afternoon. Our paper hits stands Monday morning. It would have been impossible to cover it without a time machine, and we simply don’t have the budget for a time machine.
2.) Putting things on our blog is not an attempt to make them “hidden away.” We’re really trying to get people to read this thing. I’m told that next year, we will at least have links to blog posts on the dailyemerald.com front page.
3.) Thanks for reading.
Thanks for the response. Looking forward to reading your future coverage of the UO branding war. Key details related to this story would be:
Total legal expenses for UO relating to this conflict so far
Some exploration of whether this conflict may undermine the chances of the UO to get authorization to buy the White Stag building in 2012. Currently, that will be an option for UO. I think the conflict may feed skepticism about UO decision making by those who would be required to approve buying the building.