PORTLAND, Ore. -- An Old Town neon landmark will remain dark, likely until summer until an agreement can be reached on its future.
Building and sign owners met last Friday night to discuss plans for the "Made in Oregon" sign atop the White Stage building.
The sign went dark last October, but was lit up for the Christmas season.
Art DeMuro, of the White Stagg LLC group said they discussed a "pretty complicated" process to draw up paperwork and complete the transactions to get the sign relit. And that will likely not happen until this summer.
Last fall, the president of Ramsay Signs pulled the plug after the University of Oregon backed out of a deal to maintain the sign - in exchange for altering it to read something other than "Made in Oregon."
Portland Commissioner Randy Leonard and the City Council intervened and a feud over the old neon has continued nearly a year now. The city attempted to lay claim to it as a historical landmark. The company and the university agreed on a compromise that would have changed the sign to read "Portland" before the university altogether bowed out.
The stag has sported a red nose during the holidays as long as many Portlanders can remember.
