2138.Some months back, a charming and representative piece of Portland visual design and history diappeared with the taking down of the landmark Hung Far Low Restaurant sign.
The vertical sign, which resembled a great majuscule letter I with the words HUNG FAR LOW down the spine, and advertising CHOP SUEY across the top and COCKTAILS across the bottom, and topped overall by a cute little stylized pagoda,(see it here, here and here), stood over the corner of NW 4th Avenue and Couch Street in Portland's Chinatown since at least the middle of the 20th Century. In 2007, the eponymous restaurant moved to the corner of SE 82nd and Division (where it now sports a much less memorable sign) but the sign remained. Between then the word COCKTAILS was reduced by some prankster to the word COCK, and all the words at the top and bottom were altered to read "EST. 1928" at the top and "BUILDING" at the bottom.
The years had taken their toll and the sign had become more of a sword of Damocles to some potentially unlucky pedestrian, thus in October 2007 the sign had to come down. It now rests in a "sign graveyard", reputedly in Scappoose.
There was always the intention of re-erecting the sign, but it's going to take $30,000 to get that done. So this blog, as indeed should every self-respecting Portland blog, am taking great pleasure in helping to spread the word that the Re-erection campaign to get the Hung Far Low sign back up over the corner of NW 4th and Couch is on.
I've visited the website and it's very clear and nice, and donations are priced so that everyone can get in on the act; there's a donation level as low at $10, so as soon as I can find me a tenner, I'm sending one along.
The address to view is: http://reerecthungfarlow.com/ .
Technorati Tags: PDX, Portland, Portland History, Portland visual history, PDX Chinatown, Hung Far Low
The vertical sign, which resembled a great majuscule letter I with the words HUNG FAR LOW down the spine, and advertising CHOP SUEY across the top and COCKTAILS across the bottom, and topped overall by a cute little stylized pagoda,(see it here, here and here), stood over the corner of NW 4th Avenue and Couch Street in Portland's Chinatown since at least the middle of the 20th Century. In 2007, the eponymous restaurant moved to the corner of SE 82nd and Division (where it now sports a much less memorable sign) but the sign remained. Between then the word COCKTAILS was reduced by some prankster to the word COCK, and all the words at the top and bottom were altered to read "EST. 1928" at the top and "BUILDING" at the bottom.
The years had taken their toll and the sign had become more of a sword of Damocles to some potentially unlucky pedestrian, thus in October 2007 the sign had to come down. It now rests in a "sign graveyard", reputedly in Scappoose.
There was always the intention of re-erecting the sign, but it's going to take $30,000 to get that done. So this blog, as indeed should every self-respecting Portland blog, am taking great pleasure in helping to spread the word that the Re-erection campaign to get the Hung Far Low sign back up over the corner of NW 4th and Couch is on.
I've visited the website and it's very clear and nice, and donations are priced so that everyone can get in on the act; there's a donation level as low at $10, so as soon as I can find me a tenner, I'm sending one along.
The address to view is: http://reerecthungfarlow.com/ .
Technorati Tags: PDX, Portland, Portland History, Portland visual history, PDX Chinatown, Hung Far Low
2 comments:
This is an awesome campaign. Someone came up with a great tag line. :)
Thanks! Nice splash y'all has made here. This'll be the next best thing to actually having Hung Far Low back in Chinatown.
Good luck!
PS: I'm available for more tagline development! Just so you know!
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