September 04, 2003
A Loaf Of Bread And A Carton Of Milk
And now for something completely different. While we await the destruction of the 7-Up sign (a 1940s landmark being replaced by one for Budweiser), today's Oregonian takes a close look at two other SE Portland landmarks:
For as many years as most consumers can remember, the loaf has revolved atop the Franz Bakery at Northeast 12th Avenue and Flanders Street, one block south of Benson High School and a few more from the Lloyd Center shopping mall.
The loaf is always there, which makes it unremarkable. It is simply the giant revolving rooftop loaf. That something so different becomes the norm suggests vigilance declines with time.
...
Only a dozen blocks to the northeast -- overlooking Interstate 84 from the roof of the Sunshine Dairy Foods plant at Northeast 20th Avenue and Pacific Street -- the representation of still another staple of life continues to revolve.
This one is a colossal milk carton, and a sidewalk calculation shows six revolutions per minute, nearly one-third faster than the neighboring loaf of bread.
Each is the sort of sign that would never be allowed under current design codes, but each has been around for so long that it's grandfathered in, and can remain where they are for as long as their owners wish to keep them.
They are some of the earliest landmarks I learned when I moved here 6 1/2 years ago. "In the scope of a town," The Oregonian says, "old things tell you where you are." Note the use of "town" rather than "city" -- a rhetorical tendency Portlanders tend to have and one of those things I keep thinking will be lost as we chase dreams such as massive developments on South Waterfront and Major League Baseball.
Comments (2)
Dave Lister on 04 Sep 2003
As a first or second grader more years ago than I care to admit, I remember taking a field trip to the Franz Bakery under that revolving loaf. After the tour of the plant, they broke open loafs of freshly packaged bread and let all the children have a slice. I can recall with clarity the wonderful aroma and taste of those fresh loaves. It's a memory of growing up in Portland that I truly cherish.
Aaron on 04 Sep 2003
The rotating bread was a big part of my first trip to Portland, about a month before I moved here....