An iconic but little-understood piece of Downtown Portland’s history, the weather beacon atop the Standard Insurance Building, has been taken down for repairs.
The beacon has stood atop the building at 900 S.W. Fifth Ave. since 1963 and uses solid or flashing colors to indicate incoming weather. For many longtime Portlanders, it’s a beloved sight. For others, it’s rarely seen and poorly understood.
“The weather beacon is out of service for days,” Bob Speltz, senior director of community and public relations for The Standard Insurance Co., told the Tribune on Sunday, Nov. 17. “The recent wind storms broke some of the pulleys and rope on the beacon. Engineers had to bring down the beacon for repairs and will continue to work on this Monday. There were already some of the holiday lights up, too, so they’ll be working on getting these back in place after the repairs have been completed.”
The four-foot-tall beacon, atop a long flag pole, serves all year long to forecast the weather. But from the night before Thanksgiving until the end of the year, the beacon and its pole also are lit up as a Christmas tree.