PORTLAND, Ore. — Shortly after Portland's legendary drag queen Darcelle XV died, a fan installed a temporary street sign in his honor.
The corner of Northwest 3rd Avenue and Northwest Davis Street was unofficially renamed Northwest Darcelle XV Street. The intersection sits just outside the iconic Darcelle XV drag cabaret in Old Town/China Town.
Ryan Hashagen, a Portland pedicab operator, installed the unofficial but authentic looking sign Friday afternoon.
"The idea was to commemorate Darcelle XV outside their iconic establishment and to celebrate their contribution to our community and beyond," Hashagen told KGW.
In a statement to KGW on Friday, the Portland Bureau of Transportation said, "Darcelle was a legendary leader and cornerstone of Portland culture for decades. While we understand the good intent behind the street sign alteration, it was unauthorized and will need to be removed."
The bureau did not say when it would be removed. Hashagen said his temporary sign was still up on Tuesday afternoon.
Madi Carlson shared several photos on Twitter showing Hashagen putting up the sign, which matches the font used throughout the Old Town/China Town neighborhood. Carlson's caption says, in part, "Honoring a legend with tactical urbanism by [Ryan Hashagen]."
"I think it would be wonderful if City Leadership decided to rename the street permanently to recognize Darcelle XV," Hashagen said.
Under Portland city code, a person or organization can apply to the city to rename a street after a prominent person. A prominent person is defined in the code as:
- A person who has achieved prominence as a result of his or her significant, positive contribution to the United States of America and/or the local community;
- A real person; and
- A person who has been deceased for at least five years.
This month, the Portland Bureau of Transportation put a pause on reviewing requests for renaming existing streets due to resource constraints, according to the agency's website. PBOT said it will evaluate and improve the renaming process over the next several months, as the city makes updates to its charter and implements a new form of government.
If a proposal was brought to Portland City Council, Mayor Ted Wheeler would support it.
"Darcelle is a Portland icon and if a proposal to change the street name was brought forward to City Council, Mayor Wheeler would help see it through. In the near-term, Mayor Wheeler supports the temporary signage and hopes it will stay up," said Cody Boyman, Mayor Wheeler's spokesperson.
Walter W. Cole, Sr., who used the stage name Darcelle XV, died from natural causes on March 23 at the age of 92. Cole, who was raised in Portland's Linnton neighborhood, bought a tavern and transformed it into "Darcelle XV Showplace" in 1967. Darcelle XV Showplace was a popular spot for cabaret and drag performance in the 1970s, and became a part of Portland culture as Darcelle helped open doors for LGBTQ+ communities.
