Elk, also known as the David P. Thompson Fountain, Elk Fountain, or the Thompson Elk, was a historic outdoor fountain and bronze sculpture by American artist Roland Hinton Perry. It was removed from downtown in July 2020, after sustaining damage from fires lit by people protesting the murder of George Floyd.
Courtesy of Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress
Portland’s revered Thompson Elk Fountain is one step closer to returning to its downtown post, but the plan is both over budget and behind schedule.
The Portland City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a plan to pay a local construction company $1.8 million to restore the elk statue and its granite fountain base, which was damaged during the 2020 racial justice protests.
City Commissioners said the decision symbolized downtown Portland’s recovery following the economic downturn caused by COVID-19 and the nightly demonstrations. “The restoration of the Elk fountain is an important step forward and one of healing,” said City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez, who is running for mayor.
The granite fountain was built in 1900 on Southwest Main Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, to provide fresh drinking water to animals. While its bronze elk statue was initially panned by local leaders as “a monstrosity of art,” the statue eventually became an iconic – and beloved – Portland landmark.
It was removed from downtown in July 2020, after sustaining damage from fires lit by people protesting the murder of George Floyd.
A protester stands where the Thompson Elk Fountain used to stand during protests against racism and police violence on July 14, 2020.
Jonathan Levinson / OPB
City Council voted to hire Tualatin-based Cedar Mill Construction Company to handle the restoration and reinstallation process. According to the city, the fountain and statue will undergo a makeover beyond a straightforward restoration.
Jodie Inman, Portland Water Bureau’s chief engineer, said the final fountain will have recirculated water – instead of constantly fresh water – which will save the city $240,000 in water costs annually. It will also be built to be seismically resilient. (Inman said the previous statue was attached to the fountain by a single bolt.)
City Council initially green-lit spending $1.5 million on restoration last December, with plans to finish reinstalling the fountain by the end of 2024. The price tag has now grown by $300,000 and is expected to be completed by next summer.
The growing timeline is caused by the city’s long search for specialized stonemason contractors to work on the historic fountain and the amount of time it will take to get the granite base from a Vermont mine. According to Inman, it’s the same mine that produced the fountain’s original granite.
Litter and debris cover the middle of Southwest Main Street between Chapman and Lownsdale squares, Dec. 1, 2020 in Portland, Ore., where the Thompson Elk Fountain previously stood.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
City Commissioner Dan Ryan, who has spearheaded the elk’s return for years, said he was “baffled” that it took so long for this project to move forward.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think we’d be celebrating that it might be happening in 2025,” Ryan said. “If there’s one thing this job has taught me is patience and persistence. We must not wait another two plus years to see the Thompson Elk return to its pedestal.”
Mayor Ted Wheeler said he understood the delays due to the niche contractor skills the city sought. But he agreed that its return to downtown would be a symbol of progress from the summer of 2020.
“This is symbolically important to our community, and to see it destroyed really hit people hard,” said Wheeler. “It’s a small part of our community, but it gets at the heart of what was happening in that period of history … I’m glad that our city is recovering.”
The elk fountain is just one of six pieces of public art that were damaged during the 2020 demonstrations. The five other statues carry more baggage than the elk, due to their representation of historic figures and politicians with controversial pasts. Those five statues remain in storage, awaiting a drawn-out council decision on whether to return them to their public pedestals scheduled for 2026.
