Downtown Portland's Thompson Elk Statue may be re-installed later than expected

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Despite initial projections, Portland leaders are estimating the David P. Thompson Elk Fountain may not be installed until next year.

In December 2023, KOIN 6 reported that the Portland Parks Foundation told the city council the landmark was on track to return to Southwest Main Street by the end of this year. But according to the Portland Water Bureau’s most recent update on July 1, the installation should be complete anytime between this fall and summer 2025.

The historic statue is the city’s second-oldest piece of public art — behind Ankeny Plaza’s Skidmore Fountain. The elk fountain was commissioned in 1900 by its namesake, who served as mayor from 1879 to 1882 and also helped found the Oregon Humane Society.

Regional Arts & Culture Council removed the 9-foot installation in July 2020, when nightly protests and vandalism downtown led to severe damage that officials feared would cause the statue to topple over.

It wasn’t until February 2022 that Portland officials announced their plans to preserve the landmark. At that point, the council had stored — and restored — the statue in an undisclosed location.

However, some parts weren’t so easy to preserve. Portland Parks Foundation said nine of the 52 pieces that make up the fountain were “beyond repair.”

“But they will be refabricated with the same granite from the Vermont Barre quarry where the original stone came from,” PPF wrote on its website. “The stones will be covered with a Sacrificial graffiti coating to protect them from graffiti. Additionally, the elk used to be held in place by a single bolt. The new design seismically stabilizes the elk so It will now be engineered to withstand an earthquake.”

Portland City Council approved $1.5 million in funding for the fountain in May 2023. The water bureau said the construction timeline is dependent on the contractor's schedule and ability to access certain parts of the landmark.