PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland's famed elk statue will be returned to its rightful place sometime in 2024, according to the Portland Parks Foundation. It was removed during the protests of 2020 after demonstrators lit bonfires around the base of the bronze statue.
The statue was just one part of the Thompson Elk Fountain between Chapman Square and Lownsdale Square on Southwest Main Street in downtown Portland. While the statue itself wasn't damaged, city officials removed it in early July of 2020 after the fires set by protestors damaged the fountain's stone base.
City leaders have been pledging to see it returned since early last year, but a feasibility study conducted over the following months estimated that restoration and improvement costs could climb as high as $2 million. At the time it wasn't entirely clear who would foot the bill and how.
In May, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler allocated $1.5 million in the new budget to support the Thompson Elk Fountain restoration project. At a city council meeting to discuss the budget issue, citizens showed up wearing antlers and urged commissioners to bring the elk back. The council ultimately passed a resolution pledging to "fully restore and return the Thompson Elk Fountain to its original condition and location to the extent feasible" and approving Wheeler's line item.
Now, according to the Portland Parks Foundation, the project is moving forward.
"After three years of brainstorming, studying, nudging, and negotiating, the Portland Parks Foundation is proud to announce the start of a unique public/private partnership to restore and return the city’s iconic David P. Thompson Elk Fountain to its historic home between Chapman and Lownsdale," the PPF said.
Working with city officials, the foundation developed a plan to commission full-contract drawings for the fountain's design and engineering; including a seismic upgrade, a recirculating pump and graffiti-resistant coating.
"This innovative partnership expedites the Elk Fountain's return by 18 months and assures that best preservation and resiliency practices will be applied to the design," the PPF added.
On top of the $1.5 million that Wheeler set aside in the budget, the foundation raised another $160,000 from 65 donors. A historic preservation firm called Architectural Resources Group has been lined up to do the design work, and they kicked off the process Wednesday.
So what is all that money for, precisely? According to the feasibility study, construction alone could account for roughly $1.2 million, plus over $100,00 in "soft costs," things like permits and fees.
The study estimated nearly $120,000 for site improvements, and another $900,000 for site development, which means the stone work involved. The fountain and water supply are expected to cost about $84,000, plus almost $25,000 for the electrical and $118,000 for site prep.
But that's just the fountain itself. Street improvements to the area are expected to cost over $640,000, which includes things like asphalt lanes for cars and bikes, paving the area around the fountain, and things like "textured pavement bands."
All of the preceding taken together would run about $1.9 million. Those were the estimates from last year, anyway. If it isn't clear already, this project won't simply mean that the elk is getting plopped back on a few replaced pieces of stone — it's a revamp as much as it is a restoration.
Some of the improvements are a no-brainer. Prior to its removal, the elk statue was affixed to its base with a single bolt, which is at least partly why it posed such a safety risk once the base was damaged. The new design will see it more securely fastened.
The Portland Water Bureau will be in charge of construction contracting and oversight for the project, PPF said. While the foundation indicated that the statue will return in 2024, they did not provide a more specific date by which it's expected to be finished.