Thursday, March 10, 2022

Goodbye, David P. Thompson Fountain

 

(Regional Arts & Culture Council image)

If you had hoped to see the historic David P. Thompson fountain restored to its rightful location on S.W. Main Street, forget it.  Won’t happen.

In what seems like a Kafka-esque turn of events, the City of Portland is pursuing a 120-day “demolition delay” for a historic landmark that the city itself  hastily demolished in 2020.  As a consequence, the Beaux-Arts designed fountain, dating to 1900, will be removed from the city’s list of historic landmarks.

This is the case of city bureaucrats prevailing over the city’s historic fabric.  The Portland Water Bureau didn’t like managing the fountain, and the Portland Bureau of Transportation wanted more room on Main Street for a bike lane and bus passage.  So say bye-bye to an iconic historic landmark.

The fountain, originally intended to provide water for horses and dogs, provided a pedestal for the iconic elk statue donated by the Portland pioneer entrepreneur and early mayor, David P. Thompson.

The city promises to return the elk – removed after it was damaged slightly during political protests in 2020 – but it will stand on a new pedestal of as-yet undisclosed design.  The pedestal will be smaller in size than the original fountain.

As you may recall, the Regional Arts & Culture Council on July 2, 2020 removed the elk statue after minor damage occurred.  Within two weeks, the Portland Water Bureau hired a company to demolish portions of the granite fountain and salvage other parts.  The speedy demolition appeared to fly in the face of state and city laws intended to protect historic sites.

Gone and not coming back

Meanwhile, the transportation bureau late in 2020 offered drawings showing the fountains site narrowed either by 4 or 8 feet on its northern and southern edges to accommodate its desired traffic plan.  

Last fall, a memo from a city preservation planner recommended that the fountain be restored.  “Given that the landmark resource is specifically noted as a fountain, staff believes that maintaining this function is important to maintaining the resource’s historic character and significance,” Hillary Adam wrote.  “Staff does not believe that reducing the fountain to a pedestal maintains this character or significance, essentially reducing the landmark by at least half of its cultural and aesthetic value.”  In an informal meeting, the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission agreed.

But removal of the fountain landmark designation leaves the Landmarks Commission no voice to recommend its preservation.  A new pedestal will be reviewed instead by the Portland Design Commission, whose hands will be largely tied by whatever designs are presented to it.

In coming months, the Design Commission will send its recommendation to the Portland City Council, which already will have made up its mind by informal agreements long before the hearing.

Yes, people can testify to the City Council.  Then the council will vote and, as it usually does, thank one another for outstanding leadership.  Their decision will send a sad message, as noted by Brian Libby, an astute critic who usually writes about modern architecture.

 “To keep the statue separated permanently from its fountain would bring a grim reality: that the City of Portland will have done more lasting damage to this landmark than any protester or counter-protester,” he wrote.  He added, “It tells me there’s a problem here that’s bigger than Elk: that the City of Portland is not a thoughtful, committed or humble caretaker of its own heritage.”

-----Fred Leeson

Join Building on History’s mailing list by writing “add me” to fredleeson@hotmail.com. 

 

 

 


30 comments:

  1. Portland is such a complete ****hole anymore.

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  2. Another black eye for Portland served up by and on Ted Wheelers watch.. (or should I say turning a blind eye to bad choices?)

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  3. The elk statue was my favorite place in Portland. I've lived here for 66 years and sadly this city is just a shadow of the wonderful place it used to be.

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    1. Your favorite was standing in the middle of the street looking at a fountain? It's a nice statue and fountain but come on now. Exaggerating a bit?

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    2. It was facing the wrong way anyway. I loved the statue too, but perhaps it would be better in a less problematic location. The powers that be can't even keep the parks that surround it in decent condition. Signed, a downtowner.

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  4. So what? Put it in the park then.

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  5. I always thought it was odd putting the statue and fountain in the middle of the street. It's surrounded by three parks, 7m sure something even better could be built. Just don't put it back in the middle of the street. That's would be stupid.

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    1. Its called History. That fountain was there before any of us. Who are you to destroy the history of what was a buetiful city.

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    2. Unfortunately, it's always faced the wrong way.

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    3. Mistakes are made in history - like putting a statue and fountain in the middle of a busy street instead of 40 feet away in a park where people can sit and enjoy it. We can choose to preserve those mistakes indefinitely, because History, or we can try to do better in the present.

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    4. There is sympathy for moving the fountain to another location, where people and children could enjoy it more closely. I have a hunch this is an option that will gain traction as momentum builds for restoration.

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  6. Blame the piece of s*&$ that set it on fire. I don't blame the city, fact is the same piece of sh$# would just burn it again

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  7. They should have never let the rioters destroy that landmark. This city just let them do whatever they wanted for over a year. Now it will never be the same and the pedestal/fountain it was on is lost forever. Not OK. Portland pull your head out of your a$$.

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  8. Just replace it with a pile of hypodermic needles, used condoms and trash-the new symbol of Portland.

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  9. I will never go downtown Portland ever again.

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  10. After what the city has gone through the past several years this is an unmitigated attack on the history and quality of life I loved for 30 years in Portland. This just another sad step in the wrong direction the city is taking.

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  11. Portland is the anal orifice of the State. It needs an enema.

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  12. What a disgrace. This arbitrary decision by Portland city bureaucrats is none other than tacit approval of the disrespectful criminal destruction by really awful people of this beautiful fountain gifted to the people of Portland, domestic animals, and wildlife. A public outcry is necessary! Let us see those cougar fountain heads again!

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  13. RACC has an obligation to protect public art and civic statues in the city. To say that they have neglected their responsibility is an understatement. RACC seems to be driven by an ideological mission of political correctness that is destroying the livability of the city.

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  14. The liberal fascists' will create a beautiful world, that much has been obvious.... When will people stand up and say "enough" ?

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  15. I was hoping that it could have been placed near the PDX art museum or the Historical Society Building. I understand that the statue was not in the best location for modern times but needs to be back into public view.

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  16. Is there a way for the statue to be restored and the surrounding area to be deemed a safe space for target practice? Anyone who wants to hit, shoot at, or attempt to destroy something can take out their aggressions on the statue and maybe leave everything else alone. The statue seems to be pretty resilient, and folks seem to be a bit worked up lately, might be a win-win.

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  17. I find that is is just another Portland decision that helps fish our history as well as our poorly managed present and saddly our future Portland down the potty bowel. I have so desperately wanted Portland to be an upand coming city to be proved of,instead a greater embarrassment to our state and to its residents...

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