Victory for the Thompson Elk Fountain

 

Wearing temporary antlers, Commissioner Dan Ryan saved the Thompson Elk Fountain

Preservation advocates savored a rare and joyous occasion this week, walking into a Portland City Council meeting KNOWING they had enough votes to preserve the historic David Thompson Elk Fountain.

 The council’s 5-0 vote to restore the landmark at its original location was a far cry from so many council hearings, where preservationists wait anxiously for their 120 seconds of impassioned testimony to fall on deaf ears because the decisions are already “cooked” in advance.

The May 11 council vote ranks as one of Portland's greatest preservation victories in recent years.

 The 120-year old elk statue and the fountain over which it presided were damaged by vandals in political protests in 2020.  Though the council had promised to return the elk, the city had initiated paperwork to remove the historic designation of the fountain, which had been removed by city staff from its site on SW Main Street. . 

 Mayor Ted Wheeler said restoring the fountain was “more than a statement about aesthetics.  People who break things don’t have the final word.  We do.”  The council hopes -- along with preservationists -- that the fountain's restoration will mark a comeback for Portland's civic spaces, economy and reputation as an attractive city. 

 The hero hat in this case goes to Commissioner Dan Ryan, who was the first (and only) commissioner to advocate for the fountain’s restoration before the May 11 vote.  After weeks of encouragement that included thousands of emails sent to the city and private negotiations with an ad hoc fountain restoration committee, Ryan convinced Commissioner Carmen Rubio to file the council’s resolution with him.

 Nobody was happier about the council decision than William J. Hawkins III, a Portland architect and historian who had spent a year and a half talking and pleading with city officials about saving the fountain.  Hawkins has created a foundation to accept tax-deductible donations to help pay for fountain repairs.

 Checks may be sent to: 

             RESTORE THE THOMPSON ELK FOUNTAIN

                          25 NW 23rd PL. STE. 6 #226

                               Portland, OR 97210

The fountain in earlier years 

Hawkins had made little progress saving the fountain on his own until he connected with the ad hoc committee that included Portland political veterans Mike Lindberg and Stephen Kafoury.  Those two diligent people took charge of communicating with City Council members and their staffs, and found excellent help through Ryan’s chief of staff, Kellie Torres.

 The non-profit Portland Parks Foundation will undertake a study of how to return the fountain and also meet pedestrian and transportation needs on Main Street.   Now that the fountain’s landmark status is no longer at risk, the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission also will have an important role in deciding how the various street needs are achieved.

 While celebrating their once-seemingly-impossible victory, Portland’s preservation community needs to study the tools that led to their success and try to determine how they can be used in future preservation battles. 

 The message to remember is that our city is not improved by destroying its best landmark buildings, municipal art and public parks.  If Portland wants to be a great city again, it needs to build on its history, not erase it.

 -----Fred Leeson

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