Should Abraham Lincoln Stand Tall?

Preservation activists who struggled successfully for full restoration of the historic D.P. Thompson elk statue and fountain might find a new challenge in plans to restore the Abraham Lincoln statue in the South Park Blocks.

Portland’s Office of Arts and Culture has stated that the Lincoln statue will be returned to the South Park Blocks this summer or fall.  But the city has not specified a final plan.  One idea under consideration, apparently, is placing Lincoln on a smaller pedestal close to ground level, instead using the historic pedestal that is approximately three feet tall.

 Putting Lincoln at ground level presumably would make the statue easier for people with disabilities to enjoy and for everyone to see the work of art closer.  But there could be legitimate objections from those who believe the statue should be returned to the position where it stood for 93 years. One objection could be about an attempt to diminish Lincoln’s historic role.  It also would make the statue for accessible for intentional or accidental damage. A goal of historic preservation generally is to restore historic elements as close as possible to original condition. 

The Lincoln statue was toppled in 2020 as part of a “day of rage” involving indigenous history. While Lincoln is widely respected for helping to abolish slavery, he is criticized for allowing execution of 39 Sioux warriors after the Dakota war of 1862 in Minnesota.  Lincoln commuted death sentences for 264 Sioux involved in the same battle.

Darion Jones, assistant director of the Arts and Culture office did not respond to an email from this blog asking about the city’s plans. However, in a television interview he said there “is a proposal” that would place Lincoln close to ground level.

Aubrey Russell, a preservation advocate who has paid close attention to the city’s planning process, appears to have raised the first objections.  “The act of removing Lincoln from his pedestal has a universally understood meaning,” he says.  “It is a demeaning gesture which permanently
humiliates the person it commemorates.

“Removing Lincoln from his pedestal also diminishes a work of art, and a protected historic resource.  The city should respect its commitment to maintaining its historic resources, and art, intact,” Russell added.

As part of the statue’s restoration, scholars are working on an inscription that will provide context of Lincoln’s historical importance.  Chet Orloff, a retired executive director of the Oregon Historical Society, agrees with that strategy.  “I believe that the larger truth of Lincoln and his legacy must be told so that people can make their own judgment and not be ‘told’ where Lincoln stands relative to most of us.  I think he stands alone, and ought to be shown as such.  We debase and remove the statues of wrongful and supposed ‘heroes;’ but Lincoln was heroic in nearly all senses.  Portland, itself, would be debased in this regard.”

 The statue was placed in the South Park Blocks in 1927.  It was a gift from Dr. Henry Waldo Coe, and was sculpted by George Fite Waters. 

Once the city’s restoration plans are made public, challenges conceivably could be raised to the Portland City Council.

 ---Fred Leeson

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