Portland's Elk Iconic Elk Statue Will Be Back, City Officials Announce

PORTLAND, OR —The Thompson Elk Statue spent about 120 years standing in the middle of Main Street between Lonsdale and Chapman Squares. In the summer of 2020, it was one of the casualties of the riots that engulfed downtown.

Badly damaged, it was removed.

Now it's coming back.

City commissioners announced Friday that a donor who has requested anonymity is donating the money needed to make it happen. While the city had already said that the plan was to bring it back sometime this year or next, plans had hit a snag when it became clear that the city's plan didn't guarantee that the fountain would return.

Commissioners Dan Ryan and Carmen Rubio made the announcement, saying that they had worked it out with the Parks Bureau to make it happen.

The Elk Statue, formerly known as the Thompson Elk Fountain, was built in 1900 and named for David Thompson who served as Portland's mayor from 1879 until 1882.

He helped start the Oregon Humane Society and wanted a project downtown that would honor the wildlife that used to call the area home.

The city said that they hope to have the statue back up by the fall.