The Elk Fountain is located in Portland Oregon. The Elk, is a bronze sculpture by American artist Roland Hinton Perry. The fountain and bronze sculpture was donated by former Portland mayor David P. Thompson in 1900 to commemorate the elk that once lived in the area.
Originally a drinking fountain. The top section served humans, and the lower troughs were for horses, dogs, and goats. The unveiling of the sculpture was met with some controversy. “The Elks [Lodge] refused to come to the dedication because they thought the sculpture was a monstrosity of nature,” said Kendellen. The elk is disproportionate. The body, in relation to the head and gigantic antlers, is much smaller and skinnier than a real elk.
In 1974, Thompson’s Elk and the Plaza Blocks were designated as Historic Landmarks by the city’s Historic Landmarks Commission, under the name David P. Thompson Fountain.
Over the years, the statue has been vandalized many times. The elk was vandalized during the Occupy Portland protests (2011), and had the antlers repaired in early 2012. The statue was tagged with anti-Trump messages in 2016.
The monument became a gathering place for demonstrations by George Floyd protesters, who lit several fires in the troughs along the base in July 2020. The damaged bronze elk statue was removed for cleaning and safekeeping on July 2, 2020. The stone fountain was removed on July 17, 2020, after it was determined that there was severe damage to the stone and basin of the fountain. In 2024, the elk statue was repaired and construction on the fountain’s replacement is set to begin in this year.