PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The 120-year-old bronze elk statue, displaced from its perch since the 2020 protests, is full restored. But the City of Portland is now trying to decide what to do with it.
The city’s Historic Landmarks Commission considered future plans for the bronze elk, either to return it to its original spot with improvements or move it to the South Park blocks.
“One of the things we talked about with PBOT was to accommodate safety improvements considering the amount of bus and bicycle traffic,” said City Arts Manager Jeff Hawthorne.
Protesters set a fire that severely damaged the Elk Statue on Main Street in downtown Portland. Officials removed the statue for public safety reasons, July 2, 2020 (PPB) 
A fire burns in the place where the Elk statue once stood in Chapman Square. July 5, 2020 (KOIN) 
The Elk Statue in downtown Portland was removed after protesters set fire to the base, severely damaging it, July 2, 2020 (Edward Bailey) 
Crews took apart the fountain and base where the Elk statue once stood on SW Main Street between Lownsdale Square and Chapman Square. July 17, 2020 (KOIN) 
A metal elk statue once erected in downtown Portland disappeared a few weeks ago–only to re-emerge at a Trump ‘Defeat the Steal’ rally Saturday November 14, 2020 (KOIN). 
The iconic Thompson Elk statue in storage at an undisclosed Portland location, August 25, 2020 (KOIN)
The $8000 restoration was covered by the city’s insurance. Much of the historic granite fountain that served as the base of the statue was also saved.
The Thompson Elk statue — so named because former Portland Mayor David Thompson gifted it in 1900 — was a landmark and water source located between Chapman and Lownsdale squares, across from government buildings. That location made the Elk Statue a protest gathering point for decades.
It’s the second-oldest piece of public art in the city, after Skidmore Fountain in Old Town.