After five years away, the Thompson Elk statue has returned to downtown Portland.
Ali Nabavizadeh was walking his dog Thursday when he noticed a crowd watching a crane reinstall the elk along Southwest Main Street.
The Thompson Elk hangs midair as its crane-lifted onto its perch while dozens of construction workers, city employees and press stand by in Portland, Ore., on April 9, 2026.
Eli Imadali / OPB
“I think it’s just great,” he said. “I think it’s a wonderful re-addition to the park.”
Nabavizadeh has only lived in downtown for a couple of years, so he wasn’t in Portland when the statue was taken down by the city during the 2020 racial justice protests.
But he’s happy it’s returning.
“I think it’s a sign that the city perseveres. It moves on and it goes on to bigger and better things,” Nabavizadeh said.
Maureen Fallt had just finished volunteering downtown when she saw the statue being reinstalled.
“So much has happened in these parks and on these streets,” she said. “I just hope this is healing.”
The Thompson Elk is the first statue to be replaced since the 2020 protests. As an animal, rather than a person, the monument doesn’t carry the political baggage that inevitably comes with statues of people pulled down by protestors.
Asked whether any other statues should be reinstalled, Fallt was cautious: “This seems enough for now. And regarding future statues and monuments, I think [a decision] should come from the people, the citizens.”
A rededication ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday at Chapman and Lownsdale Squares.
Replacing the elk cost about $2.2 million, largely because the granite fountain underneath was badly damaged. It will now remain filled with water to help minimize any future damage.
“I hope this is galvanizing for Portlanders and that they can rally around this beautiful, iconic statue,” Fallt said. “And maybe rekindle some pride.”
