Perry, Roland Hinton. Historic Sculpture: Elk. Bronze. 1900. 9 x 9 x 6 feet.
The 3,000-pound Elk was a gift to the City of Portland by former mayor, David P. Thompson. As founder and director of the Oregon Humane Society, Thompson’s vision for the sculpture was to provide an accessible watering place for “bird, beast, and human.” He commissioned artist Roland Perry to create the sculpture and placed it in a site that was a former feeding ground for elk that wandered down from the west hills of the city. The work is the second oldest sculpture located in the Portland metropolitan area. It was created in the horse and buggy era of Portland and would have originally been used as a place to rest and water horses. Over time Portlanders have become quite proud of this landmark sculpture.
Courtesy of Regional Arts & Culture Council.
Artist Credit: Roland Hinton Perry