PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — A public fountain in Portland’s South Park Blocks that depicts a scene from the Torah and the Old Testament and was donated to the City of Portland by Jewish Immigrant Joseph Shemanski in 1926, was vandalized in early March, city officials say.
Portland Parks & Recreation spokesperson Mark Ross told KOIN 6 News that Shemanski Fountain’s stone base was chipped away and two of the fountain’s three bronze bowls were stolen. The City of Portland filed a vandalism report on March 4 after city employees noticed the damages.
“PP&R maintains the fountain and Portland Water Bureau owns it,” Ross said. “Both bureaus are working together to determine scope, potential costs and timeline of repairs to restore the fountain.”
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File: Shemanski Fountain seen in the winter of 2019. (Photos by KOIN 6) -
Damages to Portland’s Shemanski Fountain photographed on March 28, 2024. (KOIN) -
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Shemanski donated the “Italianesque” trefoil fountain to the City of Portland as a thank you to the city for its kindness, according to the PP&R website . Shemanski found success in Portland after founding Eastern Outfitting Co. The Jewish Museum of the American West states that Shemanski went on to build the eight-story Eastern Outfitting building , which once stood at the southwest corner of 10th and Washington.