Where Should We Move Portlandia?

The Statue of Liberty's younger, shorter sister celebrates 30 years of being somewhat visible on the Portland Building.

Portlandia, the trident-wielding, Hellenic statue celebrating the rich history and tradition Portland does not have, turned 30 this week. Mayor Charlie Hales, former mayor Bud Clark and others will attend as Portland celebrates its copper goddess, the nation's second-tallest statue of her kind after the Statue of Liberty. But she may not make it another thirty more on her perch on the Portland Building, and that would be a good thing.

The future of the Portland Building is very much in doubt. The late Michael Graves' art deco design—consistently listed as one of the nation's ugliest buildings—is in dire need of many improvements despite being a young 32 years old. The cost of renovating this building was estimated at $95 million last summer. Per the Oregonian earlier this summer, that estimate is now up to $192 million as city planners realized that not only does it need better lighting, better windows and a better water system, but it also won't survive an earthquake. Some say repair it, others say tear it down and replace it with a building that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional. (The Portland Building being on the National Register of Historic Places makes the latter option more complicated.) All of this raises an interesting question: What's to be done with the statue of Portlandia?

Portlandia is unfortunately tied to this building through the percent for public art program. Most previous articles and news coverage have focused on the issue of her copyright and the litigious Washington, D.C., based sculptor who owns it—including a fantastic cover story in Willamette Week's fall arts guide last year—but that's only part of the problem. Her location, to put it mildly, stinks.

Crouched upon her perch along 5th Avenue-facing side of the Portland building, she gazes out to across the street and into a tall, dull banking building. You can walk right under her in the spring and summer without even seeing her through the dense foliage. The best vantage point is by going to the second floor of that building across the street.

Where the White Stag sign has become Portland's equivalent of Pike Place for establishing shots, Portlandia is relatively unknown. It's hard to get an aerial view of statue stuck near the bottom of tall buildings, and we know street view isn't of much help either. (The networks would probably have a cease and desist letter coming their way even if they pulled it off.)

There was a strong effort in 1998 by then-mayor Vera Katz to move Portlandia moved to the waterfront. From Tom McCall Waterfront Park, she'd be far more visible to city-dwellers. The nearby water would provide better feng shui than being a rando with a trident in the middle of Portland's concrete jungle. The move would've made a lot of sense. This effort ultimately failed due to an inability to muster enough votes on the city council.

Portlandia was supposed to become an icon. The statue is based on the Lady of Commerce in the Portland city seal. Shouldn't she be in a place where Portlanders can see her?

Where do you think we should move Portlandia?

-The Waterfront

-Keep her on the Portland Building, which is cool and totally not ugly

-Pioneer Square

-The Rose Quarter

-Outside Providence Park

-On top of Burnside 26

-On an island in the Willamette like Statue of Liberty

-Somewhere else! Somewhere else!

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