98-year-old Portland fountain donated by Jewish immigrant vandalized

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, 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.”

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.

“Shemanski was a Polish immigrant who went from being a traveling clock salesman to successful businessman,” the parks department website reads.

According to the city’s records, the sandstone fountain was designed by architect Carl L. Linde. The fountain’s statue, titled “Rebecca at the Well,” was sculpted by University of Oregon professor Oliver Laurence Barrett, and depicts a story from the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament. 

The fountain, which is located at the north end of the South Park Blocks, is located between Main and Salmon Streets. The city boarded up the fountain chamber that houses the statue following the vandalism.

It’s unclear if the vandalism has any relation to Portland’s ongoing protests held in response to the war in Gaza. The Portland State University campus remains closed as protesters continue to occupy PSU’s Millar Library, located near the opposite end of the South Park blocks.