Building Oregon
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Work provided by University of Oregon

Paul Bunyan Statue (Portland, Oregon)

Creator Display
  • Victor R. Nelson (designer)
  • Kenton Machine Works (builder/contractor)
Creator
Photographer
Date
  • 1959
Description
View
  • view: North side of the statue, looking south
View Date
  • 2008-08
Temporal
  • 1950-1959
MODS Note
  • The Paul Bunyan statue was erected in 1959 by the Kenton neighborhood, Portland, as part of the festivities celebrating the Oregon Centennial Exposition and International Trade Fair, sited nearby, and taking place June 10 through September 17, 1959. From the National Register nomination, section 8, page 15: 'Oregon's roadside architecture is varied, but roadside representations of Paul Bunyan and loggers are popular topics. No other industry or living or mythical character is portrayed more often statewide. In Medford, Oregon, two 37-foot tin loggers greeted travelers until 1994 when they were moved to the Jackson County Fairgrounds. Another logger stands in front of BJ's Tools on the outskirts of Grants Pass. " The statue is a "muffler manni8 A diminutive statue of Ralph Bunyan, "Paul's little brother," stands in the town of Butte Falls. A more recent Buynan incarnation is outside Grants Pass at the Cedarwood Saloon where the owner transformed a muffler man originally designed as a miner into the legendary logger in 1991 ." Bunyan's likeness is also portrayed on the walls of the Tap Room at Timberline Lodge, a National Register-listed resource. Compared to other similar resources in the state, Kenton's Paul Bunyan Statue is the only purpose-built Bunyan statue created as an original work during the historic period that retains a high level of integrity. The statue also is differentiated from other roadside creations by its quality steel and concrete construction and the attention paid to its sculpting. The cement plaster is applied in a way that creates depth, including laces, eyes, and panels on the boots; pocket and belt loops on his jeans; a realistic shape to his rolled-up shirt sleeves; and an appealing and friendly expression. The statue's exaggerated facial features and barrel chest are intentional, and lend the statue a whimsical appeal. Eye-catching and drawing on Oregon and Kenton's identity to both celebrate and sell, Kenton's Paul Bunyan is an outstanding example of a roadside attraction. '
  • This image was included in the documentation to support a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, a program of the National Park Service. The image is provided here by the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office and the University of Oregon Libraries to facilitate scholarship, research, and teaching. For other uses, such as publication, contact the State Historic Preservation Office. Please credit the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office when using this image.
Subject
Work Type
Location
Street Address
  • corner of North Denver Avenue and North Interstate Avenue
Material
  • steel; concrete; plaster
Rights Holder
  • Oregon State Historic Preservation Office
Identifier
  • OR_MultnomahCounty_PaulBunyanStatue_002.jpg
Source
Provenance
  • University of Oregon Libraries
Citation
  • National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
Is Part Of
  • Oregon Centennial Exposition and International Trade Fair (Portland, Oregon)
Institution
Conversion
  • This image is derived from a digital file (TIFF or JPG) received from the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office.
Submission Date
  • 05/04/2015
Modified
  • 08/12/2022
Collections

APA

Building Oregon, University of Oregon. (24 Apr 2024). Paul Bunyan Statue (Portland, Oregon) Retrieved from https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/df67rf435

MLA

Building Oregon, University of Oregon. "Paul Bunyan Statue (Portland, Oregon)" Oregon Digital. 24 Apr 2024. https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/df67rf435

Chicago

Building Oregon, University of Oregon. "Paul Bunyan Statue (Portland, Oregon)" Oregon Digital. Accessed 2024-04-24. https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/df67rf435

Wiki

{{cite web | url= https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/df67rf435 | title= Paul Bunyan Statue (Portland, Oregon) |author= |accessdate= 2024-04-24 |publisher= }}
Data Sources
Footer Number Term External URI
1 Kenton Machine Works http://opaquenamespace.org/ns/creator/KentonMachineWorks
2 Nelson, Victor R. http://opaquenamespace.org/ns/creator/NelsonVictorR
3 Johnson, Ian P. http://opaquenamespace.org/ns/creator/JohnsonIanP
4 Architecture--United States http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85006693
5 Architecture, American http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85006700
6 public sculpture http://vocab.getty.edu/aat/300047112
7 views (visual works) http://vocab.getty.edu/aat/300015424
8 sculpture (visual works) http://vocab.getty.edu/aat/300047090
9 outdoor sculpture http://vocab.getty.edu/aat/300047180
10 folk art (traditional art) http://vocab.getty.edu/aat/300056487
11 monuments http://vocab.getty.edu/aat/300006958
12 exterior views http://vocab.getty.edu/aat/300124515
13 architecture (object genre) http://vocab.getty.edu/aat/300263552
14 built works http://vocab.getty.edu/aat/300265418
15 Multnomah County >> Oregon >> United States https://sws.geonames.org/5742126/
16 Oregon >> United States https://sws.geonames.org/5744337/
17 United States https://sws.geonames.org/6252001/
18 Portland >> Clackamas/Multnomah/Washington Counties >> Oregon >> United States https://sws.geonames.org/5746545/
19 University of Oregon http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80126183

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