An iconic statue in Pioneer Courthouse Square, known locally as "Umbrella Man," is without the signature umbrella, Dec. 1, 2020 in Portland, Ore. The statue was vandalized and the umbrella has been removed for repairs.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
The umbrella man statue in Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square should have its umbrella back by January if all goes to plan.
Keith Lachowicz, public arts collection manager with the Regional Arts and Culture Council said he got a call about damage to the iconic statue in October.
“The umbrella was bent away from the figure, beyond a 90-degree bend, right after the hand,” he said. “Somebody had probably grabbed it from the top and put all their weight into trying to bend that umbrella shaft.”
That would have been quite the feat since the shaft was made of half-inch stainless steel. The shaft is now being beefed up by a local fabricator and should be ready for reinstallation in January.
Lachowicz said the statue has been damaged before, by gum and graffiti, but has stood the test of time well. The statue of a suit-wearing man holding an umbrella and hailing a cab is actually called “Allow Me,” and was placed in the square in 1984.
The statue is actually one of a set of seven. The others are in private collections and in Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and the town of Bath, New York.