Located on a triangular traffic island in southwest Portland formed by Alder Street and Southwest 18th and 19th Avenues, the David Campbell Memorial is Portland's latest architecturally significant property to be recognized.
The David Campbell Memorial was dedicated in 1928 in honor of Portland Fire Chief David Campbell who perished fighting a fire. A beloved citizen and admired firefighter and public official, Campbell served as the city's fire chief between 1893 and his death in 1917 and was widely credited with modernizing and professionalizing the City's Fire Department. Funded by a local trust, the memorial was created by nationally-recognized French-born master architect Paul Cret who created in Campbell's honor a distinct Beaux-Arts style monument, a popular style from 1900 through the 1920s.
The design, suitably subdued yet grand, is constructed of limestone and consists of a fountain, pool, and a bronze sculpture on a triangular terrace lined with benches. The composition incorporates stylistic elements from Greek and Roman architecture, including pilasters, a pediment, scrolls, and an aegicranium (ram's head). Above the fountain is an architectural frame inset with a bronze bas-relief of Campbell sculpted by Avard Fairbanks, noted American sculptor of the first half of the twentieth century. Fairbanks taught sculpture at the University of Oregon in Eugene from 1920 to 1927 and was well-known for his realistic depictions of the human form and animals.
Oregon's State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation recommended the object’s nomination in June 2010. Over 500 historic Portland properties are now listed in the National Register, which is maintained by the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
More information about the National Register and recent Oregon listings is online at www.oregonheritage.org (click on "State Historic Preservation Office" at left of page and then National Register Program).
http://www.prd.state.or.us/news.php?id=1417
