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Makeover For Portland Paul

September 10, 2009

A towering statue in Portland, Oregon, of Paul Bunyan — terror of the Beaver State’s many trees — has just received a $12,000 paint job, according to The Oregonian. Portland Paul joins a similarly-scaled tree-chomper in Bangor, Maine, as the second giant Bunyan to be restored this year. Both Bunyans were built in 1959, in an uncoordinated bicoastal burst of civic pride (Bangor was celebrating its 125th birthday, Portland its 100th).

The makeover was the second for Oregon’s Tall Paul. The Oregonian article suggests that his 1986 restoration was slapdash, although photos of both earlier versions seen here reveal that a lot was changed at that time.

The chairwoman of the neighborhood association that oversaw the work told The Oregonian, “I got to go up on the [painting] lift, and it appeared that one of his left front teeth had been shot out.” We saw no evidence of vandalism on a recent pilgrimage to Paul, but we did notice that his neighbors include George’s Dancing Bare Exotic Lounge across the street. Respect your Ax-Man, Oregon!

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