FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Why does the Keller Auditorium need to be renovated or replaced?
The Keller Auditorium is seismically compromised and needs to be renovated or replaced for safety reasons. More details can be found in the Seismic Analysis Report released by the city of Portland in March 2020.
Why not just Renovate in Place?
A Renovate in Place will interrupt performance opportunities and necessary revenue streams of the performing arts groups dependent on a facility the size of the Keller Auditorium. If we ask Oregon’s performing arts organizations to wait out a two- to three-year renovation before they can stage their next performance, how many will be left when the doors open again? PSU presents the only proposal that both prevents disruption to the arts community and keeps the venue downtown in the auditorium district.
Where will performances occur if the decision is to renovate?
Many performances, including Broadway shows, will likely be paused during the time of a Renovate in Place as there are no theaters large enough to accommodate the types of performances that occur at the Keller.
Why did PSU submit a proposal?
Last year, PSU was expressly invited by the city of Portland to submit a proposal in response to their Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) to explore the potential of constructing a new performing arts facility at an alternative site in Portland.
We believe that our proposal provides a wealth of advantages for all of Oregon. Additionally, we are pursuing the opportunity because it will be a giant step forward for the arts community and downtown Portland, reviving the city’s reputation as an arts and culture destination for the next 100 years.
What are the benefits of building a new performance center on the PSU campus?
With its increasingly diverse student body, engaged faculty and deep connections to arts communities and creative industries, PSU can attract new partners and audiences to performances and create linkages to other cultural offerings on campus, across the auditorium district and the greater Metro area.
This project offers new and enhanced opportunities for educational programming at PSU in the performing arts and possibly hospitality industries. Our arts programs will naturally benefit as well from the use of the spaces and proximity to performing arts activity.
Our region benefits from a thriving urban access university in the heart of downtown Portland to educate our region’s diverse workforce as well as to anchor the central city and bolster revitalization.
This year PSU has launched an exciting initiative to better connect its urban campus with Portland’s downtown core and to transform its public spaces into vibrant, people-centered places. This placemaking initiative includes a national design competition. The opportunity to move Portland’s premier arts venue to campus could be an exciting evolution of this commitment.
How will this benefit the city of Portland?
PSU’s proposal will excite people about Portland’s future. The future of cities will no longer be an imbalanced bias towards office spaces but a balanced approach to multipurpose places where people can live, work, play and learn. PSU’s proposal combines a 3,000-seat auditorium, outdoor plaza, boutique hotel & conference center, restaurants, bars and educational facilities. The space development will be active 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. This is a vision for big impact, attracting big investment.
PSU is offering 4.25 acres of downtown arts and culture opportunity. A premier Portland arts venue should be large enough to accommodate big touring shows and include a stage that can be tuned for smaller-scale performances. PSU’s site provides the space and flexibility to do it all – with an ideal location in the downtown theater district.
Will the cost to the city be the same regardless of if the choice is to renovate in place or build new?
In total project cost, PSU’s proposal cannot be directly compared to the Renovate in Place proposal. The university has proposed a project that goes far beyond a stand-alone performing arts building. Leveraging public, private and philanthropic dollars, the concept PSU proposes delivers a destination performing arts complex including multiple interrelated elements. An outdoor plaza will front a newly constructed 3,000 seat auditorium with generous cast and crew support spaces with superior load in/out capabilities. The auditorium’s expanded lobby and pre-function space will allow for large community and cultural gatherings, events, merchandising and gallery expositions. An adjoining privately funded boutique hotel and conference center will offer multiple restaurant and bar venues. New educational spaces, funded from university sources, will allow for academic opportunities and integration within the complex. Incorporating all elements proposed by PSU, it is estimated the total project cost will exceed $600 million in 2028 dollars. Our proposal only expects the city to fund the auditorium element of the project.
Renovation is expensive and full of surprises. If we were to compare the portion of PSU’s plan for a newly built auditorium venue against the RIP auditorium proposal, we fully expect our proposal to cost less on a square-foot basis. Even so, PSU’s $277-$385 million proposal for the auditorium could result in a larger ask in funding from the City of Portland for a new auditorium.
With the Renovate in Place proposal coming in at under $300 million on the existing footprint, PSU’s high-end estimate of $385 million recommends increasing the footprint of the new auditorium by at least 40%. This increase in venue size is necessary to address inefficiencies and flexibility concerns in the current venue that cannot be replicated on the existing site. While PSU is recommending a higher-impact project, we could of course reduce the scope of the auditorium portion of the project if cost reductions are required by the city.
Where will the new building be located?
Located in the downtown’s south auditorium blocks of the central business district, and only 6 blocks away from the current theater, the new building will be on PSU’s campus at the 4.25 acre parcel located at 310 Southwest Lincoln Street. The PSU community knows this site as the current location of the University Place Hotel & Conference Center.
What are the benefits of adding a hotel, conference center, restaurant and bars?
The relationship between educational space, a premier arts venue and a boutique hotel & conference center, creates a unique downtown destination and an environment of year-round activation. It will also attract investment contributing to the revitalization of downtown at a time when it is needed the most. Initial planning demonstrates the feasibility of a 150-room hotel, up to 20,000 square feet of banquet and conference space, a commercial kitchen and two or more restaurants and bars.
Will it be hard to travel to the new performing arts center?
The proposed site is highly accessible. The new performing arts center is served directly by MAX, multiple bus lines and I-405. There is ample existing parking within two blocks and plans call for a new 550 car below-grade parking garage on site. There are a significant number of additional parking locations within easy walking distance as well as streetcar and other public transportation stops.
How far is PSU in the design of the project?
PSU has not begun the architectural design process to build the facility. As an important part of our response to the City’s Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI), the PSU administration, in partnership with local architects, conducted a massing study to determine what can fit on the PSU site and completed a conceptual design demonstrating what the venue “could” look like. Actual design work will begin after the city decides on the placement of the venue. When PSU is selected, campus and broader Portland communities will be heavily involved.
What is PSU doing to engage the interested parties?
PSU’s community engagement process is centered on equity and access. PSU’s commitment to city engagement and inclusive design means input from all corners of our region’s cultural communities will inform the final design, ultimately attracting more diverse organizations and audiences. The ultimate goal is that local groups of all sizes will be able to utilize the space to offer arts and cultural opportunities to more diverse organizations and audiences.
Are there opportunities for public involvement or engagement?
PSU is currently engaged in outreach with community and organizational users of the performing arts venues throughout the City of Portland. There will be additional mechanisms available shortly for the broader community to contact us and give your thoughts about the PSU proposal.
We are also engaging in a formal presentation process with the city that is currently scheduled for May 29th, 2024. There will be opportunities afterward for public engagement and comment. We will keep this site updated as we progress.
The City Arts Program publishes regular e-newsletters. To keep up to date on arts and culture in the City of Portland, sign up to receive news from the City Arts Program here. Past newsletters can be read here.