By State Representative Rob Nosse
When the recommendations from Governor Tina Kotek’s Central City Task Force came out last year before the legislative session started, I was disappointed to see that the arts weren’t elevated as much as I hoped they would be as a part of the value proposition of what would draw people to the downtown Portland core. I mean, I get it. I probably would have prioritized public safety too. Thankfully, during the recent legislative session, the legislature and the private philanthropy community were able to step up and help, and the Governor agreed and signed that bill. A lot of new money and resources are coming to the arts sector in our state and in Portland as a result.
In addition to the public safety challenges that downtown has been having, I think we need to factor in the impact that remote work has had on the foot traffic in downtown. Fewer people are coming to the office every day, which means fun things to do will have to replace work as the primary driver of downtown activity. Concerts, plays and other arts events will create the vibrant downtown that will continue to make Portland the cultural destination it needs to be in order to thrive. These types of events will not just bring in Oregonians from across the state, but tourists from all over the country and even other parts of the world.
That is why I am glad to say another exciting development is in the works that will help downtown Portland. At the beginning of April, I had the chance to get a briefing on plans for a downtown arts and culture destination that would ultimately replace our aging Keller Auditorium. This idea is pretty awesome. Portland State University (PSU) wants to capitalize on its role as a jewel of downtown Portland and is pitching the idea that we build a state of the art, 3,000-seat auditorium on the current site of the University Place Hotel on SW Lincoln St., just a few blocks from the Keller. The facility PSU is proposing will also include a second, smaller venue, a hotel and conference center with on-site restaurant and bar facilities, educational and community spaces and an outdoor plaza. In short, this would be a complex connected to Oregon’s most diverse university—and its College of the Arts—alive with energy 365-days a year.
During the presentation, I kept thinking that this seems like a no brainer. Yes, it might cost us a little more in the “short run” to build a new “thing,” but in the long run we get a better facility, and we don’t have to stop what we are doing at the Keller to update that facility while we are building a new one.
The benefit of building something new from the ground up doesn’t just mean it will make use of the latest acoustic technologies and climate friendly materials, but it also means that the Keller Auditorium can stay open during the construction period.
Rebuilding the existing Keller Auditorium means closing that space for an extended period, which means Portland will miss out on several seasons of shows. Imagine missing even just one season of Broadway Across America, let alone two. With arts venues in such a perilous state across Oregon, the arts community cannot endure losing out on so many big shows. Closing the Keller for construction would in effect be a return to the dark days of the pandemic, as thousands of people who might have seen a show at the Keller would no longer be visiting and spending money in our community. Again, refurbishing the Keller means NO shows for an extended period of time—several years!
The other thing I really like about the PSU proposal for a performing arts and culture complex is that it’s a “both and” idea. Not only does it provide a new site for our city’s world class performing arts future, but it also opens up a world of possibilities for the existing auditorium site across from the iconic Keller Fountain.
Here is the thing: Successful cities of the future are not going to look the same as they did even just a few years ago. Central Business Districts can’t be all about business anymore. Downtown Portland’s thriving future depends on drawing people with a dynamic mix of work, retail, play and learning options. PSU is eager to play a leading role in this future, and this visionary proposal for the city’s performing arts future signals to me that they are serious about making a difference.
City Council will be hearing about all the options relating to the future of Keller Auditorium on May 29 and will be voting on the city’s pick sometime this summer. I urge you to learn more about the options which have been covered by a variety of news sources. Once you do, I think you’ll agree that PSU’s vision is the best for Portland and for our future as a lively arts city. I hope our city council will vote for the PSU option. As always, there is more to come. Stay tuned. Hopefully we can also figure out how to retrofit and convert some of the office buildings that are being underutilized into housing. But that is a different topic and column entirely.
Excellent Plan. Unless miions are provided Keller should have new more modest mission while PSU new facility being built
And if that new- ish Keller serious ly tries out some new and vivid uses to our city we will gain two fine venues