By Kaya Goddard, Franklin High School’s The Franklin Post
A new mural celebrates the Aladdin Theater’s 100-year anniversary, which will take place in December 2027. The mural features a colorful array of instruments and references to the theater, stretching across its exterior wall to the left of the main entrance. This mural was created through a partnership of the Aladdin Theater, True West, the Portland Street Art Alliance (PSAA), Classic Pianos—a piano store that shares the same building—and the City of Portland. Just one year shy of the anniversary, the art piece marks an important milestone for the theater’s legacy, and for Portland’s music scene as a whole.
The Aladdin Theater resides within SE Portland’s Brooklyn neighborhood at 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., where it has been a popular music and performance venue since opening in 1927. From 1927 to 1934, the theater followed the trends of the ‘20s, with a variety of vaudeville performances and comedy acts.
The theater was originally called Geller’s Theater, then renamed in 1934 to Aladdin Theater. After it was renamed and with the birth of film, the theater’s focus shifted to family-friendly cinema, then again to adult movies in the ‘70s and into the ‘80s. Ultimately, after being purchased by Paul Shuback and Maurice Unis in 1991, the theater once again became a space for live music and stand-up comedy. The Unis family remains the landlord of the building today, with True West—a leading independent concert production company in Portland—running the theater. With promotion from True West, artists like The Black Keys and Mumford & Sons took to the stage throughout the 2000s and boosted the theater’s popularity.
“We host all genres,” says Travis Labbe, the president of True West. “On any given night you can see a bluegrass band, indie band, punk band…or see a film or podcast, [as well as] a ton of comedy [acts] at the Aladdin.” With its wide variety of live entertainment, the Aladdin Theater is a popular venue among the SE Portland community, and patrons often find lines out the door for highly-anticipated acts. In addition to music, the Aladdin Theater “hosts community events like the Brooklyn neighborhood movie nights and the Oregon Music Hall of Fame ceremony,” which raises money for music education in Portland’s schools, according to Labbe.
The idea for the mural arose in late 2025. PSAA, a Portland nonprofit that supports education, outreach and the production of street art throughout the city, connected True West to Blaine Fontana, a Portland-based graphic designer who runs the company Fontana Studios, to create the mural. This January will be his 24th year in the business. “We chose Blaine based on his style and portfolio,” explains Labbe. “We loved his work.”
As a team, True West, PSAA and Fontana then worked together to create a design plan that would represent the key features of the iconic theater. “[The owners] wanted to honor the building’s long history as a Portland movie theater, give a nod to longtime tenants like Classic Pianos and keep it bold, colorful and uplifting,” says Tiffany Conklin, the co-founder and executive director of PSAA. The planning process went through two design drafts before signing off on an official one. Then, “PSAA secured the city mural permit and helped with scheduling and logistics,” Conklin shares. This allowed Fontana to begin the painting process.
The painting process took around five weeks to complete—longer than Fontana had initially hoped—due to a heatwave and wildfire smoke. “We safely could only work between 1 and 5 pm,” says Fontana. He states that this mural is the most complicated piece he has created in Portland, which also contributed to the extended time. To bring the design to life, Fontana drew inspiration from his personal love for music and festivals. “They are an integral part of my being and truly define my personality,” he explains.
Public art is an important aspect of Portland’s community. According to the City of Portland website, “Portland City Code specifies that up to two percent of the City’s qualifying infrastructure projects be dedicated to public art.” With the addition of this celebratory mural, Milwaukie Ave. now provides an eye-catching art piece, brightening the busy street and sparking community connections. “Murals like this give people a landmark and help each part of Portland feel like its own place,” says Conklin. The Aladdin Theater will continue to support the city’s music scene with the help of its patrons leading up to its long-awaited 100-year anniversary.
The Aladdin Theater’s new mural on Milwaukie Ave. Photo by Portland Street Art Alliance.
