For months, Broadway’s future in Portland has been uncertain. Should the current venue — Keller Auditorium — be renovated or replaced?

The Portland City Council has made its decision: both.

Setting the stage

At 107 years old, the city-owned Keller Auditorium is not prepared to endure a serious earthquake and needs upgrades to meet modern seismic safety standards, but closing the venue presents obvious logistical challenges. As the only performing arts center in Portland equipped to host traveling Broadway shows, an extended closure would mean a pause in programming — disrupting union jobs and costing millions of dollars in lost revenue.

Portland State University proposed an alternative to prevent that outcome: build a new, larger performing arts complex on its campus just blocks away from the Keller. Meanwhile, the Halprin Landscape Conservancy, a nonprofit collection of local developers, championed a proposal to renovate the existing Keller Auditorium.

In August, the City Council asked PSU and the Halprin Landscape Conservancy to explore the idea of a joint project and essentially figure out a solution that makes everyone happy.

A rendering shows what the future venue at Portland State University could look like. | Rendering courtesy of Portland State University

The show must go on

A resolution to move forward with plans for two Broadway-capable venues in downtown Portland was unanimously passed by the City Council last week. A new arts center will be built first at the south end of PSU’s campus on Southwest Lincoln Street — a project estimated to take about five years — while shows continue at the Keller. When the new PSU venue opens in 2029, the Keller will close for renovations and reopen in 2031. It will remain city-owned.

Early estimates put the total cost of the joint venture, which includes the possible addition of a hotel and conference center, at ~$857 million. Potential funding sources include philanthropic giving along with local, state, and federal dollars.

The next step is a market feasibility study to assess optimal seating capacities, financial feasibility + construction times, and traffic impacts.