A city of Portland-commissioned report on what type of venue would best support Broadway shows in Portland has recommended that the city back a plan by Portland State University to build a new performing arts center, rather than redevelop the Keller Auditorium.
The report, by Hunden Partners based in Chicago, gives the city an independent opinion on which option it should pursue: an entire redevelopment of the Keller, a concept backed by a handful of downtown property developers and longtime philanthropists, or an entirely new performing arts center built by Portland State University on its campus.
The City Council in 2024 recommended pursuing both ideas (funding has not been secured for either project, let alone both). But Hunden says Portland’s entertainment ecosystem “lacks market demand for two venues capable of large-scale, ‘Broadway-style’ productions; comparing Portland to other comparable cities does not justify two venues.”…