Should Portland build a new Broadway-capable venue at PSU and then reinvent the Keller, and how would it pay for both?
The background explanation below was reviewed 2026-08-24. These linked records update separately as official agendas change.
Adopted as amended
No further meeting is listed for this record. This is not proof that implementation is complete.
The Keller is seismically vulnerable and no longer meets modern performance expectations. After years of studies, the current recommendation favors a new large venue at Portland State University followed by a smaller future for the Keller site.
The Keller is the region's only current Broadway-capable theater and draws about 400,000 visits annually. Major renovation would require closure without an equivalent temporary venue.
The City once pursued a two-large-venue strategy. A 2026 market study found insufficient support for two Broadway-scale theaters and projected stronger activity at a new PSU venue.
The pending resolution advances a roughly 3,000-seat PSU venue and initiates planning for a 1,200 to 1,800-seat future Keller. It is a direction-setting decision, not a final construction contract or complete financing plan.
The committee recommended the phased PSU-plus-Keller direction after multiple amendments.
Full Council action, complete capital and operating budgets, final ownership and governance, design, construction contracts, and the Keller's future program are not settled.
These are neutral descriptions of arguments visible in the sourced record. They are not endorsements, ideology labels, or an attempt to force every dispute into two equal sides.
The market study does not support two Broadway-scale venues. The current plan instead proposes one large PSU venue and a smaller complementary Keller after the new hall opens.
Supporters cite seismic safety, downtown activity, state money, and cultural access. Skeptics want firm financing, operating, and public-risk terms before committing to a large new complex.
The Keller is a civic and cultural landmark as well as a valuable downtown site. The resolution starts a new planning process rather than selecting its final use.
Background timeline reviewed 2026-08-24. Later scheduled entries reflect plans known at that review, not confirmation that an event occurred. See the latest linked record above.
A presentation and public hearing begin the new Council's review of venue options.
Council reviews demand and financial analysis for the viable scenarios.
Technical advisors support a new PSU venue followed by a reimagined Keller.
The committee adopts amendments and votes 4 to 1 to recommend Full Council adoption.
Each guide preserves the exact proposal, amendments, votes, attachments, and official source. A committee recommendation is never labeled as final Council action.
The proposal would accept the Future of Large-Scale Performing Arts recommendations to advance a new Broadway-capable venue as part of the proposed Performing Arts + Culture Center at Portland State University, and initiate…
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