Keller Auditorium, formerly known as the Portland Municipal Auditorium, the Portland Public Auditorium, and the Portland Civic Auditorium, is a performing arts center located on Clay Street in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...

Portland,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. It is part of the Portland's Centers for the Arts. Opened in 1917, the venue first changed names in 1966, being renamed again in 2000 in honor of a $1.5 million renovation donation by Richard B. Keller. An extensive remodeling and modernization in 1967–68 effectively changed its original exterior appearance beyond recognition. Originally holding 4,500 people, the venue now has a capacity of 3,034. The Keller Auditorium is the home of many performances of the

Portland Opera Portland Opera is an American opera company based at The Hampton Opera Center in Portland, Oregon. Its performances take place in the Keller Auditorium and Newmark Theatre, both part of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts. Portland Opera ...

and the

Oregon Ballet Theatre Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT) is a ballet company in Portland, Oregon, United States. The company performs an annual five-program season at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts and conducts regional and national tours. It was featured in t ...

. It was the longtime home of the

Portland Symphony Orchestra The Portland Symphony Orchestra was established in 1923 in Portland, Maine as the Amateur Strand Symphony Orchestra. Started by a small group of musicians who had sent out invitations to join their organization to people in the area, they had their ...

(now the Oregon Symphony), from 1917 to 1984. It also housed the

Oregon Historical Society The Oregon Historical Society (OHS) is an organization that encourages and promotes the study and understanding of the history of the Oregon Country, within the broader context of U.S. history. Incorporated in 1898, the Society collects, preserv ...

and its museum from 1917 to 1965.

Original building

The auditorium building occupies an entire city block in

downtown Portland Downtown Portland is the city center of Portland, Oregon, United States. It is on the west bank of the Willamette River in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and where most of the city's high-rise buildings are found ...

, bounded by Third and Second Avenues and Clay and Market Streets. The site had previously been occupied by the Portland Mechanics' Pavilion, built in 1879. The new hall was constructed in 1916–17 from designs by New York architects Joseph H. Freelander and A.D. Seymour, with local associate architects Whitehouse & Fouilhoux. Originally known as the Public Auditorium, or alternatively Municipal Auditorium, the facility's formal opening and dedication took place on July 4, 1917, and the first full concert took place the following day, with what was dubbed the first annual Portland "Music Festival", featuring the

(now the Oregon Symphony). Another longtime tenant of the auditorium building was the

, whose headquarters and

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...

were located in the building for almost five decades. The society moved from the Tourny Building in 1917, occupying space on the second and third floors.

Renovation

In the early 1960s, the historical society approved plans to build a new facility for its exhibits, archives, research facilities and offices. In November 1964, the city's voters approved a ballot measure that sought funding for a $3.9 million rebuilding of the auditorium. The building had been renamed Civic Auditorium by this time. The museum in the auditorium closed permanently in June 1965, with the exhibits thereafter being moved to temporary storage until completion of the new museum, which opened in fall 1966. In 1967–68 the building underwent an extensive remodeling, which included complete refacing with a new modern-style exterior, at a cost of $4 million. Architect for the renovation was Keith Maguire of Portland architectural firm Stanton, Boles, Maguire and Church. It was ceremonially reopened on May 3, 1968. Only 17 percent of the original structure was salvaged as part of the remodeling, comprising mainly the north and south walls. In June 1970,

Ada Louise Huxtable Ada Louise Huxtable (née Landman; March 14, 1921 – January 7, 2013) was an architecture critic and writer on architecture. Huxtable established architecture and urban design journalism in North America and raised the public's awareness of th ...

called the redesigned auditorium "a building of unrelieved blandness". A 2020 seismic study has indicated that the facility is not built to withstand a major earthquake; in 2022 the city of Portland dedicated $200,000 to study options for upgrading or replacing the facility.

Notable events

President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered a campaign speech on October 18, 1956 at the

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, communit ...

. Then-Senator John F. Kennedy spoke at the auditorium on September 7, 1960.

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...

performed as an opening act on December 29, 1968 during their first North American concert tour.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1917 establishments in Oregon Buildings and structures in Portland, Oregon Music venues in Portland, Oregon Sports venues in Portland, Oregon Southwest Portland, Oregon

Original building

Renovation

Notable events

See also

References

External links