Future Lloyd Updates
June 3, 2024
On Wednesday, May 29, Tom Kilbane, URG’s Managing Director in Portland, laid out for Portland City Council a vision for a state-of-the-art performing arts venue that could be anchored at the heart of the Lloyd Center redevelopment.
Kilbane was joined by designers and urban planners from ZGF to present the conceptual design at a City Council meeting focused on the future of Portland’s largest performing arts venue. The Lloyd Center was one of two locations selected by the city for consideration as alternatives rebuilding the existing Keller Auditorium.
Keller Auditorium Design Concept Rendering
“The Lloyd Center redevelopment represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a new neighborhood in the Central City from the ground up, with a diverse and uniquely Portland mix of housing, open space, retail, restaurants, entertainment venues and workspaces,” Kilbane told City Council. “What we are presenting today is a conceptual design that integrates a new performing arts venue into the Lloyd Center redevelopment plans, where it would act as a catalyst to jumpstart what could be a 5 million square foot redevelopment project in Portland’s Central City.”
He noted that if Lloyd Center is selected as the site for the new performing arts venue, it would be the only one of the Portland 5 – the city’s five major publicly owned performance venues – to be located on the east side of the Willamette River.
“When the Lloyd Center redevelopment is viewed in combination with the exciting visions being created for the Albina and OMSI districts, it is clear that the inner eastside will play a critical role in determining how our city looks – and where people live – for decades to come. Our vision for the Lloyd Center site has always included the potential for an entertainment hub. We believe it makes sense for the city to explore a site east of the Willamette River as it considers a future location for the performing arts venue,” Kilbane said.
Keller Auditorium Design Concept Rendering
The design concept prepared by ZGF would include a modern 3,000-seat performance venue to replace the existing 100-year-old Keller Auditorium. Because it would be new build rather than renovation of an existing building, the new performing arts venue could be built to the highest standards of sustainability, including the use of locally sourced mass timber. In addition to the large venue, the site would also create opportunity for development of additional indoor and outdoor performance venues of differing sizes and design, as well as gathering spots for visitors regardless of whether they have tickets to an event. The expected multi-use development on the Lloyd Center site would ensure the new performance venue would be at the center of a vibrant, 24/7 neighborhood.
In addition to the Lloyd Center conceptual design, City Council heard from Portland State University, which is also offering an alternative site, as well as promoters of rebuilding Keller Auditorium in its current downtown location. City Council plans to seek additional public input and do additional cost/feasibility analysis before deciding how to move forward with plans for a new performing arts venue.