About Our Next Keller
When Keller Fountain first opened in the 1960s, Ada Louise Huxtable wrote that it “may be one of the most important urban spaces since the Renaissance.”
As the final piece of the Portland Open Space Sequence — a series of interactive fountains, plazas, and connecting pathways — the Keller Fountain ushered in a new kind of inviting, interactive urban space that made the Portland downtown a place to enjoy and have fun.
Just as the Keller Fountain was an integral piece of Portland’s revitalization in the 1960s, the Keller Auditorium presents an opportunity to lean in to Portland’s history while investing in its future.
The Keller Auditorium has served the greater Portland region for more than 100 years and is the only theater in the Portland area capable of hosting Broadway performances, large operas, and ballet productions.
Our Next Keller is a commitment to transform Portland’s iconic Keller Auditorium into a 21st century destination.
As the visionary steward of the Fountain District, the Halprin Landscape Conservancy is leading the reimagined Keller Auditorium project as part of its mission to activate, improve and maintain the Portland Open Space Sequence.
The Keller is an essential catalyst for Portland’s comeback and arts and culture economy, but it needs a major renovation in order to effectively serve our community.
In 2024, the City Council voted unanimously to approve a Keller renovation (along with developing a new performing-arts facility at Portland State University) to ensure the auditorium can meet the requirements of a modern, world-class performing arts venue.
The proposed design turns the theater inside out — enabling the surrounding environment to, itself, be theatrical. Working together, the Keller Auditorium and Keller Fountain will be powerful public attractors.
Project Cost & Schedule
The estimated construction costs and soft costs to complete this project on an accelerated schedule, where the auditorium would be taken out of service for only 19 months, is approximately $267 million, presuming a 2027 construction start.
For comparison purposes, this is a little more than half the estimated cost of a new performing arts facility and accompanying parking facility serving the same program, not including the cost of acquiring land or any added program spaces that may be desired for such a facility.
This project is a commitment to transform the Keller Auditorium into a 21st-century destination and an investment in Portland’s future.