Schnitzer/Portland Center for the Performing Arts Addition | On Hold

[MarkDaMan]

Found this on Bike Portland today...


Google Streetview of how it looks now.


Concept drawing of proposed new Portland Center for Performing Arts building on SW Main Street at Broadway.


View of SW Main St. from the South Park Blocks.

Center for Performing Arts proposal includes new building on SW Main

The Portland Center for the Performing Arts (PCPA) wants to renovate and possibly expand their facilities on SW Broadway Blvd in downtown Portland. In addition to improvements to the historic Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, one concept under consideration is a new building (in drawing above) that would be located on what is currently a key connection in the bike network — SW Main Street between Broadway and the Park Blocks.

PCPA director Robyn Williams made a presentation about the proposal during a recent Metro Council worksession.

According to a Metro News article based on that worksession, the Main Street project would close the street "to vehicles" in order to construct a "glass-encased exhibition space between the facilities [the Schnitz and Antoinette Hatfield Hall]."

This raises an important issue: SW Main St. is a key connection in the bikeway network that brings people from the Hawthorne Bridge bikeway to the South Park Blocks and beyond.

The Metro article only mentions maintaining "pedestrian access" and makes no mention of bicycle traffic. Here's an excerpt of comments from Metro Councilor Barbara Roberts:

"Pedestrian access along Main Street from Broadway to the Park Blocks would be maintained during most hours... There ought to be some way to do the pedestrian walkthrough so that it's always there, regardless of time of day or night," she said. "If you want to flare up a concern the community can have a fit about, this might be the fit."

PCPA director Williams told us this morning that the project (which would cost about $20 million) is still in the "feasibility stage" and that most of their energy is going toward the Schnitzer Hall revamp. That being said, if the PCPA could find the money, a new building on Main St. would very likely become a reality.

"If money was no object," Williams said via telephone this morning, "I'd love to do something on Main Street." Williams says a Main Street exhibition hall was on original plans for the Hatfield building and this is simply a "dusting off" of those old plans.

When I shared concerns about bike access, Williams said they weren't far enough in the process to be sure how or if bicycle traffic would be impacted. She did however, say "That's a really good point" (she was also quick to point out that many people on the PCPA staff ride bikes).

"This is a good time to have the issue raised with us... I think it'd be wonderfully cool [to maintain the bikeway]... What I want to avoid is becoming a big solid wall."

Do you ride SW Main Street? Are you concerned about how this project might impact bike access?

http://bikeportland.org/2011/05/23/c...-sw-main-53475

[65MAX]

Interesting proposal, but they don't have to close Main to get exhibition space. They could bridge over the street and have multiple levels of flexible open space and still be able to occasionally block the street for special events like they do now.

[eric cantona]

there was a relatively hush-hush invited design competition a year or two ago that this submission came out of. it was only 3 or 4 teams if memory serves. I got to look at the proposals and was pretty underwhelmed by the designs. might be interesting if anyone can dig those up and post them here...

[2oh1]

I live downtown and walk along Main often. I never see bikes on this street. I'm not saying they're never on it, but I can't recall even seeing a single bike on this stretch of Main. On the other hand, I constantly see bikes on Jefferson.

I suspect part of the reason for the lack of bikes on Main is that the street often gets closed for events - especially in the summer. That makes it inconvenient to route around, not to mention that Jefferson has a bike lane and Main doesn't.

Still... I won't be surprised at all if there's a fight here.

Personally, I like this stretch of Main and would be sad to see it go away... I really like the Music On Main concerts outdoors, but then again, I also kind of like this proposal. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

[zilfondel]

The road is super-steep to bike...

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by 2oh1

I live downtown and walk along Main often. I never see bikes on this street. I'm not saying they're never on it, but I can't recall even seeing a single bike on this stretch of Main. On the other hand, I constantly see bikes on Jefferson.

I suspect part of the reason for the lack of bikes on Main is that the street often gets closed for events - especially in the summer. That makes it inconvenient to route around, not to mention that Jefferson has a bike lane and Main doesn't.

Still... I won't be surprised at all if there's a fight here.

Personally, I like this stretch of Main and would be sad to see it go away... I really like the Music On Main concerts outdoors, but then again, I also kind of like this proposal. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

They basically have to pay the city a small fortune every time they close the street down for one of these events, so it has been in the works for a long time now just to purchase the street so that they didn't have to basically rent the street every time they needed it.

I like this proposal, it is very simple looking and doesn't take away from the two buildings, yet really makes it look like a larger center.

As for bikes, this stretch of road is a bit annoying to even try riding on a bike because the grade changes. I for one would much rather use alternative routes to go that way than that street, and only once in a great while do I see anyone biking the full length. Though it would be interesting to see some concrete bike numbers that actually use the street rather than just visual.

[tworivers]

I bike up that little hill routinely -- coming straight off the Hawthorne Bridge, it provides a nice entrance to the Park Blocks.

I like this proposal, especially if it stays contemporary and glassy. From reading the Bikeportland story on this, it sounds like the PCPA people are open to maintaining access through the structure for people walking and riding bikes. That could make it an especially intriguing project.

Does the Historic Landmarks Commission have any say in this? Because if they get involved you can be assured that it will be turned into a piece of shit.

[Flaneur]

I agree with Barbara Roberts that it's critical to maintain 24-hour pedestrian and bike access from SW Broadway to the South Park Blocks. Anything that isolates the Park Blocks from adjacent parts of downtown reduces eyes-on-the-street and diminishes security in the park. If pedestrian access is impeded, one of Portland’s most prized attributes—its 200-ft blocks—will be sacrificed in favor of a 500-ft superblock right at the center of one of downtown’s most important pedestrian zones. Furthermore, it's not sufficient that pedestrian access merely be provided. The design itself must be highly legible and must clearly signal openness and accessibility to passersby, including those who aren't already familiar with the area.

Done right, with careful attention to pedestrian connectivity, I think a Main Street structure could be a genuine enhancement to the Cultural District. It could even serve as something Portland desperately needs—a covered, all-weather public space, a sort of indoor park. In a city with a temperate climate but a majority of rainy days, it's striking that all of our parks seem to have been designed on a cloudless day in July. [Case in point: the miniscule weather-protected zone under the canopy at Director Park.] I'd love to see Main Street serve as a testing lab for the design of a year-round, all-weather public plaza.

[MarkDaMan]

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall renovation put on hold
POSTED: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at 02:34 PM PT
BY: Reed Jackson ; Daily Journal of Commerce

A proposed $60 million expansion and renovation project for the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall has been put on hold, according to Robyn Williams, executive director of the Portland Center for Performing Arts.

http://djcoregon.com/news/2012/04/17...n-put-on-hold/

[philopdx]

I can't say I'm that sad about the expansion at least being put on hold. I like walkable, accessible blocks.

[2oh1]

What philo said. Exactly. This is one of those projects I'm both curious about and nervous about. I walk through that block of Main street all the time, and I especially love the outdoor summer concerts there. I wouldn't mind if it were closed to cars and became pedestrian / bike only. But this? It made me nervous.