Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

Exterior of venue seen from Broadway (c. 2007)
Former names	Portland Publix Theatre (1928–30) Paramount Theatre (1930–84)
Address	1037 SW Broadway Portland, OR 97205-3004
Location	Downtown Portland
Owner	City of Portland
Operator	Portland's Centers for the Arts
Capacity	2,776
Construction
Opened	March 8, 1928
Closed	1982
Reopened	September 8, 1984
Construction cost	$1.5 million ($25.3 million in 2022 dollars )
Architect	Rapp and Rapp
Paramount Theatre
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Architectural style	Italian Rococo Revival
NRHP reference No.	76001585
Added to NRHP	April 22, 1976

The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall is a famous theater and performing arts center in Portland, Oregon, United States. It's often called "The Schnitz" by locals. This building is part of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts. It is home to the Oregon Symphony, Portland Youth Philharmonic, and other groups. It also hosts concerts and movies.

This building is the last big theater left on Broadway in Portland. This street used to have many large and grand theaters.

About the Schnitz

The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall is a large venue. It has:

• Seating for 2,776 people. This includes seats on the main floor and in the upper balcony.
• Dressing rooms for up to 90 performers.
• A special portable shell that helps with sound.
• Entrances on Broadway and Main Street.

History of the Building

Paramount Theatre in 1939

The building was designed by a famous architecture firm called Rapp and Rapp. They were known for designing many theaters. When it opened, it was considered the biggest and most fancy theater in Portland.

From Movie Palace to Concert Hall

The theater first opened in March 1928 as the Portland Publix Theatre. It was a place for live shows called vaudeville. In 1930, its name changed to the Paramount Theater. This was because the owners had a deal to show Paramount movies. The building showed films until 1972, then it started hosting concerts.

When you visited, a huge 65-foot (20 m) tall "Portland" sign lit up the Broadway entrance. It had about 6,000 lights! In 1930, the sign changed to "Paramount." It stayed that way until 1984, when it was changed back to "Portland."

The theater had many fancy lobbies and hallways. The main entrance had large windows with velvet drapes. The walls were covered with mirrors and marble. The floors had expensive carpets. Some furniture was even bought from a French museum! The snack counter was made of marble and was very long. People called it the "longest candy counter in the West."

The lobby had huge crystal chandeliers. The biggest one was nearly 8 feet (2.4 m) wide and weighed over 1,700 pounds (770 kg). It had 181 lights! Today, the largest chandelier has 137 bulbs.

The top row of balcony seats was six stories above the stage. There were special lounges for men and women. The men's lounge had fireplaces and phones. The women's lounge had dressing tables and hairdressers. There was even a self-playing piano in the lobby.

The auditorium walls were decorated with beautiful murals. Near the stage, small balconies hid the pipes of a large Wurlitzer organ. This organ could be raised to the stage level with a button.

Newspaper ads once said the theater had 4,000 seats, calling it "An acre of seats." But it actually had about 3,000 seats.

The ceilings were special. Panels hung from the roof, creating a hidden space for lights. These lights glowed indirectly, making the room feel open and spacious.

The orchestra pit could hold 30 musicians. There was also a "flying" stage that could move up, down, or around above the main stage.

In 1928, a photo of the theater was on the front page of The Oregonian newspaper. This was because of an unusual event involving a young man named Robert Nolan. He saw himself in a movie playing at the theater. While there, he saw people carrying the day's money. He then took $1,176 from the box office. He was caught later, having spent almost all the money.

During the Great Depression, the theater tried to attract more people. They hired musicians and a "psychic" to entertain in the lobby. Admission was 50 cents then, down from 60 cents on opening night.

By 1936, the theater was sold to the Evergreen chain. They owned many movie theaters in Portland.

Over the years, the building started to show its age. In 1965, a piece of the balcony fell off. In 1970, large blocks of stone fell from the building's outside. The owners were not spending money to fix it. In 1971, John Haviland bought the theater. He then leased it to Tom Moyer, who owned a chain of theaters.

Becoming a Concert Venue

Tickets for a February 2008 performance by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, with the Oregon Symphony

John Haviland thought it was too expensive to run a 3,000-seat movie theater with television becoming popular. On August 15, 1972, the last regular movie was shown.

In 1972, a group called Paramount Northwest leased the theater. They started promoting live concerts. Famous bands like Heart, Tom Petty, and Elvis Costello played there. Tickets were sometimes as low as 92 cents!

Haviland wanted to make more money from the theater. He felt that the young people attending rock concerts were not spending enough and were damaging the theater. He won a court case to stop Paramount Northwest from renewing their lease. Haviland wanted to fix up the theater and offer more upscale entertainment.

In August 1976, the Paramount Theatre was sold to West Coast Theatres. In 1980, the owner offered to sell it to the city for $4 million. The city council discussed whether to fix up the old theater or build a new one.

In 1982, the City of Portland decided to buy the theater. But talks broke down. The city council then voted to take over the building. A jury decided the city had to pay the owner $4.1 million for it.

The theater cost $500,000 to build in 1928. Today, it is valued at over $32 million.

Restoration and New Name

The Schnitzer at night

In 1972, the Portland City Council decided the building was a "Landmark." This meant its outside could not be changed easily. In 1976, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

A big renovation started in September 1983. The goal was to bring back the building's original beauty. The inside of the main hall was painted a single color, but the old murals were not put back. Arlene and Harold Schnitzer, who lived in Portland, gave a lot of money to help with the project. The renovation cost $10 million and took one year. It fixed up the theater's fancy interior and made it safe and comfortable for today's audiences.

The famous 65-foot-tall "Paramount" sign was taken down in March 1984. A new sign was made to look like the original "Portland" sign from 1928. This new sign, with neon letters five feet tall, was put up on September 4, 1984. The theater reopened later that month.

Today, the concert hall hosts many different shows. These include classical music, jazz, pop, rock, folk, and gospel music. It also has dance shows, plays, travel films, conferences, and even weddings.

The concert hall features:

• Seating for 2,776 people on the main floor and balcony.
• A stage that is 94 × 32-foot (9.8 m) with a traditional proscenium arch.
• An orchestra pit for 15 musicians and a choir loft.
• Dressing rooms for 90 performers.
• A portable, flexible shell to improve sound.

The design highlights include wool carpets made in New Zealand. The original chandeliers were fixed and given new crystals. The fancy interior was repaired and replaced. The new colors are warm neutrals and teal, replacing the original dark gold, green, and rose.

When the performing arts center opened in 1984, the Portland Theatre building was named after Arlene Schnitzer.

The original theater organ and statues were sold in an auction in March 1975. During the auction, people wanted to keep a marble statue called "Surprise." It showed a girl with her hands over her face. The audience collected money, raising $5,233.97 to buy the statue and keep it in the lobby. The statue has a missing finger from a bullet during a box-office robbery in the 1950s.

Famous Performances

Many famous people have performed at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall:

See also

• List of concert halls
• Portland sign