Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Encyclopedia : A : AR : ARL : Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall is a historic theater building and performing arts center in Portland, Oregon. Part of the Portland Center for Perfoming Arts, it is home to the Oregon Symphony, White Bird Dance Company, and Portland Arts & Lectures. It is also a concert and film venue. Originally (and sometimes still referred to as) the Paramount Theater, it is also locally nicknamed "The Schnitz".
It is the last surviving theater building on Portland's Broadway, which was once lined with large theater houses.
Theater specifics
- Seating for 2,776 (includes lower orchestra level and upper balcony seats)
- 90 dressing rooms
- portable acoustic shell
- Entries on Broadway, Main Street and Park Avenue.
Building history
The architectural firm Rapp and Rapp, famous for its theater buildings, designed the Italian Renaissance-style building. Originally opened as the Portland Public theater, a vaudeville venue in 1928, the name changed to the Paramount Theater in 1930, as the owners had a contract to run Paramount films locally. The building continued to show films until 1971, after which it hosted concerts.
In 1975, the theater organ and statuary were sold off in an auction. A major renovation began, which restored the building to much of its original opulence. Harold and Arlene Schnitzer, notable Portland philanthropists, donated US$1 million to the project. When the performing arts center was opened in 1984, it was decided to name the building after Arlene Schnitzer.
The building (as the Paramount Theatre) was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. [link]
Trivia
- The "Portland" marquee is a replica of the original theater sign. The original, replaced during the remodel, still read "Paramount". The removal of the sign turned out badly, as it accidentally fell onto the sidewalk in an impressive crash.
- A statue inside the lobby has a bullet hole from a box-office robbery early in the theater's history.
- A secret door between the theater and the Heathman Hotel's cigar room next door was uncovered during the renovation.
See also
External link
- [Portland Center for the Performing Arts]-Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall page
| Notable Portland, Oregon architecture Skyscrapers: Wells Fargo Center | U.S. Bancorp Tower | KOIN Center | PacWest Center | Fox Tower | Standard Insurance Center | Congress Center | Hatfield U.S. Courthouse | ODS Tower | 1000 Broadway | Union Bank of California Tower | Lloyd Center Tower Other buildings: Meier & Frank Building | Benson Hotel | Commonwealth (Equitable) Building | Portland Public Service Building | Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall | Oregon Convention Center | Union Station | Pittock Mansion | Pioneer Courthouse Stadiums: Rose Garden Arena | Memorial Coliseum | PGE Park |
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.