Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Concert hall in Downtown Portland, United States.
The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall is a concert venue in downtown Portland, Oregon, housed in an early 20th-century theater building. The Renaissance Revival brick structure features elaborate plaster ceiling work, multiple gilded chandeliers, and nearly 2800 seats spread across several tiers.
Designed by the firm Rapp and Rapp, the building opened in March 1928 as the Portland Publix Theatre, a vaudeville and film house. It took the name Paramount Theatre in 1930 under a contract to run Paramount films, which it showed until 1972. A $10 million restoration by Boora Architects reopened it in September 1984 as part of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, named for donors Arlene and Harold Schnitzer.
Locals call the hall "The Schnitz". Besides the Oregon Symphony, its resident groups include the Portland Youth Philharmonic, Metropolitan Youth Symphony, White Bird Dance Company and Portland Arts & Lectures. A portable acoustic shell is installed for orchestral concerts.
Access is from SW Broadway Avenue in the city center, a short walk from streetcar stops and several light rail stations. Evening performances often draw large crowds, so arriving early and planning for coat check time is advisable.
A large illuminated Portland sign rises above the entrance, carrying about 6000 individual bulbs that have glowed since the late 1920s. The sign stands roughly 20 meters (65 feet) tall and becomes widely visible in the evening when performances begin.
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