Keller Fountain repair event to boost Keller Auditorium renovation

Supporters of renovating the seismically threated downtown Keller Auditorium are using repairs to the iconic Keller Fountain across the street to support their proposal.

Water to the fountain has been restored after the pump system was recently repaired. It failed in May 2023, requiring Portland Parks & Recreation to search for rare parts to fix it.

Groups supporting the renovation project are hosting a free “Big Splash” community celebration at the fountain at Southwest Third Avenue and Clay Street from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, July 19. They include the Halprin Landscape Conversancy, the Keller Auditorium Community Voices Task Force, the Downtown Neighborhood Associations, and Our Next Keller, an advocacy group supporting the renovation.

The City Council is expected to consider what to do about the Keller on Aug. 14. Options include renovating the performing arts center that was originally built in 1917 or replacing it with a new one at Portland State University or the Lloyd Center. All would cost hundreds of millions of dollars, the source of which has not yet been identified.

Closing the Keller for the 18 to 24 months needed for the renovation would also cost the regional economy hundreds of millions of dollars and threaten the arts organizations and other facilities that depend on the revenue it generates.

The Friday event is scheduled to feature entertainment, food, and speakers, most of whom can be expected to endorse the renovation project.