On July 17, the Beaverton Arts Foundation announced the anonymous lead donor, Patricia Reser, who pledged $13 million to the new center for the arts in Beaverton, and the official name, the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, which was previously referred to as the Beaverton Center for the Arts.
“The dream of a vibrant stage and central gathering place for our diverse community has been in the hearts and minds of residents for many years,” said Lani Faith, executive director for the Beaverton Arts Foundation, the fundraising partner for the new center for the arts. “With this generous gift from our anonymous donor – and a new name – we are able to pursue this legacy vision for leading arts patrons with deep roots in the community.”
The center for the arts also received a $1 million gift from Arlene Schnitzer and Jordan D. Schnitzer through The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation. The Schnitzer Family has long been Beaverton property owners and are honored to help support the first performing arts center of its kind to be built in the Portland-metro area in more than 30 years. The facility will include a 550 seat multi-purpose theater, classrooms, meeting and conference rooms, rehearsal and workshop space, art gallery, outdoor plaza, garage structure, café, lobby and informal gathering areas. Nestled adjacent to The Round between SW Cedar Hills Boulevard and SW Hall Boulevard, the center will be accompanied by a public parking garage and just steps away from light-rail transit.
“As Portland has expanded and traffic has gotten worse, we have become more neighborhood-centric — and Beaverton, now a major city in this state, needed to have a beacon of cultural life. Now the Pat Reser Center is that beacon… where you can showcase some of the best in the region and nation,” Jordan D. Schnitzer said.
“It’s been both a personal dream and a community-driven vision to have a dedicated home for arts and culture in Beaverton. It will be a stage for inspiration and creativity to shine, a place for people to feel connected,” said Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle.
The center for the arts is a City of Beaverton project. Design development is underway, and both construction and funding timelines anticipate groundbreaking at the end of 2019 upon the completion of fundraising goals, with grand opening in early spring 2021.
Jordan D. Schnitzer, Lani Faith, Patricia Reser, and Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle
About the new center for the arts in Beaverton
The center for the arts will be the first performing arts center of its kind to be built in the Portland-metro area in more than 30 years. The facility will include a 550 seat multi-purpose theater, classrooms, meeting and conference rooms, rehearsal and workshop space, art gallery, outdoor plaza, garage structure, café, lobby and informal gathering areas. Nestled adjacent to The Round between SW Cedar Hills Boulevard and SW Hall Boulevard, the center will be accompanied by a public parking garage and just steps away from light-rail transit. With innovative offerings in the performing arts – theater, music and dance – along with experiential workshops and classes in dedicated studios, the center for the arts will be a beacon for civic engagement, creative learning and greater social cohesion. For more information, please visit: beavertonartsfoundation.org and beavertonoregon.gov/bca.
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