Beaverton, OR. “While COVID-19 has presented numerous challenges within the travel industry, we believe regional investments in the performing arts – like the grant given to the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts – affirms the broader vision of enhancing economic vitality and community livability for Oregonians in every corner of the state,” said Dan Murphy, chair of the Washington County Visitors Association’s board of directors and co-founder of the Broadway Rose Theatre Company in Tigard. “The new facility will help enrich the Tualatin Valley arts community for visitors and locals alike.”
In a special check presentation,(pictured above) Dan Murphy, chair of the WCVA’s board of directors presented a check for $630,000 to Mayor Denny Doyle.
The Washington County Visitors Association (WCVA) announced that it is awarding the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts $630,000 toward the construction of the facility. The funding is allocated by way of $130,000 from Travel Oregon’s Regional Cooperative Tourism Program, Portland Region and the Washington County Visitors Association (WCVA), in addition to $500,000 pledged by the WCVA in March of 2019. These funds come from transient lodging taxes, which is a tax paid by visitors who stay in overnight accommodations in Washington County.
The announcement comes during National Travel and Tourism Week, which takes place from May 3 – 9. During this time, the WCVA and its partners unite to celebrate the value travel holds for our economy, businesses and personal well being.
Tourism is a major driver of economic growth in Oregon. In 2019, Washington County welcomed more than 3.2 million overnight visitors. Visitor spending in the destination topped $749.8 million, a 4.0% increase over 2018). The local tourism industry also employs 8,760 in the county. This also represents an increase from the previous year.
“In many ways, the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts will very much become a hub within the city; a venue for showcasing the community’s diversity through the arts, said Denny Doyle, mayor of the city of Beaverton. “We could not be more thrilled to have the support of our tourism partners.”
The Patricia Reser Center for the Arts (PRCA) broke ground in Beaverton, Ore. this past November.
Chris Ayzoukian of Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle, lead donor Pat Reser and Lani Faith of the Beaverton Arts Foundation at the groundbreaking ceremony.
About the Washington County Visitors Association:
The Washington County Visitors Association (WCVA) is a non-profit destination marketing organization that serves the region’s tourism industry by actively promoting Oregon’s Washington County as a desired tourism destination to business and leisure travelers, sports and event planners, meeting planners and group tour operators. The WCVA is funded by 2.33 percent of transient lodging tax (TLT) generated and collected in Washington County. The WCVA markets the destination as “Tualatin Valley.” For more information about the WCVA, visit wcva.org.
About the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts:
The Patricia Reser 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. Nestled adjacent to The Round between SW Cedar Hills Boulevard and SW Hall Boulevard, the facility will include a 550-seat theater, art gallery, rehearsal, workshop and meeting space, lobby, outdoor plaza and adjacent parking structure. With innovative offerings in the performing arts – theater, music, dance and spoken word – the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts will be a beacon for civic engagement, creative learning and greater social cohesion. For more information, please visit: centerfortheartscampaign.org and beavertonoregon.gov/prca.
About National Travel and Tourism Week
Established in 1983 by a congressional resolution, National Travel and Tourism Week takes place annually throughout the first week of May, serving as a tradition for the U.S. travel community to celebrate the value travel holds for the economy, businesses and personal well-being. For more information, see: ustravel.org/events/national-travel-and-tourism-week.
Chris Ayzoukian of Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle, lead donor Pat Reser and Lani Faith of the Beaverton Arts Foundation at the groundbreaking ceremony.
