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.
Beaverton, OR. Groundbreaking for The Patricia Reser Center for the Arts launched construction of the first of its kind facility to be built in the Portland-metro area in more than 30 years. On November 13th, 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 used their ceremonial shovels to dig in.
Thomas Lauderdale and 180-voice choir celebrate the new regional performing arts center.
A crowd of about 400 attend the ceremony at the site of the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts. It’s adjacent to the Beaverton Round which is near Hall Boulevard and SW Millikan Way.
Lead donor, Pat Reser, addresses the crowd at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Center for the Arts. It’s set to open in the fall of 2021.
“As we approach the realization of this performing arts facility, we have been provided a once-in-a-generation opportunity within our community to broaden exposure to the arts, including artists and arts education,” said Pat Reser, chair of the capital campaign for the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts.“This center will provide a place to celebrate artistic expression in all of its forms and it is my strong conviction that both the arts and our community will continue to flourish, impacting residents for decades to come.”
“I’m thrilled that this long-held personal dream and our community vision of a vibrant downtown with culture and arts at our heart is becoming a reality,” said Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle. “This center is a benefit to our city, the region and beyond. I’m counting down the days to opening and the opportunity to share this wonderful asset for many to enjoy.”
Together with emcee and Eye on the NW host Natali Marmion, Mayor Doyle, the Beaverton City Council and Beaverton Urban Redevelopment Agency Board welcomed lead donor Patricia Reser, as well as Oregon Poet Laureate Kim Stafford, among others. To highlight the center’s mission of bringing a diverse range of artists and audiences together, a nearly 200-voice choir – especially assembled for the occasion – performed “True Colors” and “All You Need is Love,” including an audience singalong led by Thomas Lauderdale of Pink Martini. The choir included members from iSing Choir, Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, Portland Lesbian Choir, Arts & Communication Magnet Academy Choir, Southridge High School Choir and others, along with singers Marilyn Keller, Maddie Green and members of Big Horn Brass.
Nestled near to The Round between SW Cedar Hills Boulevard and SW Hall Boulevard, the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts 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 and dance – the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts will be a beacon for civic engagement, creative learning and greater social cohesion.
“I’m excited about the many possibilities at the center to bring regional and national artists and attractions to Beaverton in a professional and intimate setting,” said Chris Ayzoukian, general manager for Patricia Reser Center for the Arts. “It will be a welcoming regional destination for many kinds of events and arts education programs that will highlight the cultural diversity of Beaverton and create more access to the arts for all.”
On July 17, 2018, the Beaverton Arts Foundation announced a gift of $13 million to the project. This transformative pledge made possible by Patricia Reser is an investment that provides nearly one-third of the $51 million in project costs needed to build the Center. Another $21.9 million is coming from public sources, including a land donation and a new City Transient Lodging Tax (TLT). In total, 96 percent of the construction costs have already been identified through public and private philanthropic investment.
“It has truly been inspiring to see how the community has stepped up in support of the vision for the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts,” said Lani Faith, executive director for the Beaverton Arts Foundation, the fundraising partner for the new center for the arts. “The dream of a vibrant stage and central gathering place has been in the hearts and minds of residents for many years, and it’s an incredible privilege to watch it come to life.”
The project’s design and construction team includes Skanska USA Building Inc., Gerding Edlen and OPSIS Architecture.
From 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 near 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 and dance – 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.
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