Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, OR, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, known locally as the Schnitz, is a historic theater at 1037 SW Broadway in downtown Portland, Oregon. It is the home of the Oregon Symphony and a regular stop for touring music, comedy and speaking acts, and its big vertical sign is one of the best-known sights on Portland's main theater street.

The story behind it

The building dates from the late 1920s, when SW Broadway was lined with large theaters and vaudeville playhouses. The street gained a nickname, "The Brightest Street in the World", after a powerful lighting system was installed there in 1925. It opened as a movie palace, built for the era when going out to a show was a grand occasion.

As tastes changed and many of the old downtown theaters closed, this one found a second life as a concert venue. A major renovation in the 1980s turned it into a hall for music, and it was renamed for Arlene Schnitzer, a Portland arts patron. Today it hosts the Oregon Symphony, the Youth Philharmonic and a steady calendar of national touring acts.

What to look for

• Look up at the tall vertical sign reading "Portland" and the lit marquee, which is the quickest way to see who is performing next.
• Notice how the building's scale and ornate frontage stand out from the modern office blocks around it, a reminder of Broadway's theater-district past.
• Check the posters and marquee lettering for upcoming shows. You may well recognize a touring performer.
• Glance along Broadway in both directions to picture the street when it was packed with theaters and glowing with lights.

Tips for your visit

• You only need ten to fifteen minutes to see the exterior, so it fits easily into a longer downtown walk.
• Go after dark if you can, when the marquee and sign are lit and the street feels closest to its old nickname.
• Going inside normally means attending a performance, so check the current event schedule and ticket availability before your trip.
• Pioneer Courthouse Square and the rest of downtown are a short walk away, which makes this an easy stop between other sights.

See it on a quest

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Portland, OR brings you to the Schnitz on foot as one stop on a longer route through downtown. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle based on what you see. One ticket covers the whole group.

Abducted Ambassadors in Portland: A Ken Clever Mystery is a good fit if you like a mystery theme with your sightseeing. You walk from place to place, hear the story of each one, and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Portland, OR Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. is a detective-style walk that passes the hall along with other downtown streets. You start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join, and the app explains each stop as you reach it. One ticket covers the whole group.