52 Photos Project: On the Street

This week's prompt is "On the Street".  I thought I would use this iconic image from the city of Portland.  I like the juxtaposition of old and new you see here.

This is the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, known affectionately in Portland as "The Schnitz".  It opened in 1928, originally as the Portland Publix Theater, but became the Paramount in 1930.  It is the last surviving theater building on Broadway in downtown Portland, a street that once was lined with theater buildings.  It was given Landmark Status in 1972 by the Portland City Council.  However, "landmark status" applies only to the exterior of a building, and there were some who felt that the interior of the building was architecturally more valuable.  It was placed on the National Historic Registry of Places in 1976.

A restoration began in 1983 and involved repairing, recasting or replacing much of the theater's ornate interior as well as making it comfortable and safe for today's audiences and performers.  The landmark 65-foot-tall "Paramount" sign was removed and used as a model for a new replica that restored the name used originally (from 1928–1930): "Portland", appropriate for the building's change in use as well as being historically fitting. The new replica sign, with neon letters five feet tall, was attached to the building on September 4, 1984.  The theatre re-opened later the same month. 

The Schnitz is a classic concert hall, and I have had the pleasure of seeing many performances there from the Oregon Symphony Orchestra to Dan Fogelberg, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, and the Mannheim Steamroller. 

For more street views, visit the gallery.