It’s time for the Portland City Council to vote for renovating and improving the Keller Auditorium instead of building something new at either Portland State University or Lloyd Center (“Portland City Council hears 3 proposals on Keller Auditorium’s future,” May 31). Renovating Keller would cost about half as much as building a new venue, not including the massive price tag to abandon, demolish and/or repurpose a city-owned building. Renovating the 100-year-old Keller puts sustainability into action while the other locations require building new parking garages and other infrastructure.

The Keller is also a proven success, bringing 400,000 people into downtown each year and pumping millions of dollars into supporting other performing arts venues – why throw it away? The Keller is in the heart of the city next to a beloved fountain with restaurants, hotels and ample parking nearby – PSU or Lloyd Center cannot match the downtown location. A renovated Keller will have all the theater improvements of a new venue, both for audiences and artists, without the higher cost and economic risks of abandoning downtown. When fully renovated, the 21st century Keller will be an entirely new performing arts experience, with acoustics, seating, lighting, bathrooms and more that will be as good or even better than a newly built venue – at half the cost and in half the time as PSU or Lloyd Center. It’s time for the city council to vote.

Mike Lindberg, Portland

Gale Castillo, Wilsonville

Diana Stuart, Portland

Lindberg served on the Portland City Council from 1979 to 1997. Castillo is president of Canopy in Portland. Stuart is a senior judge for the state of Oregon.

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