The unexpected failure of the air conditioning system at downtown Portland’s Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall couldn’t have come at a worse time, according to Scott Showalter, president and CEO of the Oregon Symphony.
“Patrons are already reticent to buy tickets,” Showalter said, noting they cite concerns about the safety of downtown. In addition, Showalter said, the symphony is paying what he described as record increases in fees set by Metro – the regional government organization that manages the Schnitzer concert hall – to use the city-owned space. The symphony has also seen grants from the Portland arts tax dramatically diminish.
On April 27, the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system at the Schnitzer concert hall abruptly failed. “It totally came out of the blue,” said Steve Faulstick, Metro’s general manager of visitor venues “We tried repairs, but it was deemed a complete fail,” and a total replacement was needed.
“We’re focusing on the replacement, which we hope will be within six months,” Faulstick said on Tuesday. While that process may take even longer, depending on supply chain issues, permitting and other factors, Faulstick said an interim fix is in the works.
Faulstick said that Metro is renting a cooling unit that will be hooked into the system at the Schnitzer concert hall, work that will be done later this week. “We’re getting contracts signed, and equipment tested,” Faulstick said. Ideally, the interim system will be up and running by early next week, “but we won’t definitely know that until the end of this week. We are working very closely in partnership with the city to get it done with minimal disruption.”
The loss of air conditioning at the Schnitzer concert hall proved especially difficult because of the historic heat wave that gripped Portland this past weekend. Though some events that had been scheduled to happen at the Schnitzer concert hall were moved to Keller Auditorium, the last-minute moves were challenging, Showalter said.
While the symphony was initially able to present programs, Showalter said, the lack of air conditioning sometimes caused temperatures onstage to climb into the 80s. That heat isn’t just uncomfortable, it also costs money, as the symphony has to pay a temperature penalty fee to the musicians’ union.
This past weekend, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees, “it was going to be unconscionably hot,” Showalter said. So, the symphony moved the performances scheduled for May 13-15 from the Schnitzer concert hall, at 1037 S.W. Broadway, to Keller Auditorium, at 222 S.W. Clay St.
“We lost about $10,000 in returned tickets from patrons, and had about $20,000 in additional costs to transfer all our equipment, and hang new lights at the Keller,” adding up to, at this point, $30,000 to $35,000 in lost revenue and added expenses, Showalter said.
“This situation affects every nonprofit that is using the Schnitz,” Showalter said. “But we’re in there six days a week, between rehearsals and concerts, so we’re disproportionately affected.”
Other previously scheduled events at the Schnitzer concert hall have been moved this week. For example, actor and author Tom Hanks will now appear at Keller Auditorium for an evening in which he and Portland-based writer Jon Raymond will discuss Hanks’ new novel, “The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece,” on Thursday, May 18.
Additionally, the Metropolitan Youth Symphony’s season finale concert, “Against the Grain,” originally scheduled for May 19 at the Schnitzer concert hall is moving to June 2 at the same venue if the temporary cooling system is in place, according to Diana Scoggins, executive director of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. If the cooling system isn’t in place, the concert will move to Keller Auditorium.
Showalter said the symphony was taking a day-by-day approach, and that the weather would likely be a factor in the symphony being able to perform its May 20-22 program this weekend. “Portland Opera has been kind enough to offer us the Hampton Opera Center for rehearsals,” Showalter said. But Keller Auditorium isn’t an option for performances, as it’s booked with other events on dates the symphony would need.
“We’re hoping to perform at least Sunday and Monday,” Showalter said, though the forecast for Saturday has been high. “We’re monitoring hour by hour. We will perform at the Schnitz or not at all.”
With the season ending in mid-June, if the symphony isn’t able to perform at the Schnitzer concert hall, “We would lose more than a million dollars in revenue, and that is catastrophic for us,” Showalter said. “That’s not sustainable. We ‘ll need the city’s and Metro’s partnership to help us continue to bring people downtown.”
