A new concert hall advances under the name Steelhead in Portland’s Central Eastside. The project is being developed local developers Beam Development and Colas Development Group, for tenant by Live Nation. Designer of the project is Lever Architecture in collaboration with Live Nation’s in house design team at Blueprint Studio.

The project is located at 1211 SE Water Street in the Buckman Neighborhood of Portland. The site is zoned General Industrial 1 and mainly surrounded by commercial spaces. Leading up to construction the site had been a vacant lot, owned by Prosper Portland.

Renderings show the building as a large two tone massing with a main entrance at the NE corner of the lot. The building has a concrete masonry unit facade with plantings incorporated as well as exterior lighting and signage.

A Conditional Use Permit, to allow a major entertainment use in the industrial zone, was approved by the Hearings Officer in August 2024. This approval was then appealed to City Council, who in September voted unanimously to uphold the decision. A further appeal to the Land Use Board of Appeals was similarly unsuccessful.

Permits for the building were issued in the Fall of 2025 and list the building as a “new two story building with mezzanine for single occupant music venue including supportive spaces of food services, artist locker rooms, loading dock, offices, and artist lounge.” The venue is expected to have a capacity of 3,500 people and host over one hundred shows annually.

Steelhead is projected to open Summer 2027.

Drawings