A New Concert Venue Coming To Our Block
It’s no secret that the Lloyd Center Mall is withering away as we move into the next half of the decade. This is not unusual for malls across America: many have been shutting down or demolished since online shopping took over the typical mall consumer experience. Even with stores shutting down and leaving the mall, Lloyd Center has remained relevant, evolving with the community. 2025 Lloyd Center ditched Macy’s and Sears, and now hosts dozens of small businesses, local food, and even a popular 80’s leotard-clad walking club. The kitsch is real at Lloyd Center, and although it is very Portland, there’s a change coming we can’t ignore. The view of the entrance to Lloyd has changed drastically over the last few weeks, as construction crews have come in to demolish the south side of the mall’s entrance/the old Nordstrom location to make way for something brand new. We are excited to announce that the space is being cleared to build a 68K square foot concert venue.
What Can We Expect?
AEG Presents and Monqui Presents have teamed up to make this venue a reality. The goal is to demolish the old Nordstrom and build a new, modern venue, which can hold up to 4200 people. They are aiming to open early 2027, so the clock is ticking as bulldozers are chipping away at the demolition to make room for new construction. The venue will be two stories- the first floor will host stadium seating with room for bars and food vendors. The second floor will be a mezzanine with fixed seating, and options for drinks. The outside will display modern architecture, and green patches throughout, using the help of Works Progress Architecture, who designed the Hotel Grand Stark in Portland’s SE Buckman neighborhood. Parking will not be an immediate issue as the Lloyd Center has plenty of underground and parking lot space, but so far, no comments have been made about the long term parking plan, since the long-term Lloyd Center plan is so unpredictable.
Why Lloyd?
Portland’s music scene is vast, and there are plenty of other mid-size venues in the city, but one notable factor is the age of the buildings. Smaller buildings like the Crystal Ballroom or the Roseland have lots of charm and history, but are structurally less dependable given large crowd size and potential for natural disasters. This venue will have the most up-to-date infrastructure and will be able to take some pressure off those smaller, less sturdy venues. The Moda Center, just a few blocks from The Lloyd Center remains Portland’s largest stadium style concert destination, and having a new spot nearby will ease some pressure on the Moda Center’s capacity and parking by funneling smaller shows to this new location. The Lloyd neighborhood has desperately needed a project like this to bring life back into the community, and to make it a new destination for Portlanders and out of towners alike.
We are excited to see the beginning of a new era in Lloyd, and watching the venue literally built from the ground up makes the transition feel even more special. It’s sad to see the relic that is Lloyd Center slowly disappear, but change means destruction and rebuilding, and Lloyd knows plenty about that. You can check out the venue’s plans and more renderings of the upcoming build here.