The Old Church Concert Hall
The Old Church Concert Hall is a restored 1882 Carpenter Gothic church at 1422 SW 11th Ave in downtown Portland, near the Portland Art Museum, with the streetcar stopping at SW 11th and Clay on its corner. It owns no parking, but street parking is free after 7pm and the City Center pay lot at SW 10th and Clay is closest. Seating is mostly church pews, and all restrooms are downstairs by two flights of stairs or a key-operated elevator that staff will run for you.
Before you go
- Indoor or outdoor
- Indoor: a vaulted 1882 church auditorium; free outdoor concerts in season
- Official site
- tocportland.org
- Next festival here
- Biamp Portland Jazz Festival, Mar 4 to 13, 2027
Worth knowing before you go
- Restrooms are all below the main level: two sets of stairs, or ask bar or floor staff to run the key-operated elevator.
- Most shows are general admission with pews and some armless high-back chairs; reserve accessible seating ahead by phone or email.
- Drop-off zones are on SW 11th (flat) and SW Clay (a short incline); the accessible entrance is to the right of the main SW Clay doors.
- The office is open Tuesday to Friday, 11am to 3pm, by appointment only.
Festivals here
Venue basics: Streetcar stop at SW 11th and Clay · Street parking free after 7pm · Ramp entrance on SW Clay.
Is it for you
Choose it if
- You want an intimate concert in a historic hall with a Victorian pipe organ.
- You are travelling by streetcar or arriving after 7pm when street parking is free.
- You need a ramp entrance and designated seating for a mobility device.
Think twice if
- Stairs or waiting for a staff-operated elevator to reach the restrooms is a problem.
- You need a seat with arm supports: seating is pews and armless high-back chairs.
- You are planning to camp on site: we don't yet have confirmed information about camping here.
Getting there and parking
The Old Church is at 1422 SW 11th Ave in Portland's downtown arts district, near the Portland Art Museum and Portland State University. The main entrance for public events is on SW Clay, and the Portland Streetcar stops at SW 11th and Clay (stop ID 10760) on the corner.
The venue owns no parking. Street parking is free after 7pm, and the City Center pay lot at SW 10th Ave and Clay St is the closest. Vehicles with a DMV disability placard can use accessible spaces in on-street metered parking and nearby lots, first come first served.
The office is open Tuesday to Friday, 11am to 3pm, by appointment; visits outside scheduled events are arranged by email. Tickets and listings are online, or by phone on (503) 222-2031.
Accessibility
The accessible ramp and entrance are on SW Clay to the right of the main entrance, on the southeast corner of the building, and curbside drop-off zones are on SW 11th (flat) and SW Clay (a short incline). Most shows are general admission, but there is designated seating for people with mobility devices or other needs and their companions; reserving ahead by phone or email is welcome but not required. Trained service dogs may attend, and ASL interpreters can be requested by email with the event date.
All restrooms, including the accessible ones, are below the main level, reached by two sets of stairs or a key-operated elevator that bar or floor staff will run for you. Seating is mostly church pews and some high-back chairs without arm supports.
Confirm your specific needs with the venue before you travel (tocportland.org).
Camping
We don't yet have confirmed information about camping at The Old Church. The venue's own pages are the place to check: tocportland.org.
Food, water and what you can bring
There is bar staff on the floor at events, who can also operate the elevator for you.
Sound and sensory
The hall is an intimate space of hand-carved fir pews on aisles that slope to the stage, under a vaulted ceiling carried on cast iron columns. Its Hook and Hastings tracker action pipe organ, in Portland since 1883 and fully restored in 1997, is the oldest of its kind still in its original place and has never been electrified.
The venue runs a strict anti-harassment policy: report anything to the box office or a badged staff member, and staff will connect you with friends on site and deal with the aggressor, up to eviction and a ban.
Quick answers
Is there parking at The Old Church?
No, the venue owns none. Street parking is free after 7pm and the City Center pay lot at SW 10th and Clay is closest; placard holders can use accessible on-street and lot spaces first come first served.
Can I get to The Old Church by streetcar?
Yes. The Portland Streetcar stops at SW 11th and Clay, stop ID 10760, on the corner of the building.
Is The Old Church wheelchair accessible?
Partly. A ramp entrance on SW Clay, designated seating and flat drop-off on SW 11th are in place, but all restrooms are downstairs and reached by stairs or a key-operated elevator that staff run for you.
What is the seating like at The Old Church?
Mostly hand-carved church pews with some high-back chairs without arm supports, and most shows are general admission. Designated accessible seating can be reserved by phone or email.
Can I request an ASL interpreter at The Old Church?
Yes. Email [email protected] with the date of the event you would like to attend.
Can I camp at The Old Church?
We don't yet have confirmed information about camping at The Old Church. The venue's own pages at tocportland.org are the place to check.
Which festival uses The Old Church?
The Biamp Portland Jazz Festival, whose presenter PDX Jazz is one of the partner organisations the hall gives a home to, along with Chamber Music Northwest and Friends of Chamber Music.
A little history
Built in 1882 to a free design by architect Warren Williams, it is the oldest church building in downtown Portland. Citizens bought it in 1967 to save it from demolition, and it joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 as a largely unaltered Carpenter Gothic church, with original Povey Brothers leaded and stained glass and built-in umbrella racks with drains.
Today it is a home venue for PDX Jazz, presenter of the Biamp Portland Jazz Festival, alongside partners such as Chamber Music Northwest, Fear No Music and Friends of Chamber Music, and its free lunchtime and outdoor concerts have run for more than fifty years.