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    \ Building The Reser

    “I believe we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the future of this region.”

    Pat Reser

    The first seeds of The Reser were planted many years ago, in the late 1990s: the idea of creating a center for the arts rooted in the heart of Beaverton, providing more opportunities to engage with the arts and serving as a gathering place for the entire West Side. A decidedly grassroots effort grew with individuals within the Beaverton Arts Commission and Beaverton Arts Foundation. Beaverton city leadership and local residents passionate about the arts–led by Patricia Reser–provided advocacy and input to the Council and kept the flame burning.

    This remarkable public/private partnership had no less of a goal than to shift the landscape of the City of Beaverton with a beautiful and welcoming gathering place while creating a magnificent facility to support the arts, entertainment, and education.

    In 2009 and again in 2015, extensive resident surveys were completed concerning the overall future needs and wants of Beaverton, and the desire for a regional arts destination was in each case identified as a priority. The city’s diverse population was growing, and residents longed to engage in more arts and entertainment experiences closer to home. A study led by the Opsis Architecture and Theater Consulting Group in conjunction with students from the University of Oregon gave life to what a world class arts center in Beaverton could look like.

    The city then applied for and received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to conduct the most robust of several feasibility studies to determine what such a center could be, how broad could be the audience reach, and what might it cost to build. From that grant, outreach to a wide range of community arts organizations and cultural groups gave more specific structure to how the space could be utilized and what it would mean to our increasingly diverse community.

    With the development of a preliminary construction budget, Pat Reser made a then-anonymous historic pledge of $13 million to jumpstart the project. City Council adopted a hotel lodging tax to fund half of construction costs and in part to provide ongoing financial operating support for the arts center. In 2018, Pat Reser was announced as the lead donor and the center was renamed to honor her commitment. The Beaverton Arts Foundation launched a fundraising campaign which proved very successful, raising over $12 Million from over 950 donors, exceeding the initial goal by $1 Million. After breaking ground in late 2019, the long-held dream became a reality in March 2022.