A prominent site in rapidly developing Central Beaverton was chosen and Opsis Architecture was chosen to create the design. The unique site is adjacent to a light rail station, Hall Street, City Hall, Beaverton Creek, and the shops, restaurants, and lodging of this vibrant, growing neighborhood. Opsis set out to design a space to mediate the urban with the natural setting by directly engaging Beaverton Creek in the design. The plan would include not only the main structure, but added parking, a pedestrian-friendly promenade with a street festival ambiance, and public art.

The adjacency to the creekside environment and the desire for extensive use of wood to set off the interior led to the majestic enclosure of The Reser that is truly an artistic and engineering marvel. Inspired by the metaphor of a beaver dam, wood panels and long, thin wood slats or “sticks” and incision points are integrated to enable light to pour into the atrium, while meshing seamlessly with state of the art acoustic and theatrical systems in the Mainstage Theater. The theater itself is evocative of a body of water adjacent to a creek housing a beaver dam. In 2019 ground was broken by Skanska, the project’s general contractor. The ensuing pandemic slowed the project somewhat, but the designers and builders stayed the course, made adjustments to compensate, and the work went on, with the public opening scheduled for spring of 2022. The beauty and the intimacy of the performing and presentation spaces are designed to maximize the connection between artists and audiences. Just as the community dreamed of, the space is spectacular, the location ideal, the sound and sight lines superb, and the environment welcoming.

Welcome to the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts: “The Reser.”