Introducing the Memorial Athletic & Recreation Center (MARC)
For more detailed information, see The Case for MARC.
Many exciting and creative options for the reuse of Memorial Coliseum have emerged over the past few years and the concept of a public recreation center known as the Memorial Athletic & Recreation Center (or “MARC”) continually rises to the top. It is a bold and captivating idea that symbolizes what Portland is all about. It supports many of the civic and social values that are important to the community by promoting health and wellness, serving kids and families, preserving our architectural heritage, commemorating our veterans and enhancing tourism and economic development.
The original concept of the MARC has now been refined, re-tooled, sharpened– reduced in some ways and expanded in others. Today, this updated proposal is ready for primetime consideration as part of the City of Portland’s Rose Quarter development process.
The MARC will house the New Memorial Coliseum, an entirely new, 6,500-seat arena, along with more than 200,000 square feet of top quality community recreation, athletic training, and competition facilities in what will be North America’s largest and most comprehensive center for sports events, athletics and training.
The MARC will be the home for the Portland Winterhawks hockey club, PSU men’s and women’s basketball and Oregon high school championships in wrestling, dance and drill, cheerleading, swimming, basketball and volleyball. It will serve kids and families, recreational athletes and be a headquarters for athletes with Olympic aspirations. It will be a public facility that is accessible to all and a destination for athletes throughout the United States and abroad. From national caliber swimming competitions, to basketball and volleyball tournaments, this landmark facility will have the ability to host a vast array of amateur athletic competitions.
The MARC will have a uniquely Portland spin by including facilities supporting our emerging bicycle culture, including an international-quality, demountable 152 meter velodrome. Similarly, the building will include a demountable indoor track capable of hosting regional and national track and field competitions such as the long-standing Oregon Indoor.
A key goal of the project will be to utilize the existing elements of the veterans’ memorial to develop an enhanced, expanded and highly accessible memorial facility that is both highly visible and respectful of those that sacrificed themselves for our community and country. A new memorial would be designed in cooperation with veterans and constructed in the plaza area east of the Coliseum.
By attracting an estimated 1.5 million or more annual visitors to the Rose Quarter, the MARC will activate the district and bring new revenue to hotels, restaurants and retailers in the Lloyd District and Downtown while inspiring even greater use of the Rose Quarter’s excellent transit infrastructure. And more than any other option currently on the table, MARC will generate the day-long and year-round activity necessary to encourage new sports-related uses and activities in the Rose Quarter, and new commercial and residential adjacent to the Rose Quarter.
The MARC will be built on a foundation of uniquely Portland ideas and further enhance Portland’s reputation for doing things differently– and better. The public benefits will be significant and extend throughout the region, making the MARC a compelling and inspiring proposal.
This is a defining moment for the future of the Rose Quarter, Memorial Coliseum and our city. Now is the time for the citizens of Portland to step up in support of a community project that symbolizes what Portland is all about. Portlanders need make themselves heard and encourage the Rose Quarter Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) and the City Council to take the next step and allow Portlanders the opportunity to develop a project in the Rose Quarter that is uniquely Portland— healthy, green, innovative and respectful of our past history and sacrifice, and of our future– the youth of our community. This project is for all of this and more.
For more detailed information, see The Case for MARC.
“ITS TIME TO RECONNECT THE PUBLIC ASSETS IN THE ROSE QUARTER WITH PUBLIC BENEFITS. THE MARC WILL DO THAT.”
-Douglas L. Obletz, MARC Sponsor
50 Comments
L. Bartell
January 11, 2010
I love the idea of MARC. Let’s get it done!
N. Williams
January 11, 2010
Saw the article in the Oregonian on Friday. I found your website and really like the new plan – particularly how you creatively resolved the architectural landmark preservation. Best of luck – sounds a lot more family-friendly than the alternative! Not a bad place to start and finish marathons, etc., too.
Mike Delman
January 11, 2010
I read with interest about your continued fight for renovating the Coliseum and Rose Quarter. I support your idea because of the need we have for more venues for high school games and the opportunity for the entire community to use the facilities.
Amy Keiter
January 13, 2010
Oh please save us from the canned “destination” proposed by the Blazers! MARC fills some real holes in the fabric of our city. Portland cares more about BEING active than watching others be active. This is a wonderful — and authentic Portland — retrofit of a great building.
Karen Meyer
January 13, 2010
All the other Coliseum ideas are boring. Only the MARC sounds exciting. I hope it will come to pass.
Keith Johnston
January 14, 2010
Great, another special interest group trying to cram their idea down our throats and make us pay for it. Like we need another gym.
admin
January 14, 2010
Keith:
Thanks for submitting feedback to marcpdx.org. We will take it, good, bad or indifferent– at least it means that someone is looking at our stuff! I apologize for the slow response, but my day job got in the way of my volunteer efforts. That said, I hope that you will spend some time looking over our proposal and see that we are hardly “another interest group”. This is a community-spirited proposal with an acutely public focus. This is NOT a for-profit venture and it would assure that the public asset that is Memorial Coliseum is refurbished for maximum public benefit. On the other hand, I think many people feel that the Blazers’ plans for the Coliseum and the Rose Quarter are those of a very special interest group—one driven very hard by profit motive. I urge you to take a hard look at http://imaginejumptown.com and weigh in on their proposal as you have on ours. As for cramming our idea down people’s throats, we’ve been very clear that the people of Portland would get to decide on the MARC through a public vote on the bonds that would be necessary to pay for it. This is a whole lot less ‘cramming’ than we see with the soccer stadium deal or what is likely to come out of private efforts to redevelop the Rose Quarter. Lastly, the MARC is vastly more than “another gym”. We are proposing a very responsible re-use of the space in the Coliseum targeted to a broad range of users. If we can get traction on our proposal, we will put in place a real and meaningful community planning process to determine the uses that should ultimately be included. For the time being, our plans should be considered “serving suggestions”, subject to a lot of refinement. In the end, however, we will not be successful by duplicating what is already available in Portland in terms of community recreation facilities or even private clubs. Our focus on a 50-meter, national competition-ready pool and diving tank, and a full size community ice rink, are but two examples of venues that do not currently exist within the city of Portland. Again, thanks.
Michele
January 14, 2010
Excellent idea! It’s a great venue for the Winterhawks, but right now it’s so depressing inside so it would be great to see it re-vamped. It seems to me that there would be enough space to put in a swimming pool? I hope that MARC becomes a reality!
admin
January 14, 2010
Michele:
Please take a look at the conceptual plans under the “Design” tab. Here you will find that we are actually proposing three (3) pools:
-A large play pool with a ‘zero beach entry’ and plenty of water features for kids.
-A highly flexible, 8-lane x 50-meter, National-competition-ready pool that can be subdivided by a bulkhead into separate 25 yard and 25 meter pools. About half the pool length would also have a movable bottom allowing the water level to be varied from ‘competition depth’ up to a few inches of water for toddler water awareness classes or varied further for such uses as water polo or water volleyball.
-An Olympic quality diving tank that serves double duty as a 6-lane x 25 yard warm-up pool. The warm-up function is necessary for large swim meets. At other times, this pool could literally be kept warmer for certain classes such as water aerobics or senior water fitness.
Thanks again for your interest and support.
Brad Karl
January 15, 2010
You have my support!
Kelcey Beardsley
January 18, 2010
I particularly like this proposal because it offers activities and athletic involvement for a broad range of Portland citizens. It is likely to be busy throughout the days and weeks.
It preserves the integrity of the Memorial Coliseum building and fully utilizes the enormous amount of enclosed space. It also makes the Memorial wall more visible and accessible.
It’s well conceived and has potential for real success. Good work!
Steve
January 19, 2010
Looks great! No other proposal comes close!! A facility like this has the potential to set Portland apart from other cities in the west. Let’s make it happen.
Robert Long
January 19, 2010
This plan is incredibly Portland! If the Blazers want the RQ to be Portland’s rec room, this is the plan to do it.
Beth Davies
January 19, 2010
Keep Portland progressive and weird. No cookie cutter renovations please.
Yvonne
January 20, 2010
Jumptown is NOT what we need. We already have plenty of shops and restaurants that are struggling as is. We don’t need more of them to further dilute the customer base. What we need is an attraction that gives folks from all over the city, state, region and country a reason to make the trip to the Memorial Coliseum. Those folks will bring their money, and help support the businesses that already exist in the area.
The MARC is just what we need. Way to go MARC!!
Brian Libby
January 22, 2010
I am flattered that my analysis of the MARC versus the Blazers’ Jumptown proposal has been analyzed so thoroughly.
It is indeed true that the MARC proposal beats Jumptown in several ways: its involvement of a local developer, its status as a public building, and the many athletic facilities it would bring to the community.
At the same time, I see a landmark building’s interior being radically changed. This building is listed on the National Register, and that includes its original seating bowl.
Why not build the MARC just a little differently: with most of the same athletic facilities but the original seating bowl retained? So much program space could be put underground or surrounding the Coliseum.
I want to make it clear that I am not yet willing to support the overall Jumptown plan over the MARC. What I tried to articulate is that the Jumptown scheme is more preservation oriented because it preserves the original seating bowl, and I like that aspect of Jumptown. But there are plenty of things about the Blazers’ plan that still make me leery, such as the involvement of Cordish as developer and their desire for a lot of neo-historic buildings holding too many entertainment venues.
The MARC would certainly make a good addition to the Rose Quarter and the community. Can’t it evolve just a little teensy bit more in the preservation direction?
Arnold Iwanick
January 31, 2010
I would like to support your organization for the purpose of promoting the community sport of curling. Seattle has the only ice rink dedicated for the sport of curling on the west coast of the continental USA. As the 2010 Winter Olympics will show, curling is a very popular sport. It’s time Portland stepped up to the plate and put in a world class sheet of curling ice for the community, for all ages, all skill levels. This would also provide the area with an opportunity to develop world class athletes in the sport.
Karen Watson
January 31, 2010
The MARC concept is the most vibrant and practical use for the Memorial Coliseum that has the potential to serve the greatest number of people in the community.
Carol
February 2, 2010
I Love this idea…perfect for Portland. The one thing I would definitely bring back is the rollerblade track. For those of you who remember the nights they opened the Lobby area circle of the Coliseum a few years back and how packed it was when everyone came to rollerblade around, you know this would be a huge draw for this facility. There are no flat or smooth areas to blade since the closed the all night skate at PIR that used to be held for hours on Monday nights. Many of us have missed this so much!!!! We say the sooner the better on this move, but please bring backe rollerblading areas….and congrats on the cycling as we are a huge cycling culture here and that will draw tons of business also.
Geo. Scherzer
February 5, 2010
I happen to walk through the Rose Garden-Memorial Coliseum area midday earlier this week, and the area was a ghost town. The area could of been a scene out of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, gray and desolate. The Blazers have had years to revitalize the property and have failed miserably. It is time to embrace a new, bold plan like the MARC, forget about making it commercially profitable (not going to work), and bring Portlanders to a vibrant recreational area. With a little vision and leadership from out city government, we can get this done.
Tyler Gahan
February 16, 2010
Hey! great idea, However i would suggest you make the Velodrome are more prominent aspect of the facility. We need a world class Velodrome in the center of Portland.
Cycling is the Future. As more and more people start cycling, more people will become interested in bicycle racing. The Oregon Bicycle Racing Association is growing and growing every year.
Markland Fountain
February 16, 2010
A genius idea. Something for all to enjoy and benefit from. A true community center, in an area much underutilized most of the time. A wonderful investment that betters our city and citizens.
The major competing idea has essentially been tried at this location before and failed miserably. Why would more of the same work?
Matt Hollingsworth
February 25, 2010
Portland has many athletic activities that allow for year round
envolvement, except they do NOT have dedicated ice for CURLING; let
alone affordable ice for Curling. My fellow firefighters, who number
in the hundreds, are in need of dedicated, low cost Curling ice for
year round use. Please help us add a new sport to the Portland area.
Tony Lishka
March 1, 2010
I just started watching curling and I am hooked and I want to learn and play curling. By my understanding by reading the Evergreen Curling page, there is no dedicated ice. With the growing popularity of the sport and we are close to Canada, we need to have dedicated ice for this growing sport. I would also like to see other sports like soccer and basketball be able to use this facility. I’ve lived in Portland my whole life and I don’t want to see the coliseum to go to waste. It can generate revenue and support local events at the same time.
Kate Slott
March 3, 2010
This proposal looks terrific. I would love to explore the feasibility of including squash courts in the plan as I am interested in trying to launch an urban squash program here in Portland. There are similar very successful programs in NY, Chicago, Boston, Santa Barbara, etc.
Jesse Otto
March 3, 2010
I love this. I’m a distance runner and have been hoping for a while that an Indoor track facility would be built in Oregon. Aside to that I also love that there are several pools to be used, i like swimming, and that there are the ice rinks too. everything about this concept and design is quite beneficial.
Antoinette Flores
March 4, 2010
Adding an indoor track to Oregon would be grand, as a mother of 2 State Champions I firmly believe that all will benefit by having access to an indoor track year round. Oregon is famous for track so why not add an indoor track for future athletes. So many will benefit from this….
Steve Ritchie
March 4, 2010
This is a very exciting proposal, far superior to the Jumptown concept. I love the idea of bringing back indoor track to Oregon! Having this large and multi-use space in Central Portland would be phenomenal.
austin place
March 4, 2010
This is great idea. I am an 800 runner from Cottage Grove and got invited to an indoor meet but it was in Seattle so I couldn’t go:( It would have been a great experience since I plan on running in college.
Joshua Cohen
March 5, 2010
I am following the Rose Quarter Development planning process on behalf of npGreenway, a community organization advocating for development of a riverfront trail system in North Portland connecting the Eastbank Esplanade to Kelley Point Park.
A question came up at our last meeting: Does the MARC proposal support connections to a future Willamette Greenway trail? If so, how would this connection occur?
admin
March 5, 2010
npGreenway: Last Spring we had a couple of conversations with representatives of your group on this topic. We would be very interested in re-starting these conversations. A preliminary master plan prepared as part of an earlier version of the MARC proposal suggested development of a small watercraft center and artificial white water facility along the river west of Interstate Avenue. At the time, it was anticipated that these facilities would be tied to both the MARC via pedestrian connections across Interstate Avenue and to the existing Eastbank Esplanade. These were merely concepts at the time. We would be very excited to sit down with your group and figure out how to update our plans to reflect your current thinking about Greenway improvements/connections in the Rose Quarter area. We, of course, believe that there are wonderful potential synergies between the MARC and improved to river access for bikes, pedestrians and water users. Please let us know how to plug into your efforts by contacting us at info@marcpdx.org. Cheers.
Kim Stegeman
March 10, 2010
The Rose City Rollers, Portland’s all-female roller derby league is very interested in holding bouts at the new Coliseum. We are a 501c3 non-profit focused on empowering Portland’s women ages 13-60! We host at least 20 bouts per year, some at our Hangar at Oaks Park and some at the Expo Center. We are very interested in throwing our support behind a plan that would like to build 5 derby bouts per year into their plan. With more than 480 derby leagues having sprung up all over the US, it really is the sport that’s taking the nation by storm.
Thanks,
Rocket Mean
Executive Director, RCR
Ryan P
March 10, 2010
I have to agree with the many responses above. This facility (if fully brought to life) could do wonders for the community (sporting and general). Dedicated ice for curling, watercraft center, cycling, running, etc. All of these would make for a very unique center, and certainly help not only the downtown economy, but the entire area.
Pres Adams
March 11, 2010
This is a fascinating project and I can’t wait to see what happens with it.
Steve L
March 12, 2010
Kudos to Mayor Adams for listening to the MARC proponents and for agreeing that the issues related to the Memorial Coliseum operating agreement with the Blazers must be resolved before the redevelopment process can legitimately continue. Hopefully Mayor Adams, the rest of the City Council and all Portlanders will also realize that the Blazer’s unwillingness to renegotiate the operating agreement is 100% proof-positive that they have absolutely no interest in what’s best for the community – they are only interested in what’s best for their wallets. The MARC is the community-minded facility we need!
bike rack
March 14, 2010
I mistakenly came across your blog while searching for something else, but found this post useful hence decided to drop a line. Very well done. I don’t completely agree with you but still a good agrument.
Robert Klein
March 21, 2010
I think that the idea is a great one. Portland needs this. I am a fan of all sports. Portland is in danger of losing not just one ice skating rink, but two. Skating is a great sport which can be enjoyed for a lifetime. I support your plan and would like to get involved.
Mr. H
March 29, 2010
The MARC proposal is the best one. I hope it is selected and that we will be able to have our own curling ice in Portland. Last time I went to a dedicated curling center it was so amazingly fun! Not only for the people participating in the sport but also the spectators and the socializing surrounding it. If you really want to keep Portland weird; support curling, what could be weirder?
Jody Braden
March 29, 2010
The Marc would be the best for Portland. The MARC is close to what Indiana has and they call Indianapolis a sports city. Portland needs to be the sports city of the west coast. With something like this Portland could bring more top notch events to the city!
Marcus Galen
April 5, 2010
I’m very interested in the redevelopment of the area of NE that includes the Rose Quarter. I think the MARC is by far the best concept for the redevelopment of the Coliseum and its grounds but, I think the only flaw is the lack of consideration of the surrounding area. If the firm took the plans for the new Coliseum and connected it to the East Bank Esplanade by bridging Interstate Ave. and creating a public space for the eastside similar to the Tom McCall Waterfront Park did for the west. If the MARC project could expand their concept to create and entire district I think it would be a hands down winner. I dont like the corporate ideas behind the Blazers-Winterhawks idea but, they did consider the rest of the area. I hope MARC is chosen and develops a wider view when they do.
admin
April 5, 2010
Thanks for your comments on our proposal. We actually have done a quite a bit of thinking about and planning for the surrounding area. The City’s Call for Concepts only asked for submission for Memorial Coliseum and only provided a limited opportunity to outline a larger vision for the Rose Quarter. Your suggestion for the space between the Coliseum the Willamette River is really a good one. We were thinking that bridging Interstate with a large deck suitable for outdoor play fields would be a great idea. Our preliminarily plans for the waterfront include extension of the Eastbank Esplanade, development of a small watercraft center and an artificial whitewater facility. In short, we are prepared to address the larger master plan issues and would welcome the opportunity to do so.
Allison
April 15, 2010
What a positive addition to Portland! I agree with others that we don’t need more restaurants and entertainment. A community-based recreation facility of this magnitude will enhance Portland’s image and emphasize the importance of a healthy lifestyle! My hope is that costs can be contained so as to not put much more of a burden on already struggling families.
Karen Meyer
April 15, 2010
I thought this was a great idea when I first heard about it two or three years ago. I still think it’s a great idea, head and shoulders above anything else to come along since. It’s expensive, sure, but an investment in Portland’s future rather than a short-sighted expenditure.
Shawn Alford (Portland World Team Tennis)
April 15, 2010
Go MARC!
Joe
April 24, 2010
This is a fantastic proposal. You have my vote!
Jody Braden
April 26, 2010
As the head coach of Portland Aquatic Club we fully back the MARC. The sport of swimming is more popular than ever across the country and in Portland. Our non- profit swim team serves the city of Portland and we have grown from 100 to 200 swimmers in six short years. A facility like the MARC would help the 5000+ registered USA Swimming athletes in Oregon and beyond with a top notch facility close to home (for training and great competition). Not only would the swimmers benefit but the community in general with more learn to swim programs for youth throughout the city.
Go MARC!
Mignon Reynolds
April 26, 2010
This is just what Portland needs. We will be able to provide a world class facility for our growing athletic community. It will bring in revenue not just for the facility but also for local businesses, since it will be capable of hosting meets and events that will attract people from far away. It will benefit our young athletes, who will learn discipline and focus, skills necessary to excel in school as well as the pool.
Portland does not need another shopping district that will die off in five years, nor does it need another 25 yard kiddie pool. What it does need is a facility that will serve the needs of the people for years to come and provide a firm foundation for a strong community: this is it.
Brendan Jamieson
May 6, 2010
I love MARC. I saw the presentation at the Coliseum months ago, and met the terrific people who have developed this concept. I’m happy to see MARC in the final 3, and hope it will be chosen as the future design for the Memorial Coliseum.
As a native Portlander, who saw his first Blazer game at the Coliseum 1979, attended the Winterhawks, and baseball card conventions as a boy, I would like to see the transformation of this iconic building into a sports complex for all the people of Portland.
As a father, I would like nothing more than knowing that my child would grow up with the opportunity to compete in formal events during her childhood, as well as a safe and positive environment for her to attend with her friends.
Pioneer Square is Portland’s living room… MARC will be Portland’s gym & playground.
Please choose MARC for the future of Portland.
Jamie
May 28, 2010
I think portland is long overdue for a facility like this. As a parent of a competitive swimmer I am often surprised at the lack of facilities for high level meets. It not only supports healthy options for kids and adults, but will be an economic revenue generator as people travel here for sporting events.
Sports Star Pro Mary
July 16, 2010
This is a very big achievement for Portland. MARC will foster stronger family ties and prosperity in the community.
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