Portland Timbers Getting 4,000-Seat Stadium Expansion Inspired by Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

And the buildout won't cost the city a dime.

(Allied Works Architecture)
By Sophia June

A $50 million-plus, privately financed expansion for Providence Park will add 4,000 additional seats—expanding the seating capacity by approximately 20 percent.

That means that that 4,000 more people will be able to go to matches, and the buildout won't cost the city a dime.

Plans include a 93-foot-high covered structure on the east side of the stadium, which would unfortunately end the practice of peering into the stadium from the street, or nearby apartments.

The expansion is apparently inspired by Shakespeare's Globe Theater in London and the La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires for its "upright vertical seating areas and literal on-top-of-the-action perspective."

The design is what the original architects first conceived for the then-called Multnomah Stadium in 1925, meaning that after nearly 100 years, their vision will be fully realized.

The expansion is expected to be done by the 2019 or 2020 MLS season.

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