Portland’s Asylum Nightclub Outlines Massive Expansion, Renovation and Re-Naming

If you love checking out live music, there's a good chance you've stopped by the Asylum in Portland at least once in the last 20 years. All jokes aside, Portland's Asylum has become an institution for local music, local comedy, goth nights and a friendly sports bar. According to the Portland Press Herald, the owners of the Asylum would like to continue that legacy while expanding with a $9.1 million renovation that transform it into a two-story concert venue.

The project also comes with a re-naming, Free Street Live. That rebranding should allow the venue to attract more business events as well as weddings. The Portland Press Herald interviewed one of the owners, Krista Newman, who shared the reasons behind the name change.

"Changing the space a little bit will allow us to grow what we do so it's not just shows. Bands are great, but they don't always pay the bills. With weddings, you can bring in revenue as well as with private events". 

The proposed expansion would eliminate the small parking lot that exists behind the Asylum currently. Inside, it would allow the owners to add multiple dressing rooms for bands, as well improvements to the basement dance club. The Asylum Sports Bar would also get a small makeover.

And then there's what to do with the famous graffiti wall that has become a darling of tourists Facebook and Instagram feeds. The owners of the venue plan to dedicate a new wall of Free Street Live to graffiti artists, in hopes that the tradition of amazing graffiti art continues.

If the Asylum can get approval from the City of Portland, the expansion and renovation project could begin sometime this summer and wrap up in the Spring of 2017.