Steelhead, the new 3,500-capacity music venue being built in Portland’s Central Eastside, has applied for a liquor license for its home at 1211 SE Water Ave. The venue, developed in partnership with Live Nation, is scheduled to open in summer 2027.
The building will be a two-story venue with a mezzanine, designed with attention to acoustics and sightlines so fans stay close to the stage. It will have food service, artist locker rooms and lounge space, a loading dock and offices. The main entrance will be at the northeast corner of the building, which has a concrete facade with plantings and exterior lighting.
Steelhead is named for the Willamette River’s steelhead trout, a fish known for its toughness. The venue expects to host about 125 events a year, with a mix of national touring acts and local artists, and to create about 200 permanent jobs starting at $20 an hour or more.
The project is being developed by two Portland family-owned companies, Beam Development and Colas Development Group, with design by Lever Architecture and Blueprint Studio, along with Live Nation’s in-house design team. The site, in the Buckman neighborhood, was a vacant lot owned by the city’s development agency Prosper Portland before construction.
The venue went through a long approval process. The city approved the project in 2024, and construction permits were issued in the fall of 2025. In the meantime, Steelhead has been previewing its programming, including live music at the One Motorcycle Show in May.
This report is based in part on coverage by Live Nation and Next Portland.
