Downtown Portland is getting a hotel with something most concertgoers only dream about: a built-in shortcut to the Crystal Ballroom.
McMenamins is turning the long-vacant Taft Home into a 63-room hotel that will give overnight guests a private, early-entry route into the famed venue next door. The family-owned chain plans multiple restaurants and bars, a small performance stage and fresh murals while restoring the 1907 building's original details. Company leaders say the revamped property will plug into nearby McMenamins spots to help solidify the West End as a live-music hub.
Guest-only walkway promises early Crystal access
According to The Oregonian/OregonLive, the hotel will hide a concealed walkway that lets guests slip into the Crystal Ballroom before the general public is allowed in. Co-owner Shannon McMenamin told the outlet the path "could be like a portal to another dimension," and the company says that early access will be reserved strictly for people staying overnight.
63 rooms, three bars and a cozy stage
Willamette Week reports the conversion will carve out 63 guest rooms, three restaurants and bars, a gift shop and a small stage meant for bands, literary readings and salon-style performances. In-progress photos show clawfoot tubs and original 1906 architectural features sharing space with new murals inspired by songs from Patti Smith, Modest Mouse and the Grateful Dead.
Not every room will come with its own bathroom. As Willamette Week notes, some units will have private baths while others stick with the shared-bathroom setup that is common in older McMenamins properties.
From assisted housing to boutique hotel
The building at 1321 S.W. Washington, designed by architect Edgar M. Lazarus and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was purchased in 2024 for about $1.5 million by an entity tied to McMenamins, according to the Portland Tribune. The Taft spent decades serving as low-income and assisted housing before closing in 2021 after state regulators cited safety and care violations.
McMenamins says existing ground-floor tenants such as Cassidy's and Scooter's will stay put while the upper stories are restored and repurposed for hotel use, the Portland Tribune reports.
Basement lore, fuzzy budget and opening timeline
The Oregonian/OregonLive notes the Taft's basement once hosted a gambling den and speakeasy in the 1940s and 1950s, a bit of history that lines up neatly with McMenamins' fondness for storied cellars.
The same outlet reports that Shannon McMenamin says the company has not locked in a renovation budget or commissioned a formal market study on demand. McMenamins told the paper it expects to open the hotel within the year, although the exact date will depend on permits and construction schedules lining up.
West End boost, housing tensions
Supporters say the project will give Crystal Ballroom fans more nearby places to crash after shows and help stitch together McMenamins' cluster of properties into a livelier, walkable entertainment district in the West End. Critics counter that the Taft's recent life as low-income housing makes the conversion a pointed example of the tension between downtown revitalization and housing stability.
Those concerns, including the 2021 closure and the displacement of dozens of residents, were traced by Willamette Week. For now, McMenamins is pushing ahead with restorations and sneak peeks that spotlight historic preservation on one hand and fresh revenue for Portland's music scene on the other.
