Eliot Center

Eliot Center is a one-block complex of buildings operated by First Unitarian Portland in the heart of downtown Portland. Conveniently located downtown, it accommodates 10 to 900 guests across a blend of traditional, historic, and contemporary venues, including two reception halls, two large auditorium-style spaces, more than ten multi-purpose rooms, two outdoor courtyards, and a formal parlor. The venue hosts weddings, receptions, conferences, meetings, performances, fundraisers, and other celebrations. The center traces its legacy to Rev. Dr. Thomas Lamb Eliot, the first minister of First Unitarian Church of Portland, who helped shape the city's civic and progressive institutions in the mid-1800s. Its spaces include the Historic Eliot Chapel, built in 1924 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Main Street Sanctuary, which seats up to 700 in theater-style seating beneath a balcony and features an 1880s pipe organ and grand piano. Eliot Center is committed to hosting events that support sustainability, social justice, the arts, community, and education, and welcomes nonprofit organizations and green businesses. Its Buchan Building is LEED Gold Certified, with occupancy sensors, storm-water-filtering planters, and sustainable materials throughout. Guests may self-cater or choose their own caterer, and the venue offers Wi-Fi, on-site coordination, beverage service, staffing, two staging kitchens, and complimentary china and flatware.