Portland Hospitality-Coworking Hub to Open This Tuesday
Owners will launch a $750,000 hybrid workspace and bar on S.W. Washington St. to capture daytime remote worker demand.
Updated on Oct. 26, 2026 in Remote Work
Live Poll
Will the blend of coworking and bar space successfully help revive Portland's downtown business core?
Kelly's Olympian and coworking firm UrbanWork are opening a newly renovated shared bar and workspace at 420-426 S.W. Washington St. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. The project combines traditional hospitality with remote work facilities to attract white-collar patrons.
Why it matters
The $750,000 investment represents a strategic bet that merging work environments with hospitality venues can revitalize historic properties in downtown districts. It signals an effort to re-engage office workers by integrating professional amenities into leisure spaces.
The renovation project required a $750,000 investment to transform the 124-year-old Kelly's Olympian site. The impact of this investment remains unknown, as does the total capacity of the new upstairs shared workspace.
The players
Kelly's Olympian
A 124-year-old bar in Portland that serves as the foundation for this hybrid business expansion.
UrbanWork
A coworking firm expanding its footprint through a partnership to integrate workspace into hospitality settings.
The details
The renovation added a dedicated upstairs shared workspace and a new passage connecting the bar to an adjacent music venue. This partnership aims to capture demand from remote workers who prefer multi-use environments that transition from daytime productivity to evening hospitality. The owners explicitly chose to reinvest in the Portland location rather than divest, despite neighboring challenges like the drug trafficking issues noted at the Washington Center since 2023.
Timeline
2017: U.S. Custom House sold for $30 million.
2023: Washington Center became a nexus for drug trafficking.
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026: Renovated space opens to the public.
Market Landscape
This project continues the trend of high-stakes real estate moves downtown, following the $30 million 2017 sale of the U.S. Custom House. It marks a departure from pure-play hospitality by integrating coworking utilities into legacy bar environments.
Operators in high-traffic urban centers should monitor if this hybrid model successfully drives repeat daytime foot traffic. Consider whether your existing facility has underutilized square footage that could support flexible work-from-anywhere memberships.
The takeaway
The success of this $750,000 project hinges on the ability to turn a traditional hospitality venue into a productive daytime office environment. Owners should track hourly usage metrics of the new upstairs workspace to determine if the hybrid model delivers sustainable revenue growth.
Further reading
For broader trends on workspace evolution, browse our Remote Work section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Oregon Live.
Live Poll
Will the blend of coworking and bar space successfully help revive Portland's downtown business core?
