Vibrant New Street Murals Transform Portland's Electric Blocks
Portland, Oregon
Street Murals on SE 2nd Avenue and SE Clay Street at Killian Pacific’s Electric Blocks.
Over two sweltering weeks this August, the streets surrounding Portland's Electric Blocks were transformed through an ambitious collaboration between Portland Street Art Alliance (PSAA), Killian Pacific, and SymbiOp Garden Shop. The new street murals feature dynamic multi-color splashes that appear to radiate from the renowned Nova building and flow across the pavement at SE 2nd & Market, creating a visual bridge that unifies the innovative office campus.
A CANVAS DECADES IN THE MAKING
The Electric Blocks, developed by Killian Pacific, is a five-building, 350,000-square-foot campus in Portland’s Central Eastside designed to meet the needs of modern workplaces. It sits at the heart of Portland's Central Eastside Mural District, a creative epicenter where art, innovation, and community converge. The centerpiece Nova building holds special significance in Portland's street art history, having been carefully constructed to incorporate the graffiti-covered remnants of the Taylor Electric Supply Company warehouse, which was destroyed by fire in 2006.
For a decade (2006-2016), those ruins became a nexus of local, regional, and national graffiti and street art, attracting artists and admirers from around the world. When the campus opened in 2018, PSAA partnered with Killian Pacific to create the Taylor Electric Project – a rotating open-air street art gallery that has since featured work by hundreds of artists. In 2023, this artistic collaboration expanded to include the Volta Building's garage gallery across SE Market Street.
These mural projects are funded through PSAA's innovative Community Art Program, which relies on donations from local businesses and community members, as well as grants that PSAA actively pursues and secures.
COMMUNITY AT THE HEART OF CREATION
Photo Courtesy of Sabin CDC
This latest project, designed by artist Hayden Senter and installed by Project Lead Kirk Rea of SymbiOp Garden Shop, exemplifies the community-driven approach that defines the Electric Blocks. The installation included Community Painting Days hosted by Sabin Community Development Corporation (CDC), a non-profit dedicated to promoting social equity in Portland's diverse neighborhoods, and property owner Killian Pacific, inviting tenants to literally help put color on the ground.
"A highlight of working on the streets for our mural and landscaping services is having folks passing by, stop, and say hello. It feels good to hear many positive comments, especially from folks that live, work, and play here, and how the mural brightens their day." – Kirk Rea, Project Lead from SymbiOp Garden Shop
“SymbiOp Garden Shop and Landscaping works to do good for people and the planet. While our main services are plant-centric, installing painted plazas and street art is exciting to us as a way of transforming grey spaces and single-use spaces, like streets, into diverse use and magical places. Street paintings are a beacon that life, joy, and beauty are happening here.” – SymbiOp Garden Shop
MORE THAN ART: PLACEMAKING WITH PURPOSE
For Killian Pacific, the street murals represent a continuation of their commitment to creative placemaking that extends beyond building walls into the public realm.
"Our goal is for the streets that connect our buildings to feel like part of the campus itself, places that invite people to gather, celebrate, and experience art outside the walls of our buildings. These murals are part of our commitment to supporting artistic expression and building community, and we see them as a lasting invitation for people to connect and create together at the Electric Blocks." – Chelsea Rooklyn, Brand & Impact Manager at Killian Pacific
The Electric Blocks street painting was a labor of love for PSAA, and continues our management of rotating art installations at the site since its redevelopment. To PSAA, the project represents something deeper than urban beautification; it has its own special place in the fabric of the organization.
"This site and project are very near and dear to our hearts at PSAA. We used to come here to show people local art before it was redeveloped, and since then, we have spent countless hours here. It feels like our home base, our flagship project. This is how we want it to feel for the community, to have ownership over it, pride in it. We still love seeing how much the community uses and enjoys this space. Every time we are here, we see something new, fun, and exciting going on. This is the energy we want to help infuse in this special site. We think the new street painting helps continue this momentum perfectly." - Tiffany Conklin, PSAA Founding Executive Director
COLLABORATION MAKES IT ALL POSSIBLE
“The Portland Bureau of Transportation is proud to support street murals all over the city, including this beautiful new installation at the Electric Blocks. These projects represent some of the best of Portland – building community and adding beauty to our streets.” – Millicent Williams, Transportation Director, Portland Bureau of Transportation
The ambitious street mural project required extensive coordination and support from multiple partners. PSAA extends gratitude to all workers and volunteers who turned the concept into reality, and to project partners, including the Portland Bureau of Transportation, Rodda-Miller Paint, Melvin Mark, Absolute Cleaning Services, and D&H Flagging, for their essential contributions.
