Add one more name to the mounting list of JumpTown supporters.

While Portland Trail Blazers team president Larry Miller prepares to give another JumpTown presentation today at the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs, the Portland Winterhawks are jumping in to support the Blazers and their plan to revitalize the Rose Quarter.

The Blazers announced today that the minor league hockey team and main tenant of Memorial Coliseum will partner with the Blazers on a plan to redevelop the Rose Quarter and the Winterhawks' home stadium.

According to the press release, “The proposed concept would revitalize Portland’s iconic arena as part of the Trail Blazers' larger vision for a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood at the Rose Quarter. The concept advocates a reduced seating capacity at Memorial Coliseum to create a more intimate venue for the Winterhawks, the arena’s anchor tenant, and other users. The changes will also help attract new events and will add non-event activity to further enliven the venue.”

Winterhawks President Doug Piper believes the collaboration will benefit the history of hockey in Portland. Since the late 1970s, the junior ice hockey team has called the Coliseum home.

“A revitalized Memorial Coliseum will help ensure our long-term future with an intimate, first-class facility in a building rich with hockey history that dates back nearly 50 years,” Piper said.

The teams will work with the mayor’s Stakeholder Advisory Committee to ensure the plan includes a memorial. Attracting more visitors to the area by upgrading Memorial Coliseum amenities appears the most important part of the plan.

The Coliseum, which will serve as part of a multipurpose sports facility in the JumpTown vision, already draws more than 430,000 guests each year for more than 150 events, including the Winterhawks, the Rose Festival, Oregon School Activities Association events, and other community and neighborhood gatherings.

“Hockey has a tremendous history in Portland,” Larry Miller said. “We are pleased to partner with the Winterhawks for an even stronger project. An invigorated Memorial Coliseum will play a central role in a neighborhood that’s green, vibrant and economically sustainable for the city of Portland.”

Photos by ArtBrom