Two Projects Receive 2026 DeMuro Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation

By Hennebery Eddy

In the News
Pietro Belluschi’s design for the Portland Art Museum's Hirsch Wing addition included a light-filled, double-height sculpture court, which served as a precedent for the double-height, second-floor sculpture gallery of the new Rothko Pavilion.

Two Hennebery Eddy projects, the Astoria Public Library and Portland Art Museum Rothko Pavilion & Campus Renovation, were honored in the Restore Oregon’s 2026 DeMuro Awards program recognizing excellence in historic preservation. The DeMuro Awards are Oregon’s highest honor for the preservation, reuse, and revitalization of architectural and cultural sites. Winning projects are selected by a jury of professionals in the field of historic preservation and related disciplines, who evaluate entries based on extraordinary craftsmanship, community impact, affordable housing, and overall contributions to Oregon’s climate and sustainability goals.

library architects
Astoria Public Library at the north elevation following renovation, where two pairs of concrete panels were replaced with full-height curtain wall glazing. This change visually maintains the historic panel widths and retains two eyebrow hoods and two concrete panels flanking each side while bringing even, diffused daylight into the library and improving the building’s overall street presence.

Astoria Public Library

The comprehensive renovation of the Astoria Public Library in Astoria, Oregon, transformed a civic landmark while preserving its distinctive mid-century Brutalist character. Originally built in 1967 as the Astor Library & Veterans Memorial and designed by local architects Ernest E. and Ebba W. Brown, the building remains one of their most distinguished projects. Ebba Wicks Brown is noteworthy in her own right, being the first female architect licensed by exam in Oregon. Following decades of use, the City of Astoria undertook a sensitive $10.7 million rehabilitation, completed in 2025, that doubled the library’s usable program space within its original footprint while honoring its distinctive Modernist character.

Astoria Public Library north elevation prior to renovation, featuring taller building heights and a rhythm of precast concrete panels and narrow single-pane slot windows with cast stone eyebrow hoods.

Through community engagement and sustainable preservation strategies, the project reimagined what was an inwardly focused concrete structure as an open, light-filled gathering place. The project involved expanded use of the previously underutilized basement, a solution that retained embodied energy and saved 73% of upfront carbon costs compared to the construction of a new building of similar size. It also included accessibility upgrades and carefully integrated daylighting improvements to enhance functionality while preserving character-defining historic features like precast concrete panel walls with large, exposed quartz aggregate; slot windows with cast stone eyebrow hoods; and Armstrong ceilings with integral lighting; along with several pieces of original mid-century furniture such as the iconic orange Eames tablet-arm chairs. By prioritizing cultural history, inclusive community access, and the reuse of existing building volume, the revitalized library demonstrates how historic preservation can strengthen civic infrastructure, reduce environmental impact, and serve as a vehicle for public education and cultural equity. You can read more about the project and why it was honored from Restore Oregon.

Congratulations to the project team: Hennebery Eddy Architects, City of Astoria Public Library, O’Brien Construction, KPFF Consulting Engineers, DELA STUDIO, Arris Consulting, Interface Engineering, The Greenbusch Group, Inc., Center Pointe, and Otak CPM.

library architects
Astoria Public Library’s main reading room following renovation, featuring the new glazed wall and floor opening to the basement, large-scale murals, and the rehabilitated suspended acoustic ceiling and integrated lighting.

Portland Art Museum Rothko Pavilion & Campus Renovation

The Portland Art Museum Rothko Pavilion & Campus Renovation marks a transformative milestone for the oldest art museum in the Pacific Northwest. Originally founded in 1892 in downtown Portland, Oregon, the museum’s campus evolved over nearly a century through a collection of significant historic buildings, including Pietro Belluschi’s iconic Ayer and Hirsch Wings and the historic Mark Building, originally a Masonic Temple. Completed in 2025, the $111 million renovation renewed 100,000 square feet of gallery space and introduced the 24,000-square-foot Rothko Pavilion, creating a unified and accessible campus while preserving the museum’s architectural legacy. Ultimately, this transformation ensures that one of Portland’s most treasured cultural institutions will endure by allowing it to thoughtfully grow in place.

In 1968, the City of Portland vacated Madison Street between the Portland Art Museum’s Main and Mark Buildings, creating space for a plaza (pictured here c.1974) that later became the museum’s sculpture courtyard and included a public passage for bikes and pedestrians between SW 10th and Park Aves.

Designed in partnership by Hennebery Eddy Architects and Vinci Hamp Architects, the project united separate and distinct historic structures into a single, cohesive art institution — requiring meticulous coordination and a skilled, sensitive approach to building conservation. The project team successfully bridged the gaps, both physical and experiential, between the disparate buildings, executing a sophisticated design that honors the legacies of two of Portland’s most prominent 20th-century artists: architect Pietro Belluschi and painter Mark Rothko. By retaining and reusing historic materials, modernizing building systems, improving accessibility, and creating a new public circulation spine, the renovation transformed the visitor experience while minimizing impacts to the historic fabric. The revitalized campus strengthens the museum’s role as a cultural anchor, fostering civic equity, urban connectivity, and long-term stewardship of one of Portland’s most treasured cultural institutions. You can read more about the project and why it was honored from Restore Oregon.

Congratulations to the project team: Hennebery Eddy Architects, Vinci | Hamp Architects, Portland Art Museum, Mortenson Construction, KPFF Consulting Engineers, Code Unlimited, Edgett Williams Consulting Group, Studio NYL, Halliday Associates, Inc., Andrea Cochran, Walker Macy, Lux Populi, Interface Engineering, RWDI, Kittelson & Associates, and Urban Resources, Inc.

Rothko Pavilion
As the new primary point of entry, the Rothko Pavilion provides a fully accessible and welcoming entry sequence designed to accommodate large groups and a range of mobility devices. Transparent and set back from the historic buildings so as not to compete with or overwhelm them, the pavilion acts as a connecting fabric among the all the museum’s parts and the South Park Blocks.

Check out all the 2026 DeMuro Award-winning projects here. Hennebery Eddy is proud to add the 2026 award to our eight past projects also recognized with DeMuro Awards: Oregon Rail Heritage Center Historic Brooklyn Roundhouse Turntable (2025), Oregon Supreme Court Modernization (2023), University of Oregon Gerlinger Alumni Lounge (2022), Jim Fisher Volvo (2021), KEX / Vivian Apartments Rehabilitation (2020), Sherman County Courthouse (2019), University of Oregon Chapman Hall (2018), OSU Strand Agriculture Hall (2016).