Portland Art Museum Rothko Pavilion and Campus Transformation

Portland Art Museum’s campus renovation and expansion — featuring the new 24,000-square-foot Rothko Pavilion — transforms the downtown institution, creating more equitable access to art and vastly improving the visitor and staff experience. The project encompasses the addition of 100,000 square feet of new or upgraded public and gallery space, in addition to the pavilion.

As the centerpiece, the Rothko Pavilion establishes a clear and inviting main entrance, welcoming visitors with universal access, transparency, and a strong connection to the South Park Blocks. Bridging a former pedestrian right-of-way between Pietro Belluschi’s original museum complex (1932-72) to the south and the Mark building (Fred Fritsch, 1927) to the north, the pavilion also simplifies interior circulation and disparate floor elevations, creating an intuitive and cohesive venue for art.

The crystalline, contemporary form projects a distinctly Modernist character but respects its historic partners. The ground-level, admission-free Community Commons is a gathering space for all. The upper facades — monumentally clad in white, ceramic-fritted glass — acknowledge Belluschi’s iconic travertine trim and the Mark Building’s vertical proportions, while reducing solar heat gain and meeting bird-safe standards. On the interior, the pavilion features extensive glazing, art display walls with minimal detailing, and white oak gallery floors.

The updated campus balances the needs of its urban neighborhood and reinforces the museum’s role as a cultural beacon. An open-air street-level passageway on the north side of the pavilion connects the east and west entry plazas and maintains a tradition of pedestrian and bicycle traffic through the site. Key pieces from the museum’s sculpture collection are located in public, outdoor spaces, and passersby can enjoy sheltered views into galleries, extending the museum experience into the public realm.

Designed in partnership by Portland’s Hennebery Eddy Architects and Chicago-based Vinci Hamp Architects, the $116 million expansion is one of the most significant capital investments in the arts in the history of Oregon. The pavilion is part of a 20-year partnership with the children of renowned painter Mark Rothko, in recognition of the artist’s legacy in Portland, his childhood home, and the museum where he took art classes as a teen and where he received his first solo exhibition. Christopher Rothko and Kate Rothko Prizel loaned the museum major paintings by their father from their private collection.