Making the Portland Art Museum’s New Rothko Pavilion a Space for All Through Universal Design
The Portland Art Museum has long held accessibility at the core of its mission and offered a variety of services to assist visitors of all types. But the museum itself comprises two buildings, each with portions constructed in different eras and incrementally updated and expanded over several decades. Navigating the existing galleries across the various historic buildings has become increasingly problematic, and the need to create better connections has become a priority.
Hennebery Eddy, in partnership with Vinci Hamp Architects of Chicago, is designing the new Rothko Pavilion and campus renovations, which will connect the museum’s two existing buildings at every level, add 30,000 square feet of community and exhibition space, and establish a new, more accessible main entrance.