The Portland Art Museum and its three buildings by Pietro Belluschi are the heart of Oregon’s cultural heritage. ABA’s renovation and expansion was completed over three phases. Phase One restored the original Belluschi building, and introduced new visitor services, gallery improvements and climate control. Phase Two converted the former art studios in the Hoffman Wing into new museum galleries, a shop and café, program spaces, expanding the museum by 60,000 sf. A new 385-seat auditorium for film, lecture, and music programs was constructed below a new sculpture plaza.
The final phase, a 146,000 sf Center for Modern and Contemporary Art, provided 28,000 sf of galleries for the Museum’s expanding collections. The former Masonic Temple also provides a dramatic setting for special events, administrative offices and the museum library, containing the most significant collection of art reference resources in the Northwest, all connected to the Museum through an underground link. These projects received awards from the American Institute of Architects’ Northwest/Pacific and Portland Chapters and the Boston Society of Architects.