The Portland Art Museum opened its doors to the public Thursday afternoon to celebrate its new expansion — a $111 million project almost a decade in the making.

Hundreds of visitors streamed through the glass doors of the museum’s new entrance, which connects two historic masonry buildings that were once separated by a courtyard.

“It’s kind of a project of a lifetime,” said Philip Hamp, principal at Vinci Hamp Architects, one of the two architecture firms that worked on the project. “I’m really proud of this glass connection and how it unifies both buildings.”

The Mark Rothko Pavilion connects the 1932 original museum complex by Pietro Belluschi and the Mark Building, a former Masonic Temple built in 1927. Many of the floors of the original buildings did not align, sometimes by as much as a foot and a half, according to Hamp.

The new pavilion is named after abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko, who emigrated as a child from Dvinsk, then a part of Russia, to America. He was raised in Portland, attending Lincoln High School before making his way to New York to develop as an artist. He was a major player in founding the abstract expressionist movement, becoming one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.

“It’s very well done, nice and light. Which is good because I think the old museum was lovely too but there were dark corners,” said museum visitor Wendy Brown. “So far what we’ve seen is very open and very light, more like what I think Portland is.”

Brian Ferriso, director of the Portland Art Museum, said that connecting the buildings has also made the museum more accessible and more visible from the outside.

“We’ve always had a beautiful active museum, but our buildings, you don’t really see into them, or you can’t see out of them, but this allows that to happen,” Ferriso said.

After almost 20 years at the helm, and leading the museum through a multi-million dollar expansion, Ferriso’s tenure at the museum is ending. He will start as the new Eugene McDermott Director at the Dallas Museum of Art on December 1.

The four-story addition includes a floating walkway, gallery spaces, new locker rooms, a gift shop and two outdoor patios. The project was 98% privately funded and over 1,200 donors contributed funds.

“I just love that you can see the city from inside and it feel like you’re in Portland when you’re in here,” said museum visitor Lily Doebler. “It’s really well done.”

OPB’s Executive Editor of Arts & Culture Jessica Martin contributed to this story.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/11/21/portland-art-museum-rothko-pavilion/