The Oregon Zoo now owns the long-vacant Portland Children's Museum building in Washington Park, adding 3.4 acres to its campus.
The zoo announced the acquisition in a news release on Nov. 4. The Oregonian also covered the announcement.
The property is adjacent to the zoo's Washington Park campus and shares a parking lot with the zoo. It housed the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) for more than 30 years and the Portland Children's Museum for 20 years after that. Both the museum and the Opal Charter School, which also occupied the site, closed permanently in June 2021 during the pandemic. The museum cited "devastating attendance and revenue losses."
Since then, the building has sat empty. Windows are boarded up, play areas are closed off and plantings have gone to seed, according to the zoo's release.
What the zoo plans to do
The zoo has not announced specific plans for the site.
Oregon Zoo Director Heidi Rahn said the zoo will evaluate how the property might support conservation, education, animal well-being and visitor experiences. One possibility: moving some administrative functions and support services to the new site, which would free up usable space on the zoo's current campus. But specific plans have not been established, according to the release.
"This gives us a chance to dream a little bigger," Rahn said.
The zoo has been at its Washington Park location since 1959. Its main campus covers 64 acres, but only about 43 are considered usable because of geologic and environmental limitations. The former museum property could provide what Rahn called "much-needed flexibility" as the zoo begins carrying out its new campus plan.
The building's problems
The structure has significant issues. The zoo's release stated the building "has significant structural issues and was marked for demolition as part of the City of Portland's 2018 Washington Park master plan."
Whether the zoo will demolish, renovate or repurpose the building has not been announced.
How the deal came together
The City of Portland agreed to sell the 3.4-acre property to Metro, the regional government that runs the zoo, for $3 million. The Portland City Council was set to vote on the sale in December 2024, according to City Council records reported by The Oregonian at the time.
Under the sale agreement, the city retained the right to use some space in any future buildings Metro constructs on the site for up to 25 years, along with six parking spaces and access to a nearby road. The $3 million goes to Portland Parks & Recreation's budget, and Metro covers surveying and administrative costs.
The sale aligned with the city's 2018 Washington Park master plan, which designated the museum building for demolition. City officials said the sale would eliminate the city's responsibility for the vacant property.
Suburban efforts to fill the gap left by the Children's Museum were underway as of late 2024, including the FLIP Museum in Hillsboro and the Columbia Play Project in Vancouver. Their current status is unclear. No replacement has opened within Portland itself, according to The Oregonian.
