Rothko Pavilion

The Rothko Pavilion is a 2,200 m² (24,000 sq ft) glass pavilion in Portland, Oregon, connecting the Portland Art Museum's main building to the neighboring Mark Building.^[5][6]

Rothko Pavilion
The pavilion under construction, 2025
Interactive map of Rothko Pavilion
General information
Status	Completed
Coordinates	45.51652°N 122.68317°W / 45.51652; -122.68317
Construction started	November 2023[citation needed]
Opened	November 20, 2025
Cost	$111 million[1] or $116 million[2][3]
Technical details
Size	21,881 square feet (2,032.8 m2)
Design and construction
Architecture firm	Hennebery Eddy, Vinci Hamp
References
[4]

The building is named after Mark Rothko^[7][8] and is part of a partnership with Rothko’s children, Christopher Rothko and Kate Rothko Prizel, who promised to provide loans of major Rothko paintings from their private collection over the course of two decades.^[9]

Design

The Rothko Pavilion connects the Portland Art Museum's main building (top) with the Mark Building (bottom).

Designed by the Chicago-based architecture firm Vinci Hamp in collaboration with the Portland-based Hennebery Eddy Architects,^[10] the building required a redesign to incorporate a breezeway for accessibility purposes.^{[11][12][13][14]}

History

The project was first announced in 2016, as be the museum's largest expansion since 2005.^[15] To pay for project, the museum began a $50 million capital campaign, along with a $25 million campaign to create a dedicated endowment.^[16] By May 2017, the museum had raised approximately $27 million for the project.^[17]

In May 2019, the project was approved by the city's Historic Landmarks Commission.^[18]

In January 2020, the museum received a donation of $10 million from philanthropist Arlene Schnitzer, to be used for the pavilion.^[19] The museum said that it hoped to begin construction in fall 2021, though it still had more funds to raise.^[20]

The pavilion's steel structure was completed in July 2024.^[21] In March 2025, the museum announced a grand opening date of November 20.^[22][23]

The Rothko Pavilion and other renovations to the museum were completed in 2025, with the cost alternatively listed as $111 million^[1] or $116 million.^[2][3] The pavilion opened to the public on November 20, 2025, with free admission and events through November 23.^[24]