Oregon Zoo Takes Over Shuttered Children's Museum
The zoo will expand its Washington Park campus into the closed museum building, with no plan for its use yet set.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in National Parks
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Oregon Zoo will take ownership of the shuttered Portland Children's Museum building in Washington Park, a move that expands the zoo's campus. The zoo's director announced the acquisition in a news release, ending years of uncertainty over the empty building.
Why it matters
The Portland Children's Museum closed in 2021 citing devastating attendance and revenue losses, and nothing in the Portland area has replaced it since. For the building, which has significant structural issues and was marked for demolition in the city's 2018 Washington Park master plan, the zoo's ownership changes what happens next on a site that shares a parking lot with the zoo.
The sale price agreed between the city and Metro was $3 million in 2024, for a building that operated as a children's museum for 20 years before it closed in 2021. The zoo has not yet said how it will use the space.
The players
Oregon Zoo
The Portland zoo in Washington Park that will take ownership of the former Children's Museum building and expand its campus.
Metro
The elected regional government that runs the Oregon Zoo and agreed to buy the museum building from the city.
City of Portland
The city that agreed in 2024 to sell the shuttered museum building to Metro and marked it for demolition in its 2018 Washington Park master plan.
The details
The Oregon Zoo director announced in a news release on Thursday that the zoo will take ownership of the former Portland Children's Museum building in Washington Park. The City of Portland agreed in 2024 to sell the building to Metro, the regional agency that runs the zoo, for $3 million. The acquisition will expand the zoo's campus, and the zoo could potentially move administrative services into the space, though it has not yet decided what it will do with the building.
Timeline
2018: The Washington Park master plan marked the museum building for demolition.
2021: The Portland Children's Museum closed.
2024: The City of Portland agreed to sell the building to Metro for $3 million.
November 5, 2026: The Oregon Zoo announced it will take ownership of the building.
Beyond the Bridges
The 2018 Washington Park master plan had marked this building for demolition, so the zoo's acquisition reverses that earlier plan for the site. It also follows the city's 2024 agreement to sell the building to Metro, which moved ownership toward the regional agency that runs the zoo.
If you visit Washington Park, the zoo's expansion into the former museum building could change how the campus and its shared parking lot are used over time. Watch for the zoo's decision on what the building will become, since no plan has been set yet.
The takeaway
The Children's Museum site has moved from a demolition designation in 2018 to zoo ownership, but its future use is still open. Keep an eye on the Oregon Zoo for any announced plan for the building.
Further reading
For more on the city's green spaces and the parks that surround Washington Park, browse our National Parks coverage.
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Would you support reopening a children's museum in the Portland area?
