Portland sells $3 million children’s museum property to Metro for Oregon Zoo

Published 11:26 am Thursday, December 5, 2024

By Bryce Dole, Oregon Public Broadcasting

Emily Reid hangs a sign on a fence at the Portland Children’s Museum during a 2021 rally to save it. The city of Portland has sold the long-dormant site to Metro.

The Portland City Council agreed Wednesday, Dec. 4, to sell the former home of the Portland Children’s Museum to the regional government agency Metro.

The council voted unanimously to approve the sale of the 3.4 acre lot for $3 million; Metro plans to use it to help expand the Oregon Zoo, the state’s top paid attraction.

The museum had been located on the 3.4 acre lot in Washington Park at 4033 S.W. Canyon Road since 2001. Officials moved in 2018 to demolish the building because it was aging to the point of being uninhabitable. The museum closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The building, which also housed the Opal Charter School, has remained largely vacant in recent years.

Metro serves the urban portions of the Portland three-county region and has responsibilities ranging from solid waste to greenspaces and the Oregon Zoo.

Oregon Public Broadcasting is a news partner of this publication. Find the original story here.

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