Background
The Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) is a spectacular 130,000 square foot rehabilitation of former U.S. Post Office in downtown Portland, Oregon.
The Project
The $31.5 million rehabilitation converted this 1918 neo-classical building into the home of PNCA including instructional spaces, classrooms, studios, laboratories, and supporting administrative and faculty spaces. It also includes a black box theater for lecture, performance, and installation purposes. PNCA enrolls over 600 students in 15 undergraduate and graduate programs, and another 1,500 students through its continuing education programs.
Community Impact
PNCA has become a development bridge at Broadway between the Pearl District and Old Town/Chinatown and has activated what would otherwise have become a vacant and deteriorating historic landmark. The college has participated in a number of service projects to benefit the community, including the development of a library at a juvenile detention center and the ongoing project with Portland’s innovative Bud Clark Commons, a large center that serves people experiencing homelessness.