Portland Museum of Art picks West Coast architecture firm for $100M revamp

LEVER Architecture The winning design by LEVER Architecture, at left in the background, includes a nod to Maine's Native tribes with a curved roofline designed to frame the sun in the morning and evening.

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By Ann Fisher

The sun will literally rise and set on the design submitted by the team that will lead the Portland Museum of Art's expansion project in what's being called “one of the most significant moments" in the museum's 140-year history.

Based in Los Angeles and Portland, Ore., LEVER Architecture was chosen this week to lead Portland Museum of Art's $100 million expansion, what it's calling "The PMA Blueprint."

The LEVER team envisions a new building at 142 Free St. made from mass timber, terracotta and glass. In accordance with a requirement that the winning design includes a nod to Maine's Native tribes, the curved roofline is designed to frame the sun as it rises and sets, in honor of Maine’s Wabanaki communities and the land they call Wabanakik, or Dawnland.

After a request for qualifications was sent out in June 2022, the competition, led by Dovetail Design Strategists, saw just over 100 submissions from 20 countries, including Australia, Belgium, China, Denmark, Finland, Japan, South Korea, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, according to a prepared release. The competition asked participants to assemble diverse and specialized teams to ensure that accessibility, equity, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability were at the heart of their submissions.

LEVER was selected after a months-long process that included site visits, presentations, a public forum and community feedback. The Jury, comprised of arts, business and cultural leaders, resoundingly chose LEVER due to its "creativity and imagination, skill and expertise, team composition and culture, and sustainability and vision" in nods to Maine communities, history and culture.

Portland Museum of Art was founded in 1882 and is among the oldest museums in the country. It is also the largest and most visited art institution in Maine. The PMA’s collection includes more than 18,000 objects, including 19th- and 20th-century American and European art and iconic works from Maine.

After the Children's Museum of Maine announced in 2019 that it was moving from the building adjacent to the PMA, the museum saw an opportunity for expansion and put out a worldwide call for architecture teams of designers.

The campus envisioned by LEVER includes more open spaces, areas for performances and special events, places where kids can get creative and messy and plenty of galleries.

"Our teams' perspectives on Wabanaki culture, community engagement, and universal accessibility were at the root of this design process," LEVER Principal Chandra Robinson said. "The PMA's competition brief was a challenge to the very definition of what a museum is. It was a call to action to designers around the world to question what it means to truly design for people, for communities, and for a specific place in the world."

LEVER Architecture

A rendering of the proposed Free Street entrance to the PMA by LEVER Architecture.

“This is one of the most significant moments in the PMA’s 140-year history,” said Mark Bessire, the Judy and Leonard Lauder director of the Portland Museum of Art. “LEVER, and the team they have assembled, have demonstrated that they care deeply about our region’s future, our unique arts culture, and the needs of our communities. They share our values of courage, equity, service, sustainability, and trust, and we can’t wait to work with LEVER and our communities to imagine Maine’s next great landmark.”

LEVER was one of four finalists that included Adjaye Associates of New York City, MVRDV, based in the Netherlands, and Toshiko Mori Architect + Johnston Marklee + Preston Scott Cohen, also based in NYC.

LEVER will now start the design process for the new wing, along with a project to unify the museum's four buildings. In the next phase, LEVER and the PMA will develop a final design over the next several months and include more discussions and community engagement.

"Throughout the design competition, the PMA reiterated that the designs were concepts only, meant to provide insight into the teams’ visions, culture, and ideas," according to the release. "In selecting LEVER Architecture, the museum is choosing the team it believes will partner with the PMA and greater Portland, Maine, to develop the next great Maine landmark and deliver on the promise of Art for All."

LEVER Architecture is recognized for design excellence and innovative work with mass timber construction. The 55-person firm encompasses multiple scales and types, ranging from a major expansion of Adidas’ North American headquarters to student housing for the Pacific Northwest College of Art.