Portland Children's Museum was a

children's museum Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums feat ...

located in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

's Washington Park, adjacent to the

Oregon Zoo The Oregon Zoo, originally the Portland Zoo and later the Washington Park Zoo, is a zoo located in Washington Park, Portland, Oregon, approximately southwest of downtown Portland. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi Ri ...

. Founded in 1946, Portland Children's Museum was the sixth oldest children's museum in the world and the oldest west of the

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. The museum received over a quarter of a million visits from children and their families every year. It was a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

organization with tax-exempt status and member of the Association of Children's Museums. In March 2021, the museum announced it would permanently close at the end of June, due to the financial loss brought on by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

History

Portland Children's Museum was founded in 1946 as the Adventure House by recreation director of

Portland Parks & Recreation Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) is a Bureau of the City of Portland, Oregon that manages the city parks, natural areas, recreational facilities, gardens, and trails. The properties, which occupy a total of more than . The bureau employs a total ...

, Dorothea Lensch. Dr. Lensch was the first woman appointed Recreation Director for the division. The original museum building was located at the

Jacob Kamm Jacob Kamm (12 December 1823 – 16 December 1912) was a prominent early transportation businessman in Oregon, USA. Early life Kamm was born on 12 December 1823, in Canton of Glarus, Switzerland. His family migrated to America when he was 8 to ...

mansion in Southwest Portland until 1950 when it moved to a building (formerly a dormitory) on Lair Hill just south of downtown Portland. The Lair Hill Museum contained a pet library (from which children could check-out animals) as well as a variety of interactive and informative exhibits. The Lair Hill museum hosted regular arts and crafts workshops as well as sports games and other activities. After 51 years of occupancy at the downtown location, the building was closed on March 31, 2001, and Portland Children's Museum moved to its final location in Washington Park, in the building which previously housed

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI, ) is a science and technology museum in Portland, Oregon, United States. It contains three auditoriums, including a large-screen theatre, planetarium, and exhibition halls with a variety of hands- ...

Portland Childrens Museum water - Oregon

The mission of Portland Children's Museum was to create transformative learning experiences through the arts and sciences. The museum used cognitive science and child development research to inform environments and programs that promoted healthy cognitive, social, emotional and physical development. Myriad exhibits, including ''Water Works, Play-it-Again Theater, Building Bridgetown, Groundworks, Outdoor Adventure, and the Baby's Garden,'' along with the Museum's art studios, ''The Clay Studio, The Wonder Corner and The Garage'' encouraged playful inquiry, cultivated creative expression and helped children learn how to learn. Portland Children's Museum provided access to the Museum and Museum programs for children and families with economic, social or physical challenges through the Community Partners Program. Qualifying children, families, schools and other groups had access to low-cost Museum memberships and family passes, free or subsidized arts workshops, and other resources. The Museum also hosted a number of admission-free days and evenings. As of 2009, the Community Partners Program provided access to the Museum and Museum programs for over 20,000 children and their families. Opal School of the Portland Children’s Museum was an elementary school that was chartered by the Portland Public School District. Opal’s teaching and learning approaches were influenced and inspired by the philosophies and practices of the

Reggio Emilia approach The Reggio Emilia approach is an educational philosophy and pedagogy focused on preschool and primary education. This approach is a student-centered and constructivist self-guided curriculum that uses self-directed, experiential learning in rela ...

. Portland Children's Museum was supported through member contributions, sponsorships, foundation grants, federal grants, and the support of generous individuals. While the museum had a full-time staff, it depended on volunteers at every level of the organization.

References

External links

* {{Coord, 45.508542, -122.717875, type:landmark_region:US-OR, display=title 1946 establishments in Oregon Children's museums in Oregon Museums in Portland, Oregon Washington Park (Portland, Oregon) 2021 disestablishments in Oregon