The Oregon Zoo has officially acquired a 3.4-acre property that formerly housed the Portland Children’s Museum and OMSI, gaining a site adjacent to its Washington Park campus and laying the groundwork for future conservation, education and community-focused projects.
“This is an exciting moment for the zoo and for the community,” said Heidi Rahn, Oregon Zoo director. “The Children’s Museum and OMSI have inspired curiosity and sparked imagination for so many kids growing up in the region. We want to continue that legacy.”
The property — home to the Portland Children’s Museum for 20 years and to OMSI for more than 30 years before that — has been unoccupied since 2021, with windows boarded up, play areas closed off and plantings gone to seed…