PSU's new home for the Jordan Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design. Photo by Jason O'Rear
Portland State University is pleased to announce a historic milestone for the region’s creative community with the grand opening of the new home for the Jordan Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design. This landmark facility, one of the largest purpose-built art school structures in the U.S., will serve as a centralized hub for creative innovation and a vibrant new cultural anchor for downtown Portland.
Designed by LEVER Architecture, the 106,000-square-foot facility is PSU’s first mass-timber structure, utilizing wood sourced from sustainable forest land and tribally owned enterprises in the Pacific Northwest. The building is a welcoming, light-filled center for creative collaboration, learning and making that will benefit both the larger Portland arts community and the students of the Jordan Schnitzer School, whose design program consistently ranks among the best in the nation (see GDUSA 2025).
Occupying a full city block, the new art building converts a former parking lot into an active and vibrant landmark that engages the surrounding campus and the downtown community, joining Portland’s historic arts corridor. The interior is organized around a series of flexible commons areas that act as informal gathering, exhibition and learning spaces. By uniting formerly scattered disciplines under one roof, the structure fosters deeper cross-departmental collaboration and inclusivity. Designed with extensive input from students and faculty, the facility is a premier example of an arts building built entirely around a sustainable mass-timber framework, blending ecological responsibility with purpose-built creative spaces.
“PSU’s College of the Arts is a generative force for our region’s creative workforce and the pilot flame for arts in Portland,” said PSU President Ann Cudd. “This building takes its place at the southern end of Portland’s vaunted arts and culture corridor as a manifestation of the creative spirit that animates our city and our university.”
The new building features four floors of specialized classrooms, labs, studios, offices, meeting rooms and exhibition spaces, putting the creativity of the Jordan Schnitzer School community on display at every turn. Visitors are welcomed on the ground floor by a series of street-facing galleries for student and professional art installations, while large-scale murals by students, professional artists and alumni energize every level of the building. Integrated into the building’s layout is public art funded through Oregon’s Percent for Art legislation, a state program that dedicates one percent of public construction budgets to commission site-specific works. These installations will offer additional creative perspectives and inspire students across the school for generations to come.
“This new home for the Jordan Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design is a dream decades in the making,” said Leroy E. Bynum, Jr., Dean of the College of the Arts. “By bringing our students, faculty, and programs together under one roof, this beautiful building will serve as a vibrant nexus for creative collaboration, inclusion and artistic expression at PSU and across the Portland arts landscape.”
The new building is one of Portland’s most technically advanced mass timber projects to date. Built to LEED Gold standards and using timber sourced from regional forests and fabricated locally, it features native landscaping and a green roof. The innovative design allows for flexible classroom layouts, naturally lit studios and seismic resiliency.
“The school is designed as a cultural bridge connecting the arts, the city, and the forest through regionally sourced mass timber, social spaces, and community,” said Thomas Robinson, Founding Principal of LEVER Architecture. “In building at this scale, we’re investing in the city’s identity as a leader in sustainable design and strengthening Portland’s leadership in mass timber innovation and creative culture.”
The $90 million capital project was funded through a combination of public investment and philanthropic support from a community of donors, including a lead gift from Portland-based real estate developer, and ARTnews Top 200 art collector, Jordan Schnitzer.
Schnitzer, an internationally recognized art collector, is a longstanding supporter of PSU. Schnitzer and his late parents’ total philanthropic commitment to PSU tops $26 million, making them PSU’s most generous benefactor family overall. In 2024, the Jordan Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design was named in honor of this remarkable impact.
“The new Jordan Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design will be a beacon of excitement, not only for students and teachers, but for our entire Portland community!” said Jordan D. Schnitzer. “The brilliantly designed CLT architecture is stunning and this building will serve the dreams and goals of thousands of students for many years to come. On behalf of my family, we are honored to continue to give back and help Portland State University and our entire community become the best it can be.”
About Portland State University
PSU is Oregon’s Urban Research University, located in the heart of downtown Portland and leading the way to success for all students. With more than 200 degree programs, Portland State meets its 20,000 students where they are and gives them flexibility, opportunities for applied learning and support to achieve their goals. Our students do more than study the issues: They put new ideas in action to create a just, equitable and sustainable future in Portland and beyond. www.pdx.edu
About LEVER Architecture
LEVER Architecture is a leading architecture practice recognized for design excellence and innovative work with mass timber construction. Based in Portland, OR, and Los Angeles, the firm collaborates with communities, institutions, and creative companies to design buildings that elevate human experience. In addition to the PSU Jordan Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design, select recent and ongoing projects include two expanded Carnegie-era libraries in Portland, OR, the Portland Museum of Art in Maine, a multi-building campus for NBCUniversal, and the University of Oregon's Oregon Acoustic Research Lab. www.leverarchitecture.com