Portland Museum of Art Proposes Temporary Open-Air Space on Free Street

The plan would bridge the gap before the museum's next construction phase and follows its recent acquisition of nearby MaineHealth properties.

Apr. 16, 2026 at 6:56am

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A brightly colored, high-contrast silkscreen print of a single, iconic architectural element from the Portland Museum of Art, such as a window frame or entryway, repeated in a tight grid pattern in the style of Andy Warhol. The image utilizes flat, vibrant, and unnatural neon color palettes overlapping with heavy black photographic outlines to turn an everyday museum feature into modern pop art.The Portland Museum of Art's plan for a temporary open-air courtyard on Free Street aims to activate the downtown area and provide a new public gathering space.Portland Today

The Portland Museum of Art is asking the city to let it turn the former Children's Museum site on Free Street into a temporary 4,200-square-foot open-air event space. This plan would help connect the museum's recent acquisitions of nearby MaineHealth properties and provide an interim space before the museum's next major construction phase.

Why it matters

The open-air courtyard would help activate Free Street downtown and provide a new public gathering space in the area around the Cross Insurance Arena. It also represents the museum's strategic expansion and consolidation of properties in the neighborhood as it plans for its future development.

The details

The Portland Museum of Art's proposal calls for transforming the former Children's Museum site on Free Street into a temporary 4,200-square-foot open-air event space. This would help bridge the gap before the museum's next major construction phase and follows its recent acquisition of nearby MaineHealth properties, giving it control of most of the block by the Cross Insurance Arena.

  • The Portland Museum of Art is asking the city for approval to use the former Children's Museum site.
  • The museum recently acquired nearby MaineHealth properties, giving it control of most of the block by the Cross Insurance Arena.

The players

Portland Museum of Art

A major art museum in Portland, Maine that is seeking to transform the former Children's Museum site on Free Street into a temporary open-air event space.

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What’s next

The museum's proposal must be approved by the city before it can move forward with the temporary open-air space on Free Street.

The takeaway

The Portland Museum of Art's plan for a new open-air courtyard on Free Street represents the museum's strategic expansion and consolidation of properties in the downtown area as it plans for future development. This temporary space could help activate the neighborhood and provide a new public gathering spot before the museum's next major construction phase.