Multiple renovations at Portland’s Lewis and Clark Law School, from classrooms to courtyards, honor the original spirit of Paul Thiry’s 1969 design.

The Lewis and Clark Law School campus in Portland was designed in 1969 by modernist pioneer Paul Thiry, and includes board-formed concrete walls, large planes of glass, and his trademark upside-down umbrella shaped wood ceilings. While still a beautiful campus, modifications and simple wear and tear over the past 50 years had eroded its original character.

Side × Side was hired to help generate a master plan for the Law School, then follow through with multiple phased improvements, including a renovated admissions and career advancement department, new Library offices, renovated classrooms, and a new entry plaza. With past experience renovating Thiry’s Frye Art Museum in Seattle, our team was able to revive and expand the Law School’s original design ethos. In particular, wood ceilings were restored to their original majesty, and sightlines restored.