Founded in 1909 as part of the Portland Art Museum, the school was originally known as the Museum Art School with Anna Belle Crocker serving as the head of the school. After the Pietro Belluschi designed home of the museum opened in 1932, the school moved into the upper floors of the building. In 1981, the school changed its name to Pacific Northwest College of Art in order to reflect its independence from the museum. The independence was solidified in April 1994 when the college formally split from the art museum and was incorporated as a legal entity distinct from the museum. In 1998, the college moved to its present campus in Portland's Pearl District.