Dougy Center West comes to life with support from three project partners
Author
Dirk Knudsen
Date published
October 28, 2026
View Original Article
PORTLAND, Ore. (October 28, 2026) – Dougy Center: The National Grief Center for Children & Families, a world-renowned organization supporting children and families who are grieving before and after a death, today announced its partnership with Walsh Construction Co., Scott Edwards Architecture and Urban Resources Inc. (URI) on the development of Dougy Center West, also known as Malcolm’s House. The new 14,000-square-foot facility in Beaverton will expand access to grief support for children, teens and families throughout the Portland metro area.
Dougy Center West builds on a history of collaboration with project partners Scott Edwards Architecture and Urban Resources Inc. (URI), both of which contributed to the rebuilding of Dougy Center’s Eastside location following an arson fire in 2009. For Malcolm’s House, Walsh Construction joins Dougy Center as a new project partner, leading construction of the new Westside facility.
URI served as the owner’s representative during the Eastside rebuild and later served on the site selection committee, helping Dougy Center identify the right property for its Westside location. Together, Walsh Construction, Scott Edwards Architecture and URI are bringing Malcolm’s House to life, helping expand access to grief support for children and families at no cost.
“Working with Dougy Center is a lesson in empathy. When Scott Edwards Architecture was brought in to design its new Eastside home after a devastating fire in 2009, the team helped us understand not just what was needed in their building, but why it is meaningful. Those conversations helped us translate Dougy Center’s deep insights into how to foster healing through architecture. The same intentionality and care carried into the design and construction of Malcolm’s House, with Dougy Center’s leadership and staff guiding our like-minded team, including URI and Walsh Construction. It has been an honor to play a small part in their amazing contribution to our community,” said Sarah Cantine, senior associate of Scott Edwards Architecture.
“URI first got to know the Dougy Center after the 2009 fire, as their owner’s rep for the Eastside rebuild, and saw how much that building means to the families who come through its doors. Helping find the property for the Westside Center a few years ago felt like a natural next step. It’s been a privilege to watch the Urban Resources team carry that work forward and help turn a long-held dream into a place where more children and families can find support in their grief,” said Randy Boehm, founder of Urban Resources Inc.
“Projects like Malcolm’s House remind us why we love what we do. The dedication, collaboration and genuine care that every member of the team has brought to this renovation have been extraordinary. From Dougy Center’s inspiring vision and commitment to the families they serve to the thoughtful design and partnership of Scott Edwards Architecture and the hard work of our Walsh Construction team and trade partners, everyone has been united by a shared purpose. It’s incredibly rewarding to be part of giving this building a new chapter and creating a place where children and families will find comfort, connection, and support,” said Patti Miles, project manager at Walsh Construction Co.
Malcolm’s House, named in honor of a transformational gift from the Estate of Dr. Malcolm Marquis, is located at 15985 NW Schendel Ave. in Beaverton. Renovations are underway on an existing 14,000-square-foot building, which will be ready to serve children and families as soon as Q1 2027.
Today, 213 children and adults are on the waiting list to access Dougy Center’s no cost, peer-based grief support groups, with waits of up to a year. Malcolm’s House, when complete, is projected to double the number of children and families served through in-person programming at all Dougy Center locations—to 5,000 annually—within five years of opening, without doubling staff or budget. It will also double the number of grief support groups available to families in that same time period. As the number of children and families Dougy Center is able to serve increases, the internal cost per participant will reduce significantly with this expansion project.
Malcolm’s House is located in a family-centered neighborhood near Fred Meyer, Costco, and Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District. The facility is similar in size to Dougy Center’s SE Portland headquarters. When complete, Malcolm’s House will include grief-informed program spaces built around Dougy Center’s signature music, art, and “big energy” rooms that are designed to help children safely express and process grief, along with a national hub for grief-informed training and community gatherings and a recording studio for the organization’s internationally distributed Grief Out Loud podcast. The center provides ample parking with access to Hwy 26 and Hwy 217, and is easily accessible by public transit.
Childhood bereavement is a critical public health issue. The 2026 Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model (CBEM) estimates that 1 in 12 children in Oregon will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18, and in some parts of Washington County, it’s as high as 1 in 8. These numbers more than double by age 25. These children face heightened risks of Substance Use Disorder, disrupted social and emotional development and even earlier mortality rates.
To learn more or make a donation, visit http://dougy.org/herenow or contact Lani Faith at lani@dougy.org.
For photos and renderings of Malcolm’s House, visit here.
