It was founded by Julia Christiansen Hoffman, a photographer, painter, sculptor, metal worker and weaver, out of her desire to foster the Arts and Crafts movement through classes and exhibitions.

[2] The school moved to a permanent site in Downtown Portland, the Kramer Building, in 1934 before merging with the Allied Art and Metal Guild in 1952.

[2] About 2005 the school started a capital campaign in order to raise over $14 million to expand the campus and double the size of their facilities.

[1] Plans called for a new library and studios for their painting, drawing, and photography programs that would add 55,000 square feet (5,100 m2) of space on campus.

It housed the front desk, school shop, the Hoffman Gallery, the campus' IT office and computer lab, and Nicoletta's Cafe.

OCAC long held a strong relationship with the Hands On Cafe, serving the campus gourmet comfort foods for many years.

Storrs' Eight|Three|One Cafe served similarly styled food to the Hands On team, maintaining the rustic at-home feel the campus provided.

Residing in the basement level of the remodeled house, the library provided access to a unique collection of diverse resources that supportrd curricular and research activities at OCAC.

The library held more than 10,000 materials, including books, student theses, media, ephemera and more pertaining to fine art and craft.

These included knitting circles, resume workshops, class lectures, and other events to support the students' progress through their education.

All proceeds directly supported scholarship funding for BFA and MFA students, and for youth attending OCAC's Art Adventures Camps.