New East County Library

Architects: Holst Architecture; Adjaye Associates (past partner)
Size and location: A new library similar in size to Central Library (around 95,000 square feet) on a new site in East County (475 NW Division Gresham, OR 97030)
Timeline: Opening May 16, 2026

East County Library is a brand new library built from the ground up in Gresham, providing a dynamic destination for the community with approximately 95,000 square feet of learning, play and connection. This new library is similar in size to Central Library in downtown Portland with easy access for all East County residents. The library is  conveniently located on multiple bus routes as well as the TriMet MAX Blue Line. 

On June 30, 2023, Multnomah County Library and TriMet finalized the library’s purchase of the former Gresham City Hall Park and Ride from TriMet for use in building East County Library. As part of the agreement, TriMet retains a portion of the site for future transit-oriented development. Both parties have worked together with the City of Gresham to establish the vision for the civic space and the surrounding area.

Celebrate the grand opening of East County Library!

We are excited to welcome you to East County Library. Join us for two days of free, fun-filled community events to celebrate. Community events will be updated here as they are scheduled.  

Saturday, May 16, 2026

Sunday, May 17, 2026

New features

All of East County Library’s features are the result of extensive community and staff engagement with features for the community to enjoy.

New features include:

• A large, 200 seat auditorium with flexible seating for cultural celebrations, lectures, performances and family programs–a true community asset for the East County community
• A creative learning room with room for classes to explore everything from robotics to construction to 3D printing
• An audiovisual studio with technology that provides users an accessible studio experience at the library
• A sizable teen room for enjoying technology, connection and creativity 
• A large early learning and play space for children and their families with both indoor and enclosed outdoor options
• Two sensory rooms for supporting patrons with diverse sensory needs, one geared towards adults and one geared towards children
• Eight small, two medium and four large community rooms for patron use
• Updated wi-fi and technology, including more laptops, iPads and creative software for patron use
• New Automated Materials Handling system, ensuring materials get to patrons much faster
• Modern self checkout stations to provide a better patron experience
• A large collection with nearly 200,000 books, CDs and DVDs, with representation of the cultural and language diversity of the neighborhood

• Outdoor space called Ikanum for community members to relax and connect including an outdoor plaza for music, speakers and more events, managed by the City of Gresham
• A rooftop terrace for community members to relax and enjoy
• New art that represents the community in coordination with the Regional Arts and Culture Council
  • Sculptures along Eastman Parkway from Mike Suri and Terresa White
  • Folly sculptures along the north/south spine and on the rooftop terrace from CR&SH Studio Art (Crystal Shenk and Shelby Davis)
  • Wall art in the living room from Ka'ila Farrell-Smith, inspired by a community workshop
  • Wall murals at the elevators on all floors from Paula Champagne, inspired by a community workshop
  • Interior and exterior children's area artwork from Michaela Goade, author/illustrator of Berry Song 
• Artwork from the Portland Street Art Alliance
  • A mural outside the teen room by artist Xavi Panneton, inspired by a workshop with Gresham High School students

Centering the community

Community input was especially important for East County Library as an entirely new building. MultiCultural Collaborative (MCC) helped guide the first phase of community engagement. They led the focus groups for the 2016 Framework for Future Library Spaces. This framework has closely informed these building projects. 

Community Library Champions from community organizations worked with residents in East County and beyond to gather their dreams for this new library. These organizations include:

• Black Economic Collective
• El Programa Hispano Católico

The design team and Champions engaged heavily with teens to inform the design of the future teen space. Focus groups were held with teens at:

•  Rockwood Library
• Rosemary Anderson High School
• Alba Collaborative
• El Programa Hispano Católico
• The Black Economic Collective
• Gresham Youth Advisory Council.

The team also went to events at the Center for Advanced Learning and Gresham High School to share more information about the new spaces.

Over 550 people cast their vote in a public teen vote to determine the color scheme for the new teen space, with online voting and physical voting stations at:

•  Gresham High School
• Dexter McCarty Middle School
• Rosemary Anderson High School
• Rockwood Youth Opportunity Center
• Gresham Library
• Rockwood Library
• Troutdale Library

The winner, Cool Coastal, is the color scheme for the new teen room.

Learn about how community engagement has guided all the projects.