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: Construction began in early 2024; scheduled to be complete spring 2026
Gifts to The Library Foundation will support an interactive early learning space, a dedicated creative learning lab, study space for teens, an audio video studio and an outdoor space for families at East County Library.
New features
East County Library will be a new building, built from the ground up with easy access for all East County residents. By building an almost 95,000 sf new library on a new site, the library can dream big with the community and provide services in a diverse location.
The design team includes Holst Architecture, a local, award-winning, women-owned firm with experience building for the community in East County. Notable projects include The Nick Fish, which provides quality affordable housing in Portland’s Gateway Urban Renewal Area.
Contributing to the project through the design development phase was Adjaye Associates, an international architecture group known for their inspiring work on recent projects including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C.
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
Virtual tour
See what the community voted on with this fly-through.
Check out the entire new East County Library in this fly-through.
On July 8, 2022, Multnomah County Library and TriMet announced an initial agreement to begin a due diligence period of 120 days to negotiate the library’s prospective purchase of the Gresham City Hall Park and Ride as the site for the East County library. On October 24, 2022, the parties extended the due diligence period by 60 days with a goal of finalizing the agreement and purchase by early 2023. The purchase was finalized on June 30, 2023.
Centering the community
Community input is especially important for East County Library as it is 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 will work 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.
