Architects: Holst Architecture; Adjaye Associates
Size and location: A new library similar in size to Central Library (around 95,000 square feet) on a new site in East County
Timeline: Planning for design is underway into 2023; construction will likely begin in early 2024; scheduled to be complete fall 2025
Get involved
What do you want your library to look like? Join in these upcoming community events and let’s build these libraries together.
Early Neighborhood Meeting for new East County Library
Wednesday, March 29 at 6:30 pm
Register for the Zoom meeting (your unique meeting link will be emailed to you)
Join an upcoming Early Neighborhood Meeting on Zoom to learn about the preliminary plans for the new East County Library! Hear from the design team, ask questions and learn how you can stay updated on this incredible library’s progress.
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.
Joining Holst is 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.
Based on input from community members, new features may include:
- An auditorium for cultural celebrations, lectures, performances and family programs.
- Impactful services to meet diverse community needs and interests, from early learning and play spaces for families to teen spaces, career services and beyond.
- A public outdoor space.
The designs featured on this page are early drafts and are not final.
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.
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:
- The Black Economic Collective
- El Programa Hispano Católico
East County Library community engagement will continue with a series of public community events, focus groups, teen outreach, surveys and more. Check back for updates.
