New East County Library on Division St. scheduled to open spring 2026
PORTLAND, Ore––February 17, 2026
Gresham Library is closing to make way for a new East County Library. This new library will be around 95,000 square feet, nearly five times the size of the Gresham building at 20,000 square feet.
In order to move books, furniture and other materials out of Gresham Library on NW Miller Ave., Gresham Library will close to the public on March 27, 2026. The last day open to the public will be March 26.
Exterior of Gresham Library on NW Miller Ave.; photo courtesy of Multnomah County Library
The new East County Library, located at 475 NW Division Street on the site of the former TriMet Gresham City Hall MAX Park and Ride, is scheduled to open in spring 2026. In mid-March, the library will announce a date for the grand opening events before Gresham Library closes to the public.
Multnomah County Library is building, expanding and renovating library spaces for the public as a result of the voter-approved 2020 Library building bond. The bond work recognizes that 40% of Multnomah County residents live east of I-205, yet East County has one of the smallest footprints for libraries in the entire system. The new East County Library is meant to fix that disparity.
As part of the bond work, on October 17, 2025, the Multnomah County Library District Board voted to declare Gresham Library as surplus, starting the process to sell the property. After a 21-day public comment period, the Board met again on November 21. At that meeting, the Board directed the library and its County partners to negotiate a sale of the property to the City of Gresham at a fair market price. The City of Gresham agreed to lease the property back to the library at no cost until the new East County Library is completed in spring 2026. The City of Gresham will decide how the property will be used once the library has moved out.
Before Gresham Library closes, there are some service changes to note:
- Starting March 16, Gresham Library’s community rooms will no longer be available for use.
- Starting March 22, programming at Gresham Library will stop.
- The last day to place holds for pickup at Gresham Library is March 22.
- The last day to pick up holds at Gresham Library is March 26.
While Gresham Library is closed, and before the new East County Library on Division is open, library staff will prepare the new library space for the public and train on new tools and technology. During this period, the community is invited to use alternate libraries:
- Fairview-Columbia Library: 1520 NE Village Street, Fairview, OR 97024
- Midland Library: 805 SE 122nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97233
- Rockwood Library: 17917 SE Stark Street, Portland, OR 97233
- Troutdale Library (Please note: Troutdale Library reopens February 19 after its roof repairs): 2451 SW Cherry Park Road, Troutdale, OR 97060
- Mobile Library: Parking lot of Gresham Library (385 NW Miller Avenue, Gresham, OR 97030)
- Open hours will be 11 am-4 pm on Thursdays and Saturdays, starting Thursday, April 2
- Mobile Library will provide material returns, a small browsing collection, Wi-Fi, computers, printing, copying, and scanning
- Patrons can get the latest updates on the Mobile Library schedule and more on the temporary library services page
Exterior rendering of the new East County Library; rendering courtesy of Multnomah County Library
The community can look forward to incredible features at the brand new East County Library, including:
- A large, 200 seat auditorium with flexible seating for cultural celebrations, lectures, performances and family programs–a true community asset that didn’t previously exist in East County
- 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 a professional 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
- Six small, two medium and three 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
- 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 deck 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 first floor living room from Ka'ila Farrell-Smith
- Wall murals at the elevators on all floors from Paula Champagne
- 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
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About Multnomah County Library
A treasured community institution since 1864, Multnomah County Library is one of the nation’s busiest public library systems, providing social, educational and cultural programs, resources and services, online and through its 19 public locations. With an eye toward the future of community-centered spaces, the library is working to build, rebuild or expand nine libraries through a voter approved capital bond. In addition to being Oregon’s largest provider of free internet access, the library offers millions of print and digital resources, in multiple languages for people of all ages. From early learning to job training, computer-assisted design and 3D printing, the library supports all people in their pursuits to connect, learn and create. Learn more at multcolib.org