Gresham Library
The Gresham Library, also known as the Gresham Regional Library, was a branch of the Multnomah County Library in Gresham in the U.S. state of Oregon. The branch offers the Multnomah County Library catalog of two million books, periodicals and other materials. It is planned to reopen on May 26, 2026 as East County Library.
| Gresham Library | |
|---|---|
 East and north exterior in 2012 | |
  Location within Gresham OR | |
| General information | |
| Location | Gresham, Oregon, United States |
| Coordinates | 45°30′00″N 122°25′59″W / 45.50000°N 122.43306°W |
| Opened | January 9, 1990 |
| Closed | March 27, 2026 |
| Owner | Multnomah County Library |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | SERA Architects |
| Main contractor | Todd Construction |
| Renovating team | |
| Architects | Thomas Hacker and Associates |
| Renovating firm | Andersen Construction Company |
| Website | |
| Gresham Library | |
The Gresham Library, also known as the Gresham Regional Library, was a branch of the Multnomah County Library in Gresham in the U.S. state of Oregon.[1] The branch offers the Multnomah County Library catalog of two million books, periodicals and other materials.[1] It is planned to reopen on May 26, 2026 as East County Library.
History
[edit]The building occupied by the library was constructed in 1989 and opened in January 1990.[2] It replaced a 1913 Tudor style building at 410 N. Main Street, which had been a Carnegie library.[3] The new building was paid for by a $2.1 million fund-raising campaign designed in part by then-Governor Neil Goldschmidt, including $1.7 million serial levy approved by Multnomah County voters in 1987 and a projected $200,000 from the sale of the original building.[2][4] Following the levy, three attempts to buy suitable property that could be developed within the $1.7 million approved had failed by mid-1988, leading to the consideration of several more expensive options.[5]
The new building is 13 times the size of the original library,[2] and was designed as a "superbranch" to "usher in a new era in library services in both Gresham and the entire county system."[4] Upgrades included a computer lab/media center, a community room, a teen study area, a children's room, a conference room, skylights, and a tower to help it blend in with the surrounding shopping center.[4]
With space for 75,000 volumes, the 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) library building was designed as the Multnomah County system's second-largest, behind Portland's Central Library.[4] The original library building was purchased by the Gresham Historical Society, which turned it into a museum as well as housing its main headquarters there.[3]
In 2020, voters passed a bond of $387 million to "expand and modernize" Multnomah County libraries.[6] Around $126 million was directed to the construction of a large, central library to serve Gresham and the surrounding areas. It would be around 95,000 square feet, similar in size to Portland's Central Library. The land was purchased by TriMet and was chosen for its proximity to the Gresham Central Transit Center and ground was broken on July 12, 2023. Its scheduled opening date is May 26, 2026. Gresham Library closed on March 27, 2026, with its last day open to the public on March 26 to move materials to the new library.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Gresham Library". Multnomah County Library. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
- ^ a b c Ruble, Web (January 8, 1990). "Boy, 8, Earns Spotlight at Library Dedication". The Oregonian.
- ^ a b Pickett, Nelson (June 6, 1989). "Historical Society Makes Offer on Gresham Library". The Oregonian.
- ^ a b c d Ruble, Web (September 28, 1989). "Gresham Library Will Be a 'Superbranch'". The Oregonian.
- ^ Pickett, Nelson (June 30, 1988). "Five Locations Considered for New Gresham Library". Oregonian.
- ^ "Library Bond Oversight Committee | Multnomah County Library". multcolib.org. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
- ^ "Gresham Library closing March 27 to begin move out process | Multnomah County Library". multcolib.org. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
