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Photos by Haley Hsu
Hundreds gathered outside the East County Library on Saturday morning in advance of the ribbon cutting at the new 95,000-square-foot Multnomah County Library branch in Gresham. (By midmorning, library staff estimated 1,000 people had visited the location. The total number of visitors over the course of the weekend was 14,000, according to library spokesperson Liz Sauer.) The unveiled library is the latest in a string of projects funded by the library bond passed by county voters in 2020, including 11 “refresh projects,” five renovated and expanded spaces, and three completely new library buildings—a total of 19 projects. (The new Holgate Library opened in 2024; the Northwest Library opened in January.)
Speakers at Saturday’s event included Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson; District 4 County Commissioner Vince Jones-Dixon; Kirby McCurtis, director of location services for the Multnomah County Library; Annie Lewis, Multnomah County’s director of libraries; Department of County Assets director Tracey Massey; TriMet general manager Sam Desue Jr.; Gresham Mayor Travis Stovall; Carlos Hernandez of El Programa Hispano Católico; and Terry Wattley of the Black Economic Collective.
Portland’s Mariachi Viva Mexico serenaded the crowd as it assembled and played throughout the opening ceremony, then again in the library’s open floor space—and also occasionally asked for audience participation, as with the chorus to the Mexican folk song “Cielito Lindo” (sometimes known as the “Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay” song or “Canta y no llores” due to its memorable refrain; the title translates roughly to “Lovely Sweet One” and the refrain to “sing and don’t cry”).
Speakers at the ribbon cutting praised the depth of community engagement that went into site selection and creation of the library’s amenities. “You asked us to build a beautiful community space and we delivered,” Vega Pederson said. Stovall said since his initial run for office, residents have asked for a community center, and praised the new library’s depth of programming. “There was a time when Black folks were either killed or punished for reading books,” Wattley said. “We are looking forward to filling these rooms.”
The East County Library was built on the site of the underused Gresham City Hall Park & Ride purchased from TriMet in 2023 for $1.98 million. (TriMet still retains a portion of the site for transit-oriented development, according Sauer.) Portland’s Holst Architecture led design on the project, a LEED Gold Certified mass timber structure that includes radiant floor heating and cooling systems, extensive use of skylights, and nearly floor-to-ceiling windows with “bird-safe glazing” (that is, subtle dots to prevent avian collisions).
But for the lack of espresso machines and chipper baristas, it would be easy to mistake the library’s teen room—and many of its community rooms—for a chic coffee shop. (The jewel-toned color palette was selected with input from the library’s teen council.) The teen room features video gaming equipment and two 75-inch screens, tables at diner-style booths, and charging stations. Gaming events (both video games and tabletop games) as well as events for hanging out in the space, doing homework and more are planned, Sauer says.
The library’s creative learning room features a 3D printer, robotics supplies and laser cutters, sewing machines, a vinyl cutter, and art and craft supplies. Programming for the space includes drop-in hours tailored to different age groups as well as planned events like a Lego club for teens. Much of the programming in the beginning will center on helping patrons learn to use all the features in the space; patrons are also welcome to suggest programming or features they’d like to see at the new library, Sauer says.
Artwork commissioned for the library includes a series of wall-mounted works by Ka’ila Farrell-Smith, a Klamath Modoc artist, on display in the central living room area. Inspired by petroglyphic imagery found along the Columbia River, Farrell-Smith used birch wood, elk hide panels, Klamath chalk, and wildfire charcoal to create the glyphs. According to Sauer, much of the art on display at the new library was developed in coordination with the Regional Arts & Culture Council through the Multnomah County Percent for Art Program, allotting 2% of the construction budget for all county-funded improvement projects toward the investment in public art. Artists were awarded projects as part of a “robust public process” that includes selection panels led by local residents, business owners, artists, library staff and project planners.
