The Multnomah County Midland Library at 805 SE 122nd Avenue will remain closed for repairs after the Monday, May 25th Memorial Day holiday closure, reopening on June 7th. Crews will use surplus funds from past upgrade projects to modernize the building’s original sewer line and enhance finishes inside and out. The Midland Library reopened on October 26th, 2025, after an extensive remodel that was part of the voter-approved 2020 Multnomah County Library Capital Bond.
Unused contingency funds from the library capital bond projects are the primary source of money for this next round of work. Library representatives explained that attentive financial stewardship during the system-wide facilities upgrades enabled this phase of work, which includes Midland Library sewer repairs and improvements to the original sewer line, as well as several enhancements that will extend the life of public-facing amenities and make the site more accessible. Crews will upgrade the community gallery, including picture rails and tack-friendly panels that will protect walls. They will also add a more durable finish to the “Gathering Circle” wood floor and update outdoor benches with durable materials. Workers will install chair rails in the community rooms to protect the freshly painted walls. Three Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)- compliant bathrooms will receive updates that include touchless wave-to-open automatic door operators.
Large community meeting room
The Albina Library closed for similarly funded updates on May 18th and will remain closed through May 25th. Midland Library users can visit the Holgate Library at 7905 SE Holgate Blvd., the Gregory Heights Library at 7921 NE Sandy Blvd., or the Rockwood Library at 17917 SE Stark Street during the closure. During the work dates, library staff will extend due dates, and items on the holds shelf will receive extra time. People do not need to change their holds location and can direct questions about due dates and holds to library staff.
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On December 1st, all Multnomah County library locations will adopt a unified schedule to offer consistent services for patrons and streamline employee scheduling. All branches and the library’s contact center will serve the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The primary schedule shifts two hours later on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from noon to 8 p.m. On Sundays, the locations operate from noon to 6 p.m.
This update is the first large-scale adjustment to the Multnomah County Library system’s operating hours since 2013. Most locations will continue to provide a comparable quantity of operating hours, just with a modification to open and close times. However, the Contact Center staff that assist users by phone, email, or chat will start later to match library hours.
These updates are not part of any budget reduction efforts, and library management does not anticipate any associated changes to employee hours or pay. For many patrons, this will simplify their library system use, focusing on geographic access instead of traveling to alternate locations because a closer branch is closed. Library visitors will first see updated signs and public information reflecting the changed schedules on Sunday, December 1st, 2024.
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The Midland Public Library at 805 SE 122nd Avenue will reopen on October 26th after nearly two years of renovations. The expanded and modernized building features many unique qualities that support community needs beyond book lending. New amenities include ten meeting spaces, new checkout technology, and dedicated youth-focused areas with indoor-outdoor play spaces. To celebrate the project’s completion, library staff will host a grand opening weekend full of music and engaging activities.
Before its temporary closures in 2022, the Midland branch was one of the most used locations in the Multnomah County Library system. As a centrally located branch in East Portland, it serves one of the most culturally diverse areas in the region. Ahead of redevelopment, project leaders conducted extensive community engagement to ensure the building would reflect the people it serves. “We have folks from Vietnamese, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish communities, and we are making sure that they feel welcomed and represented when they come in,” said Liz Sauer, the Communications Manager with Multnomah County Library. During that preliminary work, outreach coordinators collected over 6,000 comments from engagement event participants, allowing community members to shape the project in many areas, down to the colors used. They asked people to bring in culturally significant images that artists incorporated into designs etched on panels that crews attached to the building’s exterior. Those images also guided the artist team HYBYCOZO in designing an illuminated outdoor sculpture series. They created geometric shapes with perforated metal panels that reference the etched pattern. The sculpture stacks descend in height from SE 122nd Avenue, providing a visual marker of the library’s location and replacing the iconic clock tower removed during the renovation.
Ceiling mural by Lillyanne Pham and Paola De La Cruz, next to HYBYCOZO designed sculpture series
Crews expanded the Midland library by nearly 6,000 square feet, pushing the front of the building south and repositioning the entrance at the center of the bar-shaped single-story building. A long covered walkway guides pedestrians to the front doors from the sidewalk under a ceiling mural created by Lillyanne Pham and Paola De La Cruz. Long-time visitors to this branch will recognize elements of the original space, including the large painting at the east end of the main room. However, lower bookshelves now let visitors see across the expansive stacks, changing the perceived scale of the facility. New lower-hung lighting and an updated color palette make the space both bright and warm. Rooms of various sizes and uses surround the building’s towering core, letting people move to semi-secluded spaces when the central section becomes too active.
The updated branch is more inclusive of the varied needs of its guests than before and aims to support all age groups. Young children have an educational play area off the main stacks with age-appropriate books and play equipment. A nearby exit leads to an outdoor fenced play space with a soft rubber surface. If people need to transition out of an over-stimulating space, Midland offers the library system’s first sensory room that provides a calm, quiet area. Users can adjust room lighting and other interactive elements to meet their needs. The room features a mirrored bubble tube, tactile panels, and a fiber optic tunnel.
Tactile panels and marble light board in sensory room
Tactile board and mirrored bubble tube in sensory room
Young reader’s area
Educational play area
Outdoor play area
Midland has a quiet room across from the young reader’s area where people can sit in chairs or at tables away from the active main room. Teenage visitors also have a dedicated and fully enclosed space with access to video games and media resources, including computers geared towards digital creators. Library visitors can use a computer at a fixed workstation or check out a laptop from a kiosk for use throughout the building. The Multnomah County Library system is pairing these building renovations with a broader effort to adapt their services to the modern needs of the community. Just as public libraries provided equitable access to written knowledge for 200 years, these expansions intend to provide equitable access to technology and digital tools. Access can take many forms, from printing documents to participating in a video interview or creating an animated video. The spaces and equipment available after this renovation should keep the library relevant as a community resource hub for decades.
Shorter bookcases with integrated LED lighting
Outdoor gathering circle
Indoor gathering circle
Teen room
Quiet room
In response to the community’s desire for gathering space, Midland features ten meeting rooms that people can reserve for free. Designers configured the entrance with a retractible separator that allows meeting room access even when the staff closes the library portion of the building, facilitating later meeting times. A panel system designed for art exhibits lines the meeting room hallway across from display cases ready to show art created at the library. The larger meeting rooms at the front of the building have assistive hearing equipment integrated into the presentation system, and conference equipment aids groups holding hybrid meetings. With designed insights from Indigenous communities, Midland contains several gathering circle areas inside and outside the library, geared towards conversations without a central speaker. A core component of this update, and a large percentage of new square footage added to the building, focuses on supporting community groups and creating opportunities for connections.
Large meeting room
Computer workstations
Projector and conferencing system for meetings
Laptop checkout kiosk
The Multnomah County Library invites people to the grand opening weekend celebration, starting with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 26th. The White Lotus Dragon & Lion Dance Team will start off the entertainment at 9:45 a.m., followed by a day filled with family-friendly activities and music. The first day wraps up at 5 p.m. but continues at noon on the following Sunday, October 27th. Those activities extend through 5:30 p.m. with Hawaiian Hula, Bollywood Dance, Hoop Dance, and other culturally rich activities. After the grand reopening, the Midland branch will serve the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Sundays, they open from noon to 6 p.m. The schedule shifts two hours later on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from noon to 8 p.m.
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Q – Whatever happened to the Montavilla Branch Library?
A – I’ve often been asked this question. If you go looking for Montavilla’s branch library —as I did— you may have trouble finding it. But —believe it or not— the building still exists.
The Montavilla Branch Library closed in November 1981 because of Multnomah County Libraries’ funding problems. There was an attempt to fund the Montavilla and Lombard branch libraries through a levy, but Portland voters turned it down, forcing those two branches to close.
The Oregon State University Extension Service leased the Montavilla building until 2003. In 2005, the Multnomah County Commission voted to sell the site despite a proposal made by the “Save Montavilla Library” group, which offered to run it as volunteers.
Considering the effort it took to establish Montavilla’s branch library, this was a sad moment in Montavilla’s history. The community efforts that eventually resulted in a branch library date back to 1906. That year, the Multnomah County Library (MCL) opened local reading rooms in several communities, including Montavilla. The MCL would provide books and a librarian for each reading room, but the communities had to supply the room. Montavilla’s mothers and teachers jumped on the opportunity and raised enough funds to rent a space on Stark Street. The Montavilla Reading Room opened in 1907.
Montavilla’s first sub-branch library at SE 422 81st Ave., north of SE Stark St. (Courtesy Multnomah County Library)
In 1911, the MCL upgraded all Portland reading rooms to sub-branch status, meaning communities no longer had to pay for the library space. Wanting a purpose-built library, Montavilla and neighboring Mt. Tabor campaigned for a Carnegie library in Montavilla. The campaign failed, but in November 1912, the City Library Association promised Montavilla a new, permanent branch library. That, too, did not happen. Instead, the Montavilla library moved into the brick building at 422 SE 81st Avenue (now the Miyamoto Sushi restaurant). Needing more space, the branch added the building next door in 1913.
A branch library building had to wait until 1935. It was the middle of the Great Depression, but creative thinking and determination made it happen. In 1934, the Montavilla Kiwanis Club kicked off a campaign for a new branch library. The City of Portland donated the site. The Library Association provided cash. SERA (Oregon’s State Emergency Relief Administration) contributed the labor. Portland architect Herman Brookman designed the building. When the building was completed in late 1934, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts helped to move 5,000 books from the old branch library to the new one at 211 SE 80th Avenue just south of SE Ash Street. With a formal ceremony, the branch library opened on September 3rd, 1935. And the Library Association declared in its 1935 annual report that the Montavilla branch library was the outstanding achievement of the year.
Montavilla Branch Library, 211 SE 80th Ave. (Courtesy Multnomah County Library)
After the Montavilla library closed in 1981, the Oregon State University Extension Service leased it until 2003. Then, the building lay vacant for two years. In 2005, the Multnomah County Commission voted to sell it despite a proposal from the “Save Montavilla Library” group.
Remodeled Montavilla Branch Library, 211 SE 80th Ave. (Jacob Loeb)
The nonprofit Unlimited Choices —a housing rehabilitation service— acquired the property and altered the library building to meet its needs. The library was lifted to make room for a new ground story, and a large dormer was inserted above the entrance door. So, technically, the Montavilla Branch Library building is still there, but the additions make it hidden.
This is part of a new segment at Montavilla News called Montavilla History Questions Answered. If you have questions about Montavilla’s past that you’d like answered, local historian Patricia Sanders will investigate your question. Please email your questions to history@montavilla.net and we may feature it alongside Patricia Sanders’ research in a future post on this page.
On September 7th, the Belmont Library at 1038 SE Cesar Estrada Chavez Boulevard closes for renovations that will more than double its size with a two-story addition to the original 1924 brick building. Demolition crews will remove portions of the building added in previous updates, clearing the way for the modern amenities seen at other voter-approved library expansions. Starting August 31st, patrons will only receive at-door service from library staff as they prepare the space for construction.
Draft renderings of Belmont Library courtesy of Bora Architecture and Interiors
Belmont Library is one of several options for Montavilla residents. Despite its modest 5,420-square-foot capacity, this branch is one of the busiest locations in the entire Multnomah County Library system. During the closure, people can visit a temporary branch at 3557 SE Hawthorne Boulevard starting Monday, September 9th. Limited services at this storefront will include holds-pick-up, Lucky Day items, all-hours book returns, and free wireless printing. Patrons can also use the recently refreshed Gregory Heights Library at 7921 NE Sandy Boulevard or the new two-story Holgate Library at 7905 SE Holgate Boulevard.
Draft renderings of Belmont Library courtesy of Bora Architecture and Interiors
Crews will create dedicated areas during the Belmont Library remodel that offer more to do than read, similar to what staff revealed last month at the Holgate Library. Children and their caregivers will find an ample interior educational play space with books, games, and other age-appropriate learning tools. Community groups will gain flexible meeting spaces with updated technology and internet throughout the facility. A teen area will provide space for homework and creative expression with access to modern technology. As with other recent library investments, new community-reflecting art will adorn the expanded building.
Draft renderings of Belmont Library courtesy of Bora Architecture and Interiors
Bora Architecture and Interiors led the design efforts for this $28 million project that will deliver an approximately 15,000-square-foot modern library. People should expect a year of construction starting next month. The builder anticipates the Belmont Library will reopen around spring 2026.
Update: A previous version of this article said the Belmont Library would reopen in late 2025 or early 2026. That timeline was updated to spring 2026.
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The replacement Holgate Library will reopen to the public on July 13th with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and three days of events. The entirely new two-story mass timber facility at 7905 SE Holgate Boulevard replaces the former single-story Library and is the first new branch building constructed since 2010. The Multnomah County-run location hosts thousands of new books but also features many other community-supporting resources that help ensure all county residents have access to digital tools and young guests have dedicated areas to do more than read.
The Holgate Library is three times the size of the original building at this site, now offering 21,000 square feet, becoming one of the largest libraries in Multnomah County. The $27 million investment in this facility is part of a 2020 capital bond that supports a system-wide refresh of the previously undersized library system. In addition to added capacity, program designers have looked to enhance the resources provided to the public and adjust to meet shifting community needs. Recognizing that the Holgate Library supports one of the most culturally diverse areas in the region, Multnomah County leaders made this project a cornerstone of the system updates. It features the first fully enclosed Teen Room with Nintendo Switch-based gaming and video creation kits available for checkout. In addition to several community meeting spaces with multimedia connections and assistive technologies, one of the reservable spaces has a sink and splash-safe flooring that can work as a future maker space. Visitors can also access computer resources where they can print and scan. The upper floor features private booths for taking calls or other solitary work.
Teen Room with TV, gaming system, art supplies, media production kits and study space
The Library’s design resulted from extensive community and staff engagement with artwork wrapping the structure and anchoring walls. The green exterior and carpeting resulted from survey participant input, and the art selected in partnership with the Regional Arts and Culture Council represents the community. Two elevators ensure people can navigate the building smoothly, but a central stairway entices people to walk the naturally lit and decoratively screened steps. Recognizing the need for universal communications, signs in the building feature mostly icons instead of words. Many aspects of the Library respond to the diversity seen in its user base. Fourteen Community Design Advocates participated in a paid program designed to connect library designers to representatives from various communities, shaping this building’s functions and design.
The Saturday opening will begin with brief remarks from 9:30 to 10 a.m. The guests will then have the opportunity to experience performances by the White Lotus Dance Team, Two Generations of Hoops Dance, and Mulan Drum and Jade Dance Team throughout the day. A Traditional Vietnamese music performance with David Dahl concludes the first day’s schedule from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The two remaining event days will contain more afternoon programs representing various cultures and artistic performances. The Library’s information page offers a complete listing of events and times.
Kids room with large play area and reserved computers, alongside age-appropriate books
Library staff invites people to attend the three-day celebration or visit anytime during regular operating hours to experience the amenities not originally part of the former 6,400 square-foot space. People caring for young children should appreciate the large learning and play space on the ground floor. This branch also features the latest automated materials handling technology, allowing people to self-checkout and return borrowed items. A new Book Locker lets patrons pick up on hold without waiting for assistance. The automation already seen in many other library systems frees library staff to assist those with special requests and support the increased number of people expected to visit this location. Even those not wanting to come indoors can enjoy the outdoor plaza where community members can relax and connect. The Holgate Library is open from noon to 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Article and Photos by
Jacob Loeb
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On January 4th, Gregory Heights Library at 7921 NE Sandy Boulevard reopened after a five-month-long closure for renovations. The bond-funded work included new paint and carpets throughout the building’s interior. Other enhancements include increased book-handling efficiency through automation, faster internet service, and contemporary furniture. This branch is the first of 11 Multnomah County Library locations to complete the refresh process.
Gregory Heights Library kids section
Since Gregory Heights Library closed for updates on July 20th, Montavilla residents relied on the Belmont branch for services even though it was not the closest location. In December 2022, Multnomah County began significant renovation at the Midland and Holgate Libraries, keeping those locations closed to the public until summer 2024. Construction-related disruptions throughout the library system are inconvenient to patrons, but County officials feel the temporary hardship will ultimately provide better facilities ready to meet modern community needs.
Gregory Heights Library computer tables with faster connections
People returning to the Gregory Heights Library will see significant updates inside and out. Painters changed the red exterior to a gray base color on shingled walls with large Vintage Vessel blue painted segments on the building’s protrusions. Crews replaced the wood-shingled mansard roof with dark metal cladding. New interior paint and carpet modernized the library’s appearance, which the county had not updated since 1999. The staff replaced center bookshelves that once towered over the tallest visitors with shorter units that provide better sight lines across the main room.
Gregory Heights Library Teens section
Gregory Heights Library staff selected the building’s colors and furniture from several proposals. The remodel features enhanced youth activity areas with dedicated sections for teens and younger children. Larger library locations receiving updates will have dedicated rooms for each group. However, Gregory Heights could only accommodate dedicated sections. The Kid’s space is near the front entrance and features size-appropriate furniture, tactile education boards, and engaging colors. Designers placed the Teen section along the back wall with comfortable seating geared towards completing homework and hosting small group gatherings. In the center of the one-room library, a sea of books shares the space with public computers sitting atop new tables. Each station connects to the internet through a faster link provided through a City of Portland partnership.
Faster internet access is not the only technical improvement to Gregory Heights Library through this bond-funded work. Members can now check out books through automated kiosks, skipping the line and freeing librarians to concentrate on material questions. The classic book drop is fully automated in this new library. Borrowers insert returned items into a slot that reads the barcode while conveyors transport them to a four-way sort table. The item then drops into an appropriate bin based on whether it needs to be re-shelved, placed on the hold shelf for a waiting customer, or transferred to another location to fill a request. Books deposited after-hours can also run through the automated sorting process, fed from another conveyor in the back room.
Gregory Heights Library is now open from noon to 8 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Eastside library users once again have this vital location available with its many enhancements. Later this year, Montavilla residents will have access to the expanded Midland location and the wholly rebuilt Holgate Library.
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Thursday, Gregory Heights Library at 7921 NE Sandy Boulevard will close for several months while crews perform minor renovations. This bond-funded work includes new paint and carpets throughout the building’s interior. Other enhancements include increased book handling efficiency through automation, faster internet, and updated technology. After the crew completes the interior refresh, staff will install more comfortable seating and adjust shelving for better sightlines through the facility.
This temporary closure is one of many recent construction-related disruptions limiting library access for Montavilla residents. Although not the closest location, the Gregory Heights Library has seen increased usage since December 2022, when Multnomah County began significant renovation at the Midland and Holgate Libraries. With this location closing on July 20th, Montavilla residents should now use the Belmont Library at 1038 SE César E. Chávez Boulevard.
Multnomah County Library is expanding and renovating facilities across the system thanks to the voter-approved 2020 Library building bond. This year, contractors are reconstructing or augmenting five libraries and working on ten refresh projects. Crews will use the Gregory Heights closure to patch the roof and repaint the library’s exterior. That general maintenance work is not bond funded but part of regular facilities upkeep. Expect this location to reopen in winter 2023 with many enhancements and a fresh look.
By
Jacob Loeb
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Multnomah County will close the Midland and Holgate Libraries for renovations this month. Construction at these sites will temporarily reduce nearby public library options for Montavilla residents for over a year. County planners expect both projects to complete in the middle of 2024. Until then, people can utilize the three remaining libraries within 3-miles of the neighborhood or take transportation to one of the many other locations.
The Midland Library at 805 SE 122nd Avenue will close on December 23, 2022, and reopen in the summer of 2024. Crews will renovate and expand the 23,871-square-foot building, adding 6,000 square feet to support increased usage. The completed project will incorporate more gathering spaces and activities, with dedicated areas for children and young adults. These updates will provide more room for community use, faster internet, and updated technology.
Midland Library’s new and expanded features will include:
Outdoor interactive children’s play area.
Large play and learning space for children and families.
Dedicated teen room with space for technology, homework and creative expression.
Updated technology and internet.
Outdoor plaza for community members to relax and connect.
New art that represents the community.
A Gathering Circle for community conversation.
Demolition crews will remove the existing Holgate Library building at 7905 SE Holgate Blvd. The County constructed the 6,060-square-foot single-story building in 1971. Construction workers will build a new two-story building, triple the size of the current space, for a total of 21,000 square feet. This branch will become one of the largest libraries in Multnomah County. Holgate Library will temporarily close for construction starting on December 5, 2022. If construction timelines hold to the schedule, this all-new Library building will reopen in the spring of 2024.
Draft plans for Holgate Library from an April 2022 Presentation. Courtesy Multnomah County
Holgate Library’s new and expanded features will include:
Large play and learning space for children and families.
Dedicated teen room with space for technology, homework and creative expression.
Multiple flexible programming and meeting rooms.
Updated technology and internet.
Outdoor plaza for community members to relax and connect.
New art that represents the community.
Solar panels to help offset energy use.
Draft renderings for Holgate Library from an April 2022 Presentation. Courtesy Multnomah County
These two ambitious projects are part of Multnomah County’s work to expand and modernize these public spaces, helping the library change and grow alongside the community. Holgate and Midland libraries are among the first branches to undergo dramatic rebuilding and expansion in the mid-county. In spring 2023, construction will begin at Albina and North Portland libraries, temporarily closing those locations. These libraries are the first set of eight total building projects funded through the 2020 library bond, including the construction of a new East County Library. Montavilla residents looking for the next nearest public Library can use Belmont Library at 1038 SE Cesar Estrada Chavez Blvd., Gregory Heights Library at 7921 NE Sandy Blvd., or Hollywood Library at 4040 NE Tillamook Street.
By
Jacob Loeb
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