Holst Architecture Releases East County Library Photos

Official photography shows the $163 million Gresham library, which opened to the public on May 16, 2026.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Openings & Closings

Wide exterior view of a low heavy-timber library building with honey-colored wood beams and large glass panels beside an open plaza and young evergreen trees under overcast daylight. — Holst Architecture released official photography of the $163 million East County Library in Gresham, Oregon, which opened to the public May 16, 2026. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Holst Architecture released official photography of the East County Library in Gresham, Oregon, a 95,000-square-foot building with a nearly 44,000-square-foot public outdoor space. The library opened to the public on May 16, 2026.

Why it matters

The library was developed to address a civic space the area had lacked for decades, and it serves over 100,000 residents. It is the largest project funded by Multnomah County Library's $387 million bond initiative passed in 2020.

The $163 million project is the largest development funded by the Multnomah County Library's $387 million bond initiative passed in 2020. The building spans 95,000 square feet and includes a 200-seat auditorium.

The players

Holst Architecture

A Portland-based architecture firm with roughly 30 years of history that designed the East County Library.

Adjaye Associates

An architecture firm that collaborated with Holst Architecture as part of the library's design team.

Multnomah County Library

The library system whose $387 million bond initiative, passed in 2020, funded the East County Library.

The details

The heavy timber structure uses 1,200 glulam beams and columns and nearly 300 CLT panels, built on a formerly underutilized park-and-ride lot at NW Division Street and NW Eastman Parkway. The design team, including Holst Architecture in association with Adjaye Associates, was selected through a public RFQ, RFP and interview process.

2020: Multnomah County Library bond initiative passed.
2023: Holst Architecture opened an office in Minneapolis.
Spring 2026: Construction was completed.
May 16, 2026: The East County Library opened to the public.
November 9, 2026: Holst Architecture released official photography.

Openings & Closings

The opening follows the 2020 bond measure that funded Multnomah County Library's capital program, with the East County Library as its largest single project. It marks the completion of a major investment in the county's library system.

Residents of Gresham and surrounding East County now have a new library building with a 200-seat auditorium and a nearly 44,000-square-foot public outdoor space. The library sits on the former park-and-ride lot at NW Division Street and NW Eastman Parkway.