91视频

A renovation and expansion of the 110-year-old St. Johns Library is in the works. The Multnomah County Library project is in early design.

The existing 5,600-square-foot building, at 7510 N. Charleston Ave. in Portland, will gain an approximately 2,900-square-foot addition. The total project cost is $9.9 million.

The project team includes architects Bora Architecture & Interiors and St. Johns-based Convergence Architecture, civil engineer Vega Civil Engineering, structural engineer VALAR Consulting Engineering, landscape designer PLACE, and general contractor Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty company.

The building is a St. Johns icon, said Katie O鈥橠ell, library capital bond deputy director for Multnomah County Library, and the team is excited to give the library the treatment it deserves while preserving its appeal.

鈥淲e鈥檙e in early phases still, figuring out how to add on that square footage to a beautiful historic Carnegie building that a lot of people know and love in the St. Johns neighborhood,鈥� she said.

So far, project plans call for additional seating and seating options, meeting spaces of different sizes, a dedicated children鈥檚 area for early learning and play, and a teen space. There will also be more space to accommodate visitors and staffers, and larger spaces for events. The community will influence the type of programs offered.

The team has started community engagement, O鈥橠ell said. The library and design team will work with community design advocates as part of a paid program. These community members will help perform grassroots outreach, get feedback and input on the project from other locals, and then share the information with the project team, she said.

鈥淲hat we love about this is it gives people in the community an opportunity to both represent and engage their community,鈥� she said.

Money from a bond measure approved by voters in 2020 is paying for the work. It鈥檚 one of nine Multnomah County Library projects involving renovation or new construction. The organization鈥檚 Operations Center, a new materials-handling facility, will be open at the end of this year. A refreshment of the Central Library will wrap up in the winter. Holgate Library improvements are scheduled for completion next summer.

Design of the St. Johns Library project is scheduled to finish next year. Construction is likely to begin in late 2024 and then finish in late 2025.