The Belmont Multnomah County Library continues renovations this winter, and is scheduled to complete construction by the summer of 2026. Located at 1038 SE César E. Chávez Blvd., the building is undergoing major renovations to increase the overall square footage, as well as create new teen spaces, community rooms, and enhancements to make the building more accessible. Bora Architecture and Interiors is serving as the main architect for the project.
A bond to renovate, expand, and increase the safety of Multnomah County Libraries was passed in November 2020. The bond’s goal was to improve and revamp the 19 libraries in Multnomah County. “Essentially, voters approved us to renovate, expand, and build eight libraries. [This] includes Belmont [Library], in addition to making smaller but still vital upgrades to 11 other libraries in the county system,” explained Liz Saur, Communications Manager for Multnomah County Libraries.
Belmont Library has one of the highest foot traffic rates of all the Multnomah County libraries, and yet it had the smallest space, according to Saur. Before renovations, Belmont’s building was approximately 6,000 square feet. “It was just too small. Belmont is one of the busiest libraries based on circulation, and they needed more space for books and people,” said Emily Wilson, one of the project architects with Bora.
The renovations will increase the space to 15,000 square feet, and add several new community rooms that can be used for meetings and hosting guest speakers. The upgrade will also include technological improvements, including the introduction of audiovisual equipment to the library. Additionally, the renovation will create an 800-square-foot teen space. The original building will be dedicated exclusively to children, containing a large selection of children’s books and dedicating space for story times and other activities.
Once the library opens in summer 2026, the building will offer many resources for students. With the teen space, students will have access to books, technology, and space for homework, as well as video game consoles, rentable cameras, and editing software. “There’s also going to be more space in which they can sit, use their laptops, read, and it’ll be more of a place for the community to come and enjoy an expanded space,” said Saur.
The new meeting rooms will also be available for students to reserve for projects or meetings. There will be one large room on the ground floor and another on the second floor. “[The rooms] are enclosed and will be rentable through the library,” explained Wilson. These rooms will also have tax preparation classes, English as a second language classes, and others hosted by the library.
With these improvements, finding resources for school work will be easier and more accessible. “The library offers so many resources, both physical and digital, [and] everybody can benefit from being in libraries,” said Ellen Pederson, Franklin’s librarian. Community members can expect a welcoming space, showcasing artwork from peers in the community once the library reopens. In the meantime, the temporary location at 3557 SE Hawthorne Blvd. will remain open for patrons to use.
