Northwest Library

---

title: "Northwest Library" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2001-establishments-in-oregon", "buildings-and-structures-in-northwest-district,-portland,-oregon", "libraries-established-in-2001", "libraries-in-portland,-oregon", "multnomah-county-library"] description: "Public library in Portland, Oregon, USA" topic_path: "general/2001-establishments-in-oregon" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Library" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Public library in Portland, Oregon, USA ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox building"]

Field	Value
name	Northwest Library
image	Northwest Library - Portland, Oregon (cropped).JPG
caption	Entrance to the branch, 2012
map_type	Portland
owner	Multnomah County Library
location	Northwest Portland
address	Corner of N.W. 23rd Avenue and N.W. Thurman Street
location_town	Portland, Oregon
location_country	United States
coordinates
opened_date	October 30, 2001
floor_area	5000 ft2
ren_architect	Holst Architecture (exterior) and Thomas Hacker and Associates (interior)
website	Northwest Library
::

| name = Northwest Library | native_name = | native_name_lang = | former_names = | alternate_names = | status = | image = Northwest Library - Portland, Oregon (cropped).JPG | image_alt = | image_size = | caption = Entrance to the branch, 2012 | map_type = Portland | map_alt = | map_caption = | altitude = | building_type = | architectural_style = | structural_system = | cost = | ren_cost = | client = | owner = Multnomah County Library | current_tenants = | landlord = | location = Northwest Portland | address = Corner of N.W. 23rd Avenue and N.W. Thurman Street | location_town = Portland, Oregon | location_country = United States | coordinates = | groundbreaking_date = | start_date = | completion_date = | opened_date = October 30, 2001 | inauguration_date = | renovation_date = | demolition_date = | destruction_date = | height = | architectural = | tip = | antenna_spire = | roof = | top_floor = | observatory = | other_dimensions = | floor_count = | floor_area = 5000 ft2 | seating_type = | seating_capacity = | elevator_count = | architect = | architecture_firm = | structural_engineer = | services_engineer = | civil_engineer = | other_designers = | quantity_surveyor = | main_contractor = | awards = | designations = | ren_architect = Holst Architecture (exterior) and Thomas Hacker and Associates (interior) | ren_firm = | ren_str_engineer = | ren_serv_engineer = | ren_civ_engineer = | ren_oth_designers = | ren_qty_surveyor = | ren_awards = | parking = | website = Northwest Library | embedded = | references =

The Northwest Library is a branch of the Multnomah County Library, in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. The branch, which opened in 2001, offers the Multnomah County Library catalog of two million books, periodicals and other materials.

History

The branch opened on October 30, 2001, and was the first new branch in the Multnomah County system since 1972. At 5000 ft2, the library is designed to accommodate 20,000 volumes. Located in Portland's most densely populated community, it was highly anticipated by neighbors.{{cite news |title=For One Day, City's Newest Library Welcomes a Little Noise |work=The Oregonian |date=November 4, 2001 |first=Gail |last=Kinsey Hill

The new library was funded by a $113 million levy passed in 1998, which funded reconstruction or renovation of 12 of the system's 15 branches.{{cite news |title= City Buys Option for Northwest Library |work=The Oregonian |date=April 16, 1999 |first=David |last=Austin |title= New Option Pops Up for Northwest Library |work=The Oregonian |date=May 26, 2000 |first=Janet |last=Christ

Architects for the renovation of the existing building were Holst Architecture for the exterior and Thomas Hacker and Associates for the interior. Northwest General Contractors was the contractor. Structural changes during the renovation included seismic upgrades and improved access for patrons with disabilities. Interior redesign added a meeting room, and the library was made Internet-ready.

The library moved to a new, permanent location on January 10, 2026, to a new spot located at 2030 NW Pettygrove Street. New features include a play and learning space for children and families, a teen area, updated technology and new community art. The county purchased the building in 2021 using bond funds and renovated the space to increase the size to {{convert|ft2|11000) at a cost of $21 million. The prior space closed on November 25, 2025 to prepare for the move. The renovations were designed by Hennebery Eddy Architects, with Howard S. Wright as the contractor.

References

References

1. "Northwest Library". [[Multnomah County Library]].
2. Staff. (October 15, 2001). "Cornerstones for October 15". The Daily Journal of Commerce.
3. (November 16, 2001). "Library Foundation raises funds for new Northwest Library". Portland Business Journal.
4. (July 11, 2011). "Northwest Library History". Multnomah County Library.
5. "New Northwest Library {{!}} Multnomah County Library".
6. (4 December 2025). "New $21M library set to open in NW Portland". oregonlive.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::