Belmont Library

History

In 1923, residents of the Belmont and Hawthorne areas of southeast Portland raised funds to construct a library building at East 39th Avenue and Taylor Street (now S.E. César E. Chávez Blvd. and S.E. Taylor Street). The Library Association of Portland paid for the building plans. According to the association president, the Belmont effort was one of the first in Portland during which library users raised funds to erect a branch library building in their own neighborhood. The neighborhood presented the building debt-free to the association in early 1924, and the 2924 ft2 library opened on March 7, 1924.

Federal funds through the Works Progress Administration paid for expansion of the library in 1937. The addition of a children's room and staff work areas increased the building's floor area to 3554 ft2. Even so, circulation at the library continued to grow until the floor area was considered inadequate. In 1996, voters approved a bond measure to renovate the county's libraries and to pay special attention to four of them, including Belmont. The branch closed in June 1999 for remodeling and reopened in March 2000. The resulting expansion added 2400 ft2 to the library's floor area, bringing the total area to 5954 ft2. The renovated library can hold up to 20,000 volumes.

Over the years the library has hosted numerous activities, including a children's jamboree, knitting groups, lectures and readings. The building also serves as a ballot drop-off site during elections.

In 2023 the library averaged 2,300 items on hold per month, more than any other branch in the Multnomah County Library system. It is undergoing renovations to expand space in the library. The site plan and design were not finalized as of early 2024.

References

References

1. "Belmont Library". [[Multnomah County Library]].
2. "Belmont Library History". Multnomah County Library.
3. (February 23, 2011). "Belmont, North Portland and St. Johns libraries to Close for Equipment Installation". Multnomah County Library.
4. (March 10, 2011). "Belmont Library Closed March 28 Through April 1 for Service Updates". Multnomah County Library.
5. Buxton, Matt. (March 22, 2011). "Belmont Library to Close for Improvements from March 28 to April 1". [[Advance Publications]].
6. (2012). "Lorna Miller's Little Kids' Jamboree". Index Publishing.
7. McMullen, Peggy. (January 4, 2011). "Knitting Groups in Portland Libraries Offer Something for New Knitters, Kids, Bilingual Learners". Advance Publications.
8. "Knitting Groups". Multnomah County Library.
9. "Lessons from Lincoln: Is Political Bipartisanship Possible?". Index Publishing.
10. (2011). "Kim Weitkamp". Index Publishing.
11. (2012). "Andrew Halloran". Index Publishing.
12. (October 30, 2012). "Oregon Ballot Dropoff Sites and Southwest Washington Ballot Dropoff Sites". [[KPTV]].
13. Krogh, David. (February 2024). "Belmont Library Renovations and Addition". The Southeast Examiner.