A rendering of Albina Library’s updated Carnegie building on Knott Street. (Submitted by LEVER Architecture)

It has been more than 100 years since a library this big has opened in Portland.

On Saturday, July 19, Albina Library, 205 N.E. Russell St., will be open to the public, showcasing its newly added 30,000 square feet of space inside the historic Carnegie building.

The historic renovation is about 11,000 square feet, according to LEVER Architecture, the architecture firm that designed the renovation and addition to Albina Library.

At two stories tall and a total of 41,000 square feet, this project cost about $55 million, now ranking behind Central Library — which opened in 1913 — as the second largest public library in the city and county.

Celebrate the opening

Two fun-filled days are coming to celebrate the grand opening of Albina Library.

Starting at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 19, will be a ribbon cutting followed by a performance by Hip Hop Soulsasion, flower origami making and more. Activities and celebrations will continue on Sunday, July 20, and a chance to explore the space.

New features

Take a look at the list of new features:

• Outdoor courtyard for community members to relax and connect.
• A teen room with space for technology, homework and creative expression.
• A large early learning and play space for children and their families.
• A sensory room for supporting patrons with diverse sensory needs.
• Four small community rooms for studying, homework and small group meetings, and five larger rooms for larger group meetings, library programs and presentations.
• Updated wi-fi and technology, including more laptops, iPads and creative software for patron use.
• A new automated materials handling system, ensuring materials get to patrons faster.
• Modern self-checkout stations to provide a better patron experience.
• Art that represents the community in partnership with the Regional Arts and Culture Council, including:
  • Sculptures from artist Greg Robinson along the Russell Street entrance and in the courtyard.
  • Suspended artwork in the Russell Street lobby from artists Joe and Carly Feddersen.
  • Outdoor courtyard mural from artist Daren Todd.
  • Community room mural from artist Amirah Chatman.
• Artwork from the Portland Street Art Alliance:
  • Two pieces in the kids area from artists Julia Alexis Hunkler and Christian Tellez.
  • A Russell Street lobby mural from artist Jessilyn Brinkerhoff.
  • A teen room mural from artist Nicky Kriara, guided by a teen art workshop at Harriet Tubman Middle School.

The pre-construction space had no meeting rooms, according to Multnomah County Library, and now boasts nine community rooms. These can be used for group meetings, library events or for those who just want a quiet place to work.

Bringing the outdoors inside

The expansion of the Albina Library aims to provide more space for community and connection.

A double-height lobby serves as an entryway for patrons to head to the outdoor courtyard, a feature that was influenced by community input. Seating and an engaging mural by Daren Todd, as well as a sculpture by artist Greg Robinson, can help guests connect with one another while also enjoying the outdoors.

Learning and playing in the kids area

Albina Library is continuing its commitment to early learning and development with a 4,300-square-foot kids area for learning and play, which is larger than a regulation-sized high school basketball court, according to a news release.

This area has unique furniture developed in tandem with the design team and the Burgeon Group, a premier firm designing, building and installing creative early learning spaces in public libraries.

Featuring an interactive learning and play installation from the Burgeon Group, the expanded kids area is located in the historic Carnegie building, providing about five times the space as before construction.

The updated kids area will also have technology and seating for kids and their caregivers to learn and play side-by-side, accompanied by artwork from artists Julia Alexis Hunkler and Christian Tellez.

A teen area guided by teens

This 1,743-square-foot teen space, guided by teen input, will provide an area where they can study, play games using state-of-the-art video equipment on a 75-inch screen and be in community with other teens.

Teens have an opportunity to plug-in, or unplug, in a new space complete with artwork from artist Nicky Kriara, which was guided by a teen art workshop.

Sensory space

This room can be flexible in its use, from providing a calm, quiet area to a space for more focused activity. The sensory space has a variety of lighting options as well as interactive furniture.

Community at the core

As a center of the community, specifically the Black community, the historic Albina Library took input through focus groups, online public meetings, one-on-one meetings with community members and public surveys.

More than 3,500 people, through more than 65 activities, were engaged, according to a news release. Community members cast 1,261 votes for the interior color palette with the winning theme being warm yellow tones inspired by Mount Hood.

An additional 27 teens across three cohorts in the Youth Opportunity Design Approach, a paid community program for teens, helped provide insight to what would make their age group feel welcome and engaged.

Funding

Multnomah County Library is transforming library spaces as part of a November 2020 capital bond. With the opening of Albina Library, it has reached the halfway point of its capital bond program with 11 building projects — six Refresh projects, four libraries and one operations center — completed.

For more information, visit multcolib.org.