🏢 Multnomah County Library — Portland, Oregon

St. Johns Library

Serving Portland's St. Johns neighborhood since 1913, this historic library reopened in 2026 after a bond-funded expansion that added 2,900 square feet, a large early learning space, and a teen room while honoring its original architecture.

📖 About St. Johns Library

St. Johns Library opened on November 22, 1913, in the St. Johns neighborhood, following library service that began locally in 1903 as a school-based deposit station. Designed by architects Folger Johnson and MacDonald Mayer in a Georgian style, the roughly 5,500-square-foot building has a rich local history, at one point housing a baby clinic alongside the library from 1918 through the 1950s and a wartime Rations Board office during World War II. It was expanded once before, reopening in 2001. As one of the eight buildings funded by Multnomah County's 2020 capital bond, St. Johns closed for construction in October 2024 and reopened in 2026 after adding 2,900 square feet. New features include a large early learning space, a teen room, collections tailored to St. Johns patrons, updated technology, and new artwork representing the community.

⭐ What makes this branch special

• Serving the St. Johns neighborhood since 1913, with library roots in the area going back to 1903
• Reopened in 2026 after a 2020 bond renovation that added 2,900 square feet
• New early learning space and a dedicated teen room among the upgraded features
• Layered local history, having once housed a baby clinic and a WWII Rations Board office

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