North Portland Library — Multnomah County Library

🏢 Multnomah County Library · Portland, Oregon

North Portland Library — Multnomah County Library

North Portland Library has stood at the corner of N Killingsworth Street and N Commercial Avenue since February 20, 1913, when it opened as one of four Carnegie-funded branches built for Portland that year. Designed in the Jacobean style by the firm Jacobberger & Smith with an open-beam ceiling and interior bas-reliefs, this 9,500-square-foot landmark was expanded under the 2020 capital bond to include 1,500 additional square feet and a dedicated Black Cultural Center — bringing a century-old neighborhood anchor fully into the present.

👋 Use the Library Online

📖 About North Portland Library — Multnomah County Library

North Portland Library opened on February 20, 1913, on land donated by neighborhood residents at the corner of N Killingsworth Street and N Commercial Avenue. The building was funded by a Carnegie Corporation grant — one of four Portland branch libraries supported by the 1912 Carnegie gift — and designed by Jacobberger & Smith in the Jacobean style, notable for its open-beam ceiling and decorative bas-reliefs. Selected in 1955 for expanded collections and services, and in 1987 given a wing devoted to African-American literature, the branch underwent major renovations after a 1996 voter bond measure to address seismic vulnerabilities in its unreinforced masonry construction: the work included a new roof, an elevator, seismic retrofitting, and infrastructure upgrades, with the branch reopening in 2000 as the first Portland library to complete this type of retrofit. Self-checkout stations were added in 2011. The 2020 capital bond funded an additional 1,500 square feet plus a new Black Cultural Center on the existing site, along with outdoor space and public art installations. Today the branch houses the Black Pacific Northwest Collection, offers GED tutoring, ESL classes, and a Level UP Lounge for teens, and serves the historic Humboldt neighborhood in North Portland.

⭐ What makes this library special

• Carnegie-funded 1913 Jacobean landmark by Jacobberger & Smith — one of four Portland branches built with the 1912 Carnegie grant
• Expanded under the 2020 capital bond with 1,500 sq ft and a new dedicated Black Cultural Center
• Houses the Black Pacific Northwest Collection — a curated collection on the history and culture of Black communities in the region
• Open-beam ceiling and interior bas-relief decorative details from the original 1913 construction
• Level UP Lounge for teens ages 13–17, GED tutoring, ESL classes, and a community room for up to 80 people

📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card

Your MCL card unlocks a full digital library — borrow, stream and research free from anywhere:

📍 Nearby Multnomah County Library Branches

Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.

All libraries in Portland  ·  Browse all Oregon libraries →

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

🖨 This library offers printing, copying & fax. See how library printing, copying, scanning and fax services work — costs and mobile printing — and find other libraries that offer them printing & fax by state.

📅 This library has meeting & community rooms. See how library meeting rooms work — booking, policies and fees — and find other libraries with meeting or community rooms meeting rooms by state.

🎓 This library offers free English (ESL) or citizenship classes. See how library English classes work — free, usually no card needed, with ESL levels, conversation groups and citizenship prep — and find other libraries with classes free English classes by state.

✎ Notice something out of date? Suggest a correction and we’ll verify and update it.

✓ Hours & details last verified from official sources in September 2026.