Oregon City's Carnegie library at 606 John Adams St. has evolved from a $12,500 building into a community hub that drew nearly 14,800 visitors in May alone.

A new Oregon ArtsWatch feature by Amanda Waldroupe, published Sept. 8 as part of the "America 250 Oregon" project marking the nation's 250th anniversary, spotlights the building's transformation.

The piece traces how a voter-approved bond funded a major expansion completed in 2016, giving residents park-like grounds, a mail-delivery service for homebound patrons and an Oregon history collection reflecting the city's role as the former territorial capital.

The library's story stretches back to 1911, when Oregon City applied for a Carnegie grant to build on a lot at 7th and John Adams that Dr. John McLoughlin had set aside for public use.

Architect E.E. McClaran of Portland designed the building, and it opened June 21, 1913.

The American Renaissance structure with Georgian Revival ornament earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in May 2014.

The library's path was not a straight line. It left the Carnegie building in 1990 for a space in what is now a Safeway, according to city records, then moved back temporarily while searching for a permanent home. On June 19, 2013, the same night Mayor Doug Neeley read a proclamation marking the building's 100th anniversary, the City Commission designated the site for a new, expanded library.

Groundbreaking came Aug. 8, 2015. Scott Edwards Architecture designed a 14,500-square-foot, two-story wing behind the original structure, more than doubling the space while seismically upgrading the historic core. The project added solar panels and used salvaged local wood. The expanded library held its grand opening Oct. 15, 2016, and the adaptive reuse earned the 2017 Restore Oregon DeMuro Award.

The building sits in Library Park, where mature trees planted when the Carnegie was built shade the Carnegie Spraypark, dating to 1929, along with a slide and swing set.

The library now serves 26,658 registered patrons, according to the June 2026 Library Board meeting packet. Circulation hit 45,676 items in May, with a fiscal year-to-date total of 510,249. Library Director Greg Williams oversees operations, and the board is recruiting his successor.

The Library Board voted in February to eliminate overdue fines and waive roughly $24,000 in outstanding balances, with an effective date of Aug. 1. About 21% of cardholders had fines on their accounts, the board estimated in a June presentation. Whether the City Commission gave final approval could not be confirmed from available records. Five of 13 libraries in the LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County) consortium have already dropped fines.

Homebound residents can request books through the library's free Library by Mail program, and the board's search for a new director is expected to continue into fall.