Name: Astor Library and Veterans Memorial
Address: 450 10th Street
City: Astoria
Year of Construction: 1967
Architect: Brown, Brown & Grider
Original Use: Government (Library)
Status: In Use (Altered)
National Register of Historic Places: Not Listed
Description: Astoria’s 1960s library was designed with a guarded visual character, featuring a solid concrete shell, broken up by narrow vertical windows; projecting canopy roofs crowned each window and entrance.
As described in The Daily Astorian at the time of the library’s opening in 1967, “Twenty years ago the drive for a new library began, and funds were put into the Clatsop County Veterans Memorial Fund. A stipulation of the committee in charge was that there be a room in the new building dedicated to veterans. […]
“A total of $65,001 was raised in the drive, and a granite plaque above the door to the Flag Room makes note that the room is dedicated to the men and women of Clatsop County who served their country in time of war. […]
“The generous donation of $107,305 made by the Astor family was also used in library construction, and the library is a living memorial to John Jacob Astor, founder of this city. It was consensus of the community that the gift be used for construction of a library. And this past spring saw another fund raising drive for interior furnishings. Again the community came through with necessary funds, and it appears well worth it when one steps inside the door. […]
“The building is approximately 8,000 square feet, some 6,000 of this occupied by the main reading room. Aside from the reading room and the Veterans Memorial, there is a large storage and book repair in back, and one office for the librarian. Slender window panes, running from floor to ceiling, and polarized fluorescent lighting make reading easy and enjoyable. The steel frame building has tilt-up concrete walls on the exterior. Acoustical drop ceilings add to the attractiveness. Floor coverings are tile and carpet on concrete.”
As of 2025, a project is underway to expand the library with a rear addition, as well as to introduce additional areas of glazing to improve daylighting.
Further Information
• “Library Offers Attractive Decor,” The Daily Astorian, October 6, 1967
• Astor Library Dedication Program, Astoria Public Library Board of Trustees [new window]
• “Astoria Public Library’s Renovation Looks to the Future While Preserving Building’s History,” Oregon ArtsWatch [new window]
• Ebba Wicks Brown, Oregon Encyclopedia [new window]
• Ebba Wicks Brown, Lower Columbia Preservation Society [new window]
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