New library rises in southeast Bend

Published 5:45 am Thursday, January 30, 2025

The massive Central Library at Stevens Ranch — Deschutes Public Library system’s new central branch under construction in southeast Bend — is starting to take shape, dwarfing nearby homes under construction and hinting at the scale of the library when it opens in 2026.

The $137 million building will be three stories and include a cafe run by Thump Coffee, large meeting rooms, interactive children’s spaces, two maker spaces, a co-working space and smaller one-on-one meeting areas. It will include 100,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor spaces on 8.5 acres located at Southeast 27th Street and Wilderness Way.

The library system’s $195 bond measure approved by voters in 2020 paid for the new Central Library and Redmond Public Library, which opened earlier this month, in addition to renovations at the Sisters, Sunriver and La Pine libraries.