Designed by architect A. E. Doyle, the structure was completed in 1911 in Portland at 1110 Southeast Alder Street in the city's central eastside.

Funded in part by the Carnegie Foundation, the original building consisted of one floor and a daylight basement and included reading rooms for children and adults.

The building had a red brick exterior, terra-cotta trim, and a roof of green Spanish tiles.

To accommodate the growing number of users, the new library established reading rooms in other parts of the city.

Doyle designed a small temporary building for the eastside branch before money became available for the permanent structure.