Deschutes County Library Address:   507 NW Wall Street, Bend, OR. Year Built:  1939 Architect:  Whitehouse & Church Builder:  Fred Van Metre Landmark Status:  National Register of Historic Places The history of the Deschutes County Library began in 1920 when the Bend City Council transferred all city library property over to the newly formed county library board. Plans for the first permanent County Library were drawn as early as 1923 by a local engineer, John DuBois. Then in 1924, when land for the library was donated by the Bend Company, noted Portland Architect A.E. Doyle was asked to drawn plans for a grand library. Reportedly Doyle’s plans were then revised in 1929 by local Bend architect Hugh Thompson who noted that Doyle’s brick design would cost $36,684, a very substantial sum of money for the time. When money finally did arrive for the Library in the form of a PWA grant, the firm of Whitehouse & Church of Portland were asked to draw a new set of plans in 1936. The extent to which Whitehouse & Church drew upon Doyle’s plan is unclear, but contemporary newspaper reports indicate that the interior was similar in appearance to Doyle’s design. The initial building was 96 x 64 feet and cost $30,000. Construction of the building was begun in September of 1938 with Fred Van Metre as the general contractor. The County received $13,500 from the PWA funds and the building was officially open in February of 1939. In 1957 a new wing, called the Benson Wing, was added to the building. Added to the north elevation the wing match the original 1939 design but had a flat roof which was surrounded by a decorative balustrade. The building originally boasted a wood shingle roof and was highlighted by white pained trim with dark stained exterior walls (opposite color combination of today).

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