Library renderings, open houses for Hayden-Heights, Riverview, Hamline-Midway remodels in St. Paul

The St. Paul Public Library system has unveiled new renderings for major remodels of the Hayden Heights and Riverview libraries, as well as the upcoming complete rebuild of the Hamline-Midway Library on Minnehaha Avenue. Floor plans and exterior designs, which are roughly 75 percent complete, will be showcased this week at open houses scheduled at each location.

Each library is “well loved and well used but also the most well worn in St. Paul,” said Barb Sporlein, interim St. Paul Public Library director. “They have not been renovated in more than 30 years, and in the case of Hayden, more than 40 years.”

The remodels aim for new interior classroom, community or public outreach spaces; upgraded technology and heating/air conditioning; and added natural lighting, improved sight lines and entrances accessible to the disabled, as well as youth gathering or play areas.

“In St. Paul, our libraries are really functioning as these neighborhood resilience center resource hubs,” Sporlein said. “We know that not all of our libraries do this well.”

Community feedback, outreach

The library system has worked with LSE Architects to incorporate community feedback from surveys and outreach events.

With remodel designs for Hayden Heights and Riverview largely complete, the library system will seek $8.1 million in funding from city, state and federal sources, as well as philanthropic community partners such as the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library.

The Hamline-Midway Library rebuild, which will cost $8.1 million on its own, is fully funded and scheduled to begin next spring. Construction would span roughly 14 months, though efforts continue by residents opposed to the demolition to nominate the building to the National Register of Historic Places. That move could trigger additional historic reviews.

Hamline-Midway Library

Constructed in 1930, the Hamline-Midway Library has gained a fan base enchanted by its distinctive arched entryway and red brick and limestone facade. The outdated interior, however, offers little room for remote learning or group activities, among other demands of the modern era.

Plans call for a complete rebuild that reuses some of the existing brick and celebrates other historic elements. Chief among them, the design reconstructs the entry arches but sets them back closer to the interior of the building, behind a glassy new facade. In addition, diamond-shaped brick features that were contemplated in the original 1930s design but never incorporated into the building will be featured prominently in a brick layout in the facade center.

The intent is to showcase the architectural features while making room for new classroom, technology and play areas, all on one level that, unlike the current structure, will be readily accessible for the disabled.

“It’s environmentally sustainable,” Sporlein said. “It honors history. It really tries to bridge history with future needs, with more community spaces, a better children’s area, a defined teen space and study rooms. In order to do that, we need more square footage.”

The overall structure steps back twice to become flush with the recently rebuilt Lloyd’s Pharmacy on Snelling Avenue to the west and with a historic church to the east. A mural facing Lloyd’s Pharmacy and the commercial corridor also aims to transition from the business corridor to the residential neighborhood.

An outside reading garden will be fenced in, connecting to a door that opens directly onto an interior children’s play and learning area.

The interior will feature study areas, a large and mid-sized community room and a wellness room. Decorated with a pollinator theme, the new library will also feature more natural light than the existing library, allowing book stacks to be visible from the outdoors through large windows, as well as opportunities for commissioned public art.

On Nov. 15, the State Historic Preservation Office’s review board will hear an appeal brought by a city resident opposed to demolition of the existing structure. The board previously declined to hear the National Register nomination because it was not supported by the mayor and the city’s Heritage Preservation Commission, which voted 5-4 in August against backing the proposal.

The Hamline-Midway Library, located at 1558 W. Minnehaha Ave., will host an open house from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Hayden Heights Library

Dating to 1979, the one-story library hasn’t changed much, even as the needs of the diverse communities living and working along White Bear Avenue have grown. Sporlein said adding large glass windows will open the building to natural light, and interior renovations will create better meeting space, as well as technology and movie areas, including places where job seekers, public health outreach workers and other community supports can gather.

“This is a complete renovation in the existing footprint,” Sporlein said.

Construction would entail a new community room adjoining new teen space and a children’s play, as well as a community partner engagement area. A wellness room and restrooms will be located behind the service desk. Given their current placement in an outer hall, right now “there’s no eyes on those,” she said.

Other exterior improvements will include concrete work on sidewalks and parking lots, a refurbished sign pylon and two new green spaces.

The Hayden Heights Library, located at 1456 White Bear Ave., will host a design celebration and open house from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Riverview Library

Constructed in 1916 in the Beaux-Arts architectural style by Charles Hausler, the city’s first architect, the Riverview Library sits on the National Register of Historic Places. The building, which spans 8,400 square feet, was last renovated in 1989.

Plans call for a historically-sensitive renovation, with an added 2,735 square feet of new space in a glassy new addition that will serve as the building’s main entrance. Roughly 2,200 square feet will be new useable space, with the rest housing improved mechanical infrastructure.

Sporlein said the renovation was motivated by a desire for increased public safety and accessibility, as well as a desire to showcase some of the cultural offerings of the city’s West Side. Public uses, including bathrooms once in the basement, will all be moved up to one level.

Fronted by glass, the front side addition ends in brick in back, meshing with without mimicking the Hausler’s designs. The existing stairs and front doors facing George Street will become a reading patio overlooking the bus stop.

On the main level, two doors will be added inside three large bay windows, one leading to the glassy new entryway and the other to a community room. Existing lower level spaces will be reserved for staff work and a break room, as well as a reservable community room.

Other improvements will include upgraded energy efficiency lighting, plaster work and mechanical systems in line with the city’s sustainability goals, with guidance from the city’s Heritage Preservation Commission.

The Riverview Library, located at 1 George St. E., will host a design celebration and open house from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.