Over St. Paul mayor’s objections, Hamline-Midway Library added to National Register of Historic Places
The Hamline-Midway Library — officially known as the Henry Hale Memorial Library, Hamline Branch — has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, despite efforts from the St. Paul mayor’s office to demolish and replace the structure with a more modern branch site.
The branch, which was nominated by architectural historian Barbara Bezat, a former member of the city’s Heritage Preservation Commission, was listed on Jan. 30, according to the National Register website. Inclusion on the federal listing does not necessarily block demolition, but it does complicate it, and can make a new structure ineligible for certain types of federal funding. It’s also likely to trigger state or even federal construction reviews.
“We’re ecstatic,” said Jonathan Oppenheimer, one of five core members of the “Renovate 1558” coalition, which had rallied to preserve the structure. “This is the culmination of two years of work to advocate that this building be saved and to signify its historic significance in the community.”
In an email, a spokesman for the mayor’s office issued a brief statement, saying “we are aware of the designation and remain committed to building a new, dynamic library that meets the needs of our growing community.”
Library dates back to 1930
The library, located at 1558 Minnehaha Ave., dates to 1930 and construction was backed by the estate of Judge Henry Hale, who died in 1890. Its age, arched entryway and distinctive red brick and limestone façade has gained it a following, even as the mayor’s office and library officials have bemoaned the limited accessibility for the disabled and other attributes that made it among the last branches to reopen during the pandemic.
After closing in early 2020, the cozy but outdated Depression-era library reopened in June 2021 with city and library officials promising to secure funding to bring the branch into the 21st century with new meeting rooms, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, accessibility for the disabled and technology.
The city soon found $8.1 million for a demolition and rebuild designed to increase usable space by as much as 50% and bring restrooms, flexible-use meeting rooms and entrances onto one linear ground level, improving access and sight lines. Demolition was expected to begin in the spring.
Bezat and members of Renovate 1558 fought the demolition plans, which also drew strong opposition last summer from Council Member Jane Prince, then the chair of the St. Paul Library Board. Prince, who had criticized the public engagement process around the new library design, stepped down as library board chair in August and was replaced by Council Member Rebecca Noecker.
Following sometimes contentious debate around multiple planned library renovations, heavy staff turnover, safety issues in the library system, budget questions and general pandemic response, St. Paul Public Library Director Catherine Penkert stepped down in September.
Route to national listing
The Hamline-Midway Library’s route to a National Register listing was anything but smooth. After lengthy deliberations on Aug. 1, members of the city’s Heritage Preservation Commission voted 5-4 not to support its nomination, with a slim majority describing its architecture and early history as generic.
Bezat and Renovate 1558 kept pressing. At the request of National Register officials, the State Historic Preservation Review Board considered the nomination last November over the objection of St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s office, and then voted to support it and forward it back to the U.S. Department of the Interior for consideration.
In addition to its red brick and limestone facade, its fans have highlighted diamond-paned windows, carved stone rosettes, wrought iron lanterns and a stone medallion, all examples of a modified Collegiate Gothic style of architecture, according to study materials. A 2018 Historic Hamline survey identified the library as being worthy of further investigation, but stopped short of recommending a National Register nomination.
“While a successful nomination to the National Register does not preclude demolition, achieving historic recognition for a property against the wishes of the listed owner is a rare occurrence — and requires a state (and possibly federal) review of any actions that would seek to alter or destroy a … listed property,” reads a statement issued Tuesday from Renovate 1558.
The historic preservation coalition has called for the city to explore a branch elsewhere in the neighborhood while selling the existing building to be repurposed, or adding a glassed-in front to the existing building.
