Last to reopen in pandemic, St. Paul's aging Hamline Midway library could be rebuilt

With an outdated ventilation system, crumbling brick and stone and other signs of age, the Hamline Midway branch library in St. Paul needs a major renovation, or a total reconstruction.

But as community members debated the future of the library at a public hearing Monday, their attachment to the 91-year-old institution at 1558 W. Minnehaha Av. was palpable.

"It's very well loved and therefore shows a lot of wear," said Deepa Nirmal, a member of an association dedicated to fundraising and advocacy for the Hamline Midway Library. "We simply have not kept up with the needs of the expanding community and how desperately those services are needed."

The library has submitted a proposal to St. Paul's Capital Improvement Budget Committee for $8.1 million, one of several proposals for this year's city-funded capital improvement projects.

The two options that the committee will consider are for a building renovation or rebuild. The new or renovated library would have more square footage and upgraded technology.

Hamline Midway Library Association (HMLA) Chair Dani Nicholson said in an e-mail that Monday's meeting is one step toward gaining funding for the beloved library that is "decades overdue for investment and upgrades."

The Hamline Midway Library was built in 1930 and was last remodeled in 1985, with some accessibility improvements in 1990. Many of the building's components need replacement or upgrades, including mechanical, electric, plumbing, lighting and exterior brick and stone as well as other concerns, according to the application.

After being shuttered for a year, the branch library reopened Saturday, the last in the St. Paul system to do so because its HVAC system lacked an integrated air exchanger, making it unsafe to operate during the pandemic, according to the funding application.

During the meeting, library volunteers, supporters and Friends of the St. Paul Public Library who have raised their families at the library spoke in full support of funding.

"Once the pandemic hit, it was really the loss of the library which was hardest for me to negotiate," said longtime library volunteer Luna GebbenGreen. "It was frustrating to see the other branches slowly regain services, while we were limited to contactless hold pickup because the facility's ventilation was so overdue for updates."

Fifteen months later, she was finally able to step inside of her library Saturday during the reopening.

Other community members have expressed support for a third option: moving the library to a new location adjacent to Hamline Elementary School and the Hancock Recreation Center. Midway artist Jonathan Oppenheimer wrote in support of this in a Medium blog post.

"Let's take the time to get this right, and give deep consideration to building a new library … that's bigger, better, more inclusive, more dynamic, and more accessible than anything that can be built at the current location — while also removing the worry that a historic building may unnecessarily be demolished," Oppenheimer wrote.

City Council Member Mitra Jalali, whose ward includes the Hamline-Midway neighborhood, wrote in a Facebook post June 4 that she visited the joint elementary school and recreation center site to get a sense for what it could look like. Though a previous study explored the idea and found clear challenges to that option, Jalali wrote that future community engagement can flesh out the idea.

Nicholson wouldn't commit to either the rebuild or renovation and said she looks forward to exploring both options as a community.

The CIB committee will make recommendation to Mayor Melvin Carter by June 30.

612-673-7112 • @zoemjack