Federal appeal revives St. Paulites' effort to list Hamline Midway Library on National Register

A federal official revived an effort to place St. Paul's Hamline Midway Library on the National Register of Historic Places, a victory for preservationists opposed to the city's plan to demolish the 92-year-old building to make way for a new one.

Joy Beasley, keeper of the National Register, sent a letter to Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Amy Spong on Oct. 11 saying the library's nomination should be presented to the State Historic Preservation Review Board, despite objections from city officials.

"This was a very good piece of news for us," said Barbara Bezat, a historic preservation researcher who wrote the library's nomination and appealed its case after city leaders halted the consideration process.

The library at 1558 W. Minnehaha Av. has been a source of controversy for more than a year, since the city started exploring the possibility of tearing down the building. A new library would be built in its place. A coalition of neighbors and preservationists opposed the plan, saying the city should instead renovate the existing Collegiate Gothic-style building.

The nomination must still receive approval at the state and federal levels for the library to be added to the register, and the designation would not prevent the city from tearing down the property.

But the listing would require the city to go through additional review processes before construction, potentially affecting the $8.1 million project's timeline and budget, according to St. Paul library officials. Construction is slated to start next spring.

"The city continues to object to the nomination of the building to the National Register of Historic Places," said Barb Sporlein, St. Paul's interim library director, in a statement. "We are excited to move forward with our plan, which is based on community input and multiple building assessments by industry experts, to build a new library that bridges the past and the future and maximizes accessibility, is environmentally responsible, and meets the current and long-term needs and desires of the community."

Opponents of the city's plan — who have organized under the name Renovate 1558 — have called prior engagement efforts "a sham of a process" designed to reach a predetermined outcome. Nearly 3,000 people signed a petition objecting to the demolition plan.

Bitter emotions swelled in August, following the St. Paul Heritage Preservation Commission's (HPC) decision not to weigh in on the library's nomination. Under federal law, the State Historic Preservation Review Board will not consider nominations if a city's mayor and HPC determine that a property does not meet the register's criteria.

Mayor Melvin Carter sent the state a letter saying the library does not merit historic designation. A subsequent letter from George Gause, the city's heritage preservation supervisor, said staff made a procedural error by allowing the HPC to vote on multiple motions — and that only the first vote, a failed motion to support the nomination, should count as an objection to the nomination.

Bezat argued in her appeal that Gause's letter did not reflect the intent of the HPC — and Beasley, the keeper of the register, agreed.

"Based on the available information, the property appears to meet the criteria for listing in the National Register … being significant at the local level for social history and education, and that despite alterations over its 92 years of service, the property appears to retain integrity of location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association," Beasley wrote.

The State Historic Preservation Review Board will consider the library's nomination at its Nov. 15 meeting, which will be held virtually starting at 6 p.m. Members of the public will be allowed to testify.

If a majority of the board believes the property is eligible for the National Register, the state will forward the nomination to Beasley for final review.