It may be closed for now, but at St. Paul’s Hamline Midway Library, what is old will be new again.

“I think it’s a historic building,” says Julie Lentz, who lives nearby. “It’s probably 100 years old.”  

“Libraries are always safe places for people, so I think a new library is great,” adds Megan Petersen, who visits the Hamline-Midway neighborhood often.

On Thursday, a Ramsey County judge handed down a ruling, giving the City of St. Paul the go-ahead to demolish the library built in 1930.

“So, I heard they were going to tear this building down, that there were some repairs that needed to be done,” says Austin Patterson, a neighbor.

After the ruling, Mayor Melvin Carter said in a statement: “I applaud this decision and look forward to finally fulfilling our promise of an accessible, safe, and modern public library that all of our Hamline-Midway families can enjoy.”

In 2022, the city unveiled a plan to replace the original building with an $8.1 million state-of-the-art library, complete with an outdoor reading garden, an interactive kids area and a teen room.

The preservationist group ‘Renovate 1558’ argued the building, now on the National Register of Historic Places, could be saved and renovated.

The group’s co-founder, Tom Goldstein, spoke to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS in May of 2023 about his concerns.  

RELATED: St. Paul plans to demolish Hamline Midway Library; community members work to save it

“If you tear this building down and replace it with a modern building, you’re losing a whole history,” he explained. “The city’s been effective at convincing people the building is falling down. It’s not falling down.”

On Friday, Renovate 1558 issued a statement saying the demolition plan is “yet another blow to historic preservation in St. Paul.”

The group says it will not likely appeal the judge’s decision.

Before that ruling, the debate on what to do with the historic building turned into a 16-month legal battle.

The city noted a laundry list of issues, including falling ceilings, a deteriorating façade, water leaks, ventilation problems and access issues.  

“As a retired nurse, I think about accessibility,” Lentz says. “There’s really not a way to get into the library if you have mobility issues.”

The city says the new building will include elements of the old one in the façade and exhibit area.

City staff are now working with construction partners to set a demolition date.

Construction on the new building is expected to take about a year and a half.

Patterson hopes somehow a bit of history can be integrated into the new design. “Putting that money toward saving our history and remodeling the building is something I would personally value as a resident of the area.”