Court Ruling Upholds Hamline Midway Library Demolition, Renovation

A court ruling on Thursday said the city of St. Paul can move forward with demolishing the Hamline Midway Library, despite efforts by a community group to stop the plan.

The city says it will now begin construction efforts, which will take about 18 months to reopen the library. The demolition is part of the Libraries in Transformation of the St. Paule initiativewhich includes three different libraries.

As previously reportedcommunity group Renovate 1558 argued that the planned demolition violates the Minnesota Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) and the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act (MERA). A motion filed by Renovate 1558 in May also asked for a temporary restraining order to stop the city from demolishing or making preparations to demolish the library.

However, in August, a Ramsey County judge dismissed the case against the city of St. Paul and the St. Paul Public Library Agency. Paul, who claimed they were violating state environmental laws in their effort to demolish the Hamline Midway Library.

On Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Smith reaffirmed that decision, ruling that the city can move forward with its plans to demolish the Hamline Midway Library.

“I applaud this decision and look forward to finally delivering on our promise of an accessible, safe and modern public library that all of our Hamline-Midway families can enjoy,” said Mayor Melvin Carter.

“Midway deserves major city investments in vibrant public spaces for the future of our diverse community,” said Council President Mitra Jalali. “I am excited that the Hamline-Midway Library will be rebuilt to better serve our neighborhood. This is a win for all of our residents.”

For more information on the Hamline Midway Library renovation, CLICK HERE.