St. Paul Public Schools renovating century-old middle school in Summit Hills neighborhood

Hidden River Middle School has served thousands of students for the past century in St. Paul’s historic Summit Hill neighborhood. Now, the outdated features of the school — formerly known as Ramsey Middle School — have given way to a $54.2 million energy-efficient renovation highlighted during a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday. 

St. Paul Public Schools hopes to finish the project by the fall of 2025. The district said in a press release that the renovation aims to provide students, families, faculty and community members with a “premier learning environment that will enrich St. Paul for decades to come.”

“The overarching goal of the renovation of Hidden River is to modernize our 100-year-old building to fully support what middle school students need today and into the future,” Principal Teresa Vibar said in an email exchange with MinnPost. “This is a comprehensive investment in the building to make sure it supports high-quality teaching and learning, has high performing building systems, and meets the district’s goals for environmental stewardship.”

After the renovation, Hidden Valley will be the second school in the district to utilize a natural aquifer to fuel the system and the third to use geothermal technology to heat and cool the building. It will join all SPPS schools in having inclusive bathrooms. 

Other additions designed to improve the building’s energy and environmental features include high-performing air handling units with energy recovery, energy-efficient LED light fixtures and lighting controls, insulation within existing exterior walls and roofs and window and light replacements, the district said. 

A new Summit Avenue entrance into the school will “preserve the building’s historical features and unify designs from past remodels,” the release said. The space will include undulating metal fins to provide shade while reflecting the school’s “hidden river” — the aquifer — by echoing the movement of the water. 

Vibar said another aim of the renovation is to improve school conditions while keeping its storied features intact.

“History is important,” she said. “Maintaining the historic pieces while building for the future is a big task. We have many former students who return as parents or staff members when they are adults. They will be able to recognize that this is still the same building as it was when they were students, only better.”

The school’s parking lot will be relocated from Grand Avenue to Summit Avenue, adjacent to the building’s new entrance. 

Students and faculty will relocate to the district’s Wilson building, a move that the district expects will shorten the remodeling process by two years. The LEAP High School program, the district’s school for immigrants that resides at Wilson, will relocate to John A. Johnson Elementary starting in the fall of 2023.

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