Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Minnesota District Completes $49.7M Addition, Renovation Project

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/17/26

Key Takeaways

  • St. Paul Public Schools completed a $49.7 million project renovating and expanding Hidden River Middle School and updating Wilson School, with construction finishing in December 2025.
  • The Hidden River project modernized nearly 100,000 square feet and added new space, improving security, classrooms, infrastructure systems, and accessibility features.
  • Sustainability was a key focus, incorporating energy-efficient systems, geoexchange heating and cooling, and drought-resistant landscaping with native plants.

St. Paul Public Schools in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $49.7-million addition and remodeling project at two district schools, according to a news release. The district partnered with DLR Group for design services and with Kraus-Anderson for construction, which finished in December 2025.

The Hidden River Middle School project involved remodeling almost 98,500 square feet of interior space and building a new addition totaling 10,800 square feet. Its scope includes new administrative offices, a more visitor-friendly and secure main entrance, updated classrooms, an upgraded kitchen, updated AV equipment, new HVAC and electrical systems, more inclusive restrooms, and partially replacing the roof, the news release reports.

Photo courtesy of Kraus-Anderson
Hidden River Middle School
Photo courtesy of Kraus-Anderson

The project website also discusses sustainability practices included in the renovated space. These include energy-efficient mechanics and systems, as well as a geoexchange heating and cooling system. New spaces were built with sustainable building materials, and outdoor landscaping uses “native, drought-resistant plants” and a drought-resistant seed mix that can also endure foot traffic.

Local news reports that the original Hidden River Middle School facility was built in the 1920s.

According to the news release, interior renovations at Wilson School—also part of St. Paul Public Schools—are also complete. These renovations included expanding classroom sizes and converting a locker room into a cafeteria expansion, according to local news.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.

  • CU-Lock Haven Receives $1.75M Gift for New Entrepreneurship, Media Center

    Commonwealth University-Lock Haven in Lock Haven, Penn., recently received a $1.75-million donation from entrepreneur and alumnus Nicholas Subich ’17, according to a university news release. The funds will go toward establishing the Nicholas Subich Center for Entrepreneurship and Media, a technology-driven hub for innovation and experiential learning.

  • Quattrocchi Kwok Architects Opens New Office in Denver

    Education planning and design firm Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) recently announced that it has opened a new office in Denver, Colo., the firm’s third overall. QKA is headquartered in Santa Rosa, Calif., and runs an East Bay Area office in Oakland.