Building History and Use
Hidden River Middle School at 1700 Summit Avenue has been part of the St. Paul community for more than a century. Originally built in the 1920s and operating for many years as Ramsey Middle School, the school has served successive generations of St. Paul students through its various iterations as an elementary school, junior high, and eventually a middle school. The name Hidden River was chosen by a group of sixth-grade students as part of the school’s renovation and reimagining, marking a new chapter for the institution.
Today, Hidden River serves approximately 600 students in grades 6–8, offering an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme, French immersion pathways, and a range of extracurricular programming. It ranks among the most academically distinctive middle schools in the Saint Paul Public Schools district, drawing students from across the city.
Despite its academic strengths, the building’s aging mechanical infrastructure had long been a limiting factor. The school had never had air conditioning, making late spring, early fall, and any summer programming uncomfortable or impractical. Its heating system was slow and unreliable. A $54.2 million renovation, approved as part of SPPS’s broader facilities investment program, addressed those deficiencies comprehensively while honoring the building’s historic character within the Summit Avenue West Historic District.
Why Geothermal?
The Hidden River renovation was designed with sustainability and long-term operational efficiency as core objectives, consistent with SPPS’s approach to major capital investments across its facilities portfolio. Eliminating fossil fuels from the building’s thermal systems and introducing air conditioning for the first time required a mechanical solution capable of delivering both heating and cooling capacity from a compact urban site.
Darcy’s groundwater geothermal system was well suited to those requirements. Three wells installed in the green space west of the school building access the aquifer beneath the site, delivering 2,352 MBH heating and 536 tons of cooling with a minimal above-grade footprint. The wellfield fits within the school’s available outdoor space without disrupting the historic Summit Avenue streetscape, which was an important consideration given the building’s location in the Summit Avenue West Heritage Preservation District.
For a school that previously lacked any cooling capacity at all, the geothermal system represents a fundamental improvement in the learning environment. The old heating system could often be slow to respond or run excessively hot, which created difficult conditions for students and staff to work in. The new system provides consistent, controllable thermal comfort year-round.
Design and Construction
Construction commenced in summer 2024 with DLR Group serving as architect and Kraus-Anderson as construction manager. Because the Hidden River building is located within the Summit Avenue West Historic District, exterior alterations required review and approval from the Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission, adding a layer of design coordination to the process. The commission ultimately approved the plans, including a new glass-filled entrance addition along Summit Avenue that brings natural light into the building while remaining compatible with the historic district’s architectural character.
Unexpected structural conditions discovered during construction of the 100-year-old building pushed the completion timeline past the original fall 2025 target. Students and staff remained at the temporary Wilson building through the fall semester. Hidden River reopened on January 5, 2026, welcoming students back to the renovated building after more than a year and a half away. A ribbon cutting and community celebration followed on February 10, 2026.
A Century of Service, Renewed
The Hidden River Middle School renovation is a meaningful illustration of what sustained investment in public school infrastructure can accomplish. A building that stood for more than a century without air conditioning, with aging and unreliable heating, and with covered skylights and an outdated layout now provides students and staff with a modern, comfortable, light-filled learning environment powered by a geothermal system built to run efficiently for decades.
For Darcy, Hidden River is the second geothermal project completed in partnership with Saint Paul Public Schools alongside Bruce Vento Elementary, reflecting a growing relationship with one of Minnesota’s most significant school districts and a shared commitment to making high-performance building systems standard in public education.
