1330 W. Blair Avenue, Saint Paul, Minnesota

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St. Columba School
Address:	1330 Blair Avenue W
Neighborhood/s:	Hamline-Midway, Saint Paul, Minnesota
City/locality- State/province	Saint Paul, Minnesota
County- State/province:	Ramsey County, Minnesota
State/province:	Minnesota
Country:	United States
Year built:	1929
Primary Style:	Gothic
Additions:	Windows replaced. Rear addition which doubles size of school.
Major Alterations:	Some/mostly intact
Historic Function:	School
Current Function:	School
Architect or source of design:	John H. Wheeler
Material of Exterior Wall Covering:	Brick
Material of Roof:	None Listed
Material of Foundation:	None Listed

Hamline-Midway Saint Paul Ramsey County

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1330 W. Blair Avenue, Saint Paul, Minnesota
(44.9611517° N, 93.1564289° W)

The former St. Columba School is currently (4/2009) home to the Hmong Academy Charter school.

This a "brick school with concrete Gothic detailing" according to the 1983 Ramsey County Historical Society and St. Paul Heritage Preservation Commission's historic site survey.

This school was originally the St. Columba Catholic church's school which closed in (?) and was temporarily home to the (?) school before being leased to the Hmong Academy in (?).

The school is located "on a block with church & rectory". The former priory is on the NE corner of Lafond Avenue at Hamline, and St. Columba church is on Lafond just east of the priory. The modernist rectory is to the east of the church also on Lafond.

History

The site survey states that the school is "a straightforward, collegiate Gothic style school similar to many others built in the city during the 1920s."

The site survey references this article "Contractor's bids too high, St. Paul priest builds own $100,000 school."

      Daily News, April 8, 1923.

See the Historical Sites Survey Architect & Contractor notebook at Ramsey County Historical Society for more information about John Wheeler.

"This school was built for $100,000 with Father Case, a priest, acting general contractor because he believed all of the contractor's bids were too high. An addition was added in 1931."