Ground was broken for Central Library in 1914. Ultimately, the entire building, including the Hill Reference Library, was erected at a cost of approximately $1.5 million. Expansion The Central Library opened in 1917. In that same year, three Carnegie library branches opened – Arlington Hills Library, Riverview Branch Library, and Saint Anthony Park. All four buildings are still in operation as libraries. The Central Library has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975. The library started an extension division in the 1920s provided books for various public schools in Ramsey County outside of Saint Paul. This division became the Ramsey County Library in 1951. Expansion of the Saint Paul Public Library continued in 1930, when the Hamline and Merriam Park libraries opened. Both branches were made possible by a bequest from the estate of Henry Hale. In the 1970s the Carnegie library began to sink so In 1993, after the demolition of the old building, a new 14,500 square foot Merriam Park library opened in the same location at a cost of $2.7 million. In 1945 the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library was formed to encourage and stimulate use and support of the library. The 1950s saw three more branches open: Rice Street in 1952, Highland Park in 1954, and Hayden Heights in 1955. The Highland Park library was remodeled and enlarged in 1975, then closed again for six months in 1995 for further expansion and conjunction to the Hillcrest Recreation Center. Groundbreaking for a new Hayden Heights library commenced on August 23, 1977 across the street from the original location. The new building opened in 1979. In 2002, a new, $3.7 million Rice Street library opened. At 12,300 square feet, it was nearly three times the size of the original building. The Centre Theater on University Avenue was remodeled and opened as the Lexington branch in 1967 the old theater building served the library from 1967 to 2006 In 1970, the Sun Ray library opened. The 21st century saw further changes to the library system. The Central Library closed in October 2000 to undergo a $16 million renovation project and re-opened on October 5, 2002. In 2004, the Dayton's Bluff branch opened in the new Library and Learning Center of Metropolitan State University. Replacing the Lexington branch, the Rondo Community Outreach Library opened in 2006 in a mixed-use facility including 98 housing units.