A federal bankruptcy judge has approved the sale of a St. Paul building owned by the Twin Cities archdiocese.

Judge Robert Kressel on Thursday approved the sale of the Hayden Center to the Minnesota Historical Society for $4.5 million. It’s the first of four real estate holdings expected to be sold by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis this year.

The historical society plans to use the 60,000-square-foot Hayden Center, which is across the street from the Minnesota History Center on Kellogg Boulevard, for offices, meeting space and storage.

The building’s 129-space parking lot was a major selling point — the History Center’s parking lot overflowed at 52 separate events in the past year. The building is also near the historical society’s James J. Hill House on Summit Avenue.

Besides the Hayden Center, the archdiocese intends to sell the chancery offices on Summit Avenue, which are connected to the archbishop’s residence; the Dayton Building at 244 Dayton Ave.; and a residence in Northfield.

The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy protection last January, saying it couldn’t pay for mounting claims filed by people who said they were sexually abused by clergy.

The Diocese of Duluth also filed for bankruptcy protection last month, after it was found responsible for $4.8 million in damages to one victim of clergy sexual abuse. The judge gave victims in that diocese until May 25 to submit claims.