Dominium Development and Acquisition has a plan to secure historic status for the old
Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company complex in St. Paul's West End area and to
convert it into affordable live/work spaces for artists.
Different parts of the brewery were built starting in the early 1900s
and into the 1940s as the brewing process changed over time, according
to Owen Metz, a spokesperson from Dominium.
The group wants to redevelop the brew and bottle house into 220
apartments, including a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments,
and common spaces, according to Metz, who adds that the purchase of
those buildings is still in progress.
In a kind of partnership, the
Fort Road Federation community developer will separately buy
the office building and keg house, which will also be a part of the
historic district, where a combination of offices, restaurants, and retail
is planned to go, he says.
Both ideas were discussed at a community meeting in mid-February, during which
the process of achieving historic designation was laid out.
Metz says Dominium plans to bring back the historic appearance of the
brick buildings that have sat vacant in recent years, though the
project's cost is unknown at this time. "We're early on in the design
process. Nothing is pinned down yet," he says.
The group is "trying to keep the spaces open," loft-style, while some
artifacts from the brewing company's old days, such as pieces of tanks
and other equipment may be displayed throughout the apartment buildings,
he says.
A waiting list to get into another one of Dominium's buildings, the
Carleton Artist Lofts on University Avenue in St. Paul, which has a similar concept, tells him there's a
strong demand for such a project, he says.
Also, the area has plenty of galleries, which, he says will "help drive the
demand and make it a destination," adding, "It's geared toward people
with similar backgrounds and lifestyles and work."
Source: Owen Metz, Dominium Development and Acquisition, LLC
Writer: Anna Pratt