Through a $28 million adaptive reuse project that began several years ago, the historic Minnesota Building in downtown St. Paul has found a new life as an affordable-housing complex.
Local politicians celebrated its grand opening last week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the 13-story art deco building.
The building, which opened in 1929 as commercial office space but has been vacant since 2006, now features 137 units of affordable housing. It includes a mix of studio apartments and one- and two-bedroom units, along with 8,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, according to project information.
As a part of a partnership with the local
Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, 10 units are dedicated for long-term homeless households. Wilder is providing support services for those tenants.
Additionally, the building has a lounge, business resource center, community and fitness rooms, and storage space, project materials state.
Many of the original details, such as the molding, marble and brass fixtures, have been kept intact, while fancy elevator doors were reconstructed to match the originals. Heating and cooling systems, plumbing, roofs, windows and elevators have all been upgraded.
Sand Companies, Inc., which led the project that started in 2009, will house its metro-area offices in the building.
City spokesperson Janelle Tummel says the building fits into the city's comprehensive plan to fill vacant commercial spaces with a mix of affordable and market-rate housing. "This is a great example of a long-term planning process coming to life," she says.
She hopes it'll attract new businesses and residents to the area.
Among its selling points, "it has some of the greatest views of the river downtown," she says, adding that it's connected to the skyway system, light rail transit, and other downtown amenities. "It's another example of how we're growing and thriving."
Source: Janelle Tummel, St. Paul spokesperson
Writer: Anna Pratt