The nonprofit St. Paul Downtown Development Corporation has bought another troubled downtown structure — the Empire Building, a vacant seven-floor office building at 360 N. Robert St., as well as the single-level Endicott Arcade property at 134 Fifth St., which sits adjacent to it.
The purchase price was practically a steal at $745,000 and “fully funded by private investment,” according to a written statement from the Downtown Development Corporation. “No public funds were required to secure the property.” The full financial details behind the transaction were not disclosed.
Cushman and Wakefield will serve as property manager. The recent owner of the Empire Building was listed in tax records as the Merchants Bank National Association of Hastings, and the owner of the Endicott Arcade was listed as Empire Building LLC, which shares the same address as Madison Equities, a major downtown property owner that put nine downtown structures on the market together en masse more than a year ago.
Over the past year, Madison Equities has lost or unloaded multiple buildings through sales, foreclosures, condemnations and court-ordered receiverships, and several of its most prominent downtown properties sit vacant or heavily underused. The 25-story U.S. Bank Center at 101 E. 5th St., which is about 25% occupied, is scheduled to go to online auction next Monday, with a $1 million starting bid.
Vacant for years, the 55,000 square foot Empire Building includes 12,000 square feet of ground-level commercial and retail space. The Endicott Arcade, also vacant, is about 13,000 square feet.
The Downtown Alliance, which published its “Downtown Investment Strategy” in March 2024, has made it a goal to better connect Mears Park to Rice Park and either reactivate or remove vacant properties along potential promenades that have become unsightly because of boarded-up and underused spaces. Fifth Street connects nearly all of downtown’s major civic spaces, from the Grand Casino Arena to CHS Field, with the two parks in between.
Downtown Development Corporation President Dave Higgins said, in a statement, that the aim is to activate “a key block along 5th Street and begin connecting the areas of strength in downtown to its core. Our goal is to bring new opportunities to the area and create more reasons for people to want to live, work and visit downtown St. Paul.”
Led by Securian, Ecolab and other downtown employers in cooperation with City Hall, the Downtown Alliance launched the Downtown Development Corporation more than a year ago. Since then, it has acquired the Alliance Bank Center and the condemned Capital City Plaza parking ramp, which adjoins it.
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The Downtown Development Corporation has launched an online survey, the first part of its community engagement plan and “Reimagine Downtown St. Paul: Transforming the Core” initiative. The survey closes Jan. 31. More information is online at downtownstpaul.com/reimagine and downtownstpaul.com/ddc.
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