Page 13 - St. Paul, MN Central Station Design Guidelines

Downtown Urban Renewal, blocks of the central downtown core, which has now
1955 - 1978 been determined eligible for the National Register
of Historic Places as the Saint Paul Urban Renewal
Concentrated in the late 1940s and expanding further Historic District. The Central Station sits on the central
into the mid-to-late 20th century, the urban renewal era block in this potential historic district.
spread throughout the United States. The adoption of
the U.S. Housing Act of 1949 as public policy triggered Projects built within the Capital Centre Plan area
much of what is now known as urban renewal. This include the Federal Courthouse (1961) on Kellogg
phenomenon focused on the reconstruction of many Boulevard; Degree of Honor Building (1962), which
downtowns, through the purchase and redevelopment replaced the Minnesota Mutual Life Building at
of buildings, neighborhoods and large pieces of land. 325 Cedar Street; and the attached Victory Ramp
The City of Saint Paul’s urban renewal period lasted (1955-60). These International Style buildings are
from 1955 - 1978, and was enabled by the formation streamlined in design with strip windows and smooth,
of a Housing Redevelopment Authority (HRA) to unornamented elevations. Dayton’s Department
oversee the local use of grant funds and eminent Store (1963) at 411 Cedar Street and the First Bank
domain to acquire and assemble land. The Saint Paul Addition (1969) at 332 Minnesota Street followed
HRA initially focused its efforts on constructing public similar design concepts. Construction of I-94 at the
housing and clearing space downtown for future north end of the downtown core began in 1967 and Figure 2.6 In an urban renewal era rendering, the Central Station
development. further bound the core of the downtown business block sits to the far right and is surrounded by mid-century style
buildings that exhibit podiums, perforated building skins and large
district. amounts of glass and some concrete.
During this period, the area bounded by Fourth,
Seventh, St. Peter and Robert streets continued as Urban renewal continued into the 1970s with
the city’s business district, but was highlighted in additional infrastructure facing Kellogg Boulevard
a 1958 St. Paul City Planning report as blighted. In as well as two massive banks along Fifth Street. The
1955, the eight-story Minnesota Mutual Life building Northwestern National Bank (1971) fills the block
was built on the Victory Square block and introduced bounded by Cedar, Minnesota, Fifth and Sixth streets,
the International Style to downtown Saint Paul. and the American National Bank Building (1974) fills
Revitalization was slow in the downtown core until the neighboring block to the east. The current Central
the adoption of the Capital Centre Plan in 1962, Station required the demolition of the four-story, First
which was aided with a $19-million federal grant. The Federal Savings and Loan (1971) in 2011. Figure 2.7 Victory Ramp, corner of 4th and Wabasha, with rear of
plan called for the redevelopment of twelve square Minnesota Mutual Life building at right, ca. 1956
central station block design guidelines | june 2017 | 9