The Renaissance Box housing development in St. Paul
SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- It took imagination and determination, but a nonprofit agency has managed to save a century old industrial building in downtown Saint Paul and create an affordable housing development at the same time.
"We stumbled upon the building in 2005 when it was almost heading into foreclosure," said Gina Ciganik of Aeon, a nonprofit agency with the mission of providing affordable housing and helping homeless persons find stable living situations.
It began life in 1914 as the O'Donnell Shoe Company factory, one of several shoemakers in the Twin Cities at the time. But for the past several decades it had been used as a warehouse, and had fallen onto hard times.
"We thought there was a better use for the building. Not a lot of folks were interest because it is an old historic building and it comes with challenges, but we welcome challenges."
Mayor Chris Coleman was among those on hand Wednesday for the dedication of the Renaissance Box in the Wacouta Commons area of downtown St. Paul.
"We're reclaiming an old building, providing working class housing for folks who might work at Regions Hospital or might work at the State Capitol complex or where ever that might be."
Fourteen of the apartments will be set aside for people who've been homeless. While the other 54 units will be rented to families who earn less than $41,000 per year. They will pay lower rates than they would on the private rental market.
"If you're working as a cashier or a bus driver, which are important jobs we need to keep our economy and our society moving along, you need affordable housing," Ciganik explained.
"These folks who are helping us everyday but you don't know where they're living. You don't know if they're spending half of their income just on the place they live, or they're trying to figure out, can I afford my medicine this month? Can I afford day care? Can I fix my car to even get to work?"
During the $17 million makeover architects left design elements of the original factory in place where possible, to honor the industrial heritage of the building which is on the national register of historic places.
The result is excellent natural lighting from large windows, exposed brick walls and cement columns throughout the housing development.
"It took about four years to put the financing together, and a year to construct," Ciganik remarked, "But, funny enough, it took a snap of a finger to lease up. We had to put the move-ins on a schedule, which is a good problem to have."
Copyright 2011 by KARE. All rights reserved.
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