Much construction activity is taking place in the neighborhood of the Ramsey County Courthouse. Today’s Pioneer Press reports that the former Lowry Hotel (directly across 4th Street) is undergoing renovation to become the new home of the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. The renovated property is also expected to house a bar and restaurant, as well as a rooftop dining option. Apartments, including student housing for the McNally Smith College of Music are also part of the plan. Only the administrative officers and criminal division employees for Ramsey County currently remain at the former West Publishing Building across Kellogg Blvd. Most county employees already have already moved from the West property to the Metro Square Building, and another 125 are expected to move to the renovated Lowry Hotel property. The article can be read here.
From the wide views of the Law Library’s 18th floor windows, an excavation project across the river has aroused some curiosity. Much construction-related digging can be seen past the Wabasha St. Bridge at about Water Street. A look at the St. Paul Permits Online database doesn’t readily reveal what is going on here, but St. Paul Zoning Inspector Tom Beach stated over the phone that this was the beginning activity of the West Side Flats. More about the West Side Flats project can be read at this Pioneer Press article.
