Friends,

It was great to see so many of you at last week's Lowertown Social event hosted by 1881 at Union Depot and our friends from Ecolab and Ramsey County. We're excited to keep these informal social hours going each month and will share details for February's gathering in next week's newsletter and across our social media channels – be sure to keep an eye out for that announcement.

This week I was thrilled to see the news that the Bush Foundation will be moving into the 428 Building later this year. As many of you know, we call Wellworth Coworking within The 428 home and I am excited to welcome the foundation and its team as our newest neighbors this fall. We're grateful to Bush for their commitment to downtown. One of our biggest strengths in downtown Saint Paul is to have so many institutional partners that continue to redouble their commitment to downtown. You can read more about their decision and what attracted them to The 428 building below.

As you start to make your plans for the coming weeks, don't forget that the Winter Carnival is just around the corner! The coolest celebration on Earth has a lot of great events happening downtown this year including the ever-growing, wildly popular puzzle competition and a host of activities happening in Ice Park -- from classic ice sculptures to a nightly laser show and the annual Torch Light Parade to close things out. More details about these events and more, including details on the Great Northern's 50-foot ice bar coming to Union Depot and the upcoming Saint Paul is Lit specials, can be found below.

Finally, be sure to check out the story from the Pioneer Press linked below celebrating the return of some favorite Saint Paul restaurants, most of which are downtown. It's easy to feel down when we hear about a cherished spot closing, but let's always remember to celebrate the return of classics and welcome new businesses as well!

Take care and stay warm this weekend,

-Joe

Saint Paul: Bush Foundation exiting U.S. Bank Center and moving to nearby 428 Building

The Bush Foundation will be located on the fourth floor, directly below the offices of Wellworth Coworking.

The five-story 428 office building, which once housed a 1950s-era Woolworth’s department store, underwent a $17 million remodel in 2018 that added environmental and health-conscious flourishes, as well as two glass-enclosed new floors to what had been a three-story retail destination.

The 428 Building “meets our needs and gives us some flexibility to think creatively about how we can use the space to do our work and support the communities we serve,” reads an announcement on the Bush Foundation website.

“More than that, it’s a building that is focused on wellness and sustainability,” states the announcement. The 428 is the first building in Minnesota to be awarded both LEED Silver certification and WELL Building Core & Shell certification.

Saint Paul is Lit: Embrace Winter With Local Restaurant Specials

Ten Capital City restaurants are embracing the winter season with festive light displays and specialty drinks.

The Saint Paul Downtown Alliance, in collaboration with Visit Saint Paul, Ecolab, and Saint Paul Winter Carnival, present this 10-day event to make this chilly season a bit brighter and shine light on the liveliness of downtown.

Participating restaurants will showcase festive teal light displays and feature specialty cocktails and NA drinks on their menus. Plus, a nightly laser light show will be displayed on the exterior of the Landmark Center overlooking Rice Park.

When

January 23-February 1, 2025

Where

Alary’s Bar & Barbeque, 139 7th St. East

Amsterdam Bar and Hall, 6 6th St. West

Apostle Supper Club, 253 Kellogg Blvd

The Bulldog Lowertown, 237 6th St. East

Lost Fox, 213 4th St.

Pazzaluna, 360 St. Peter St.

Pillbox Tavern, 400 Wabasha St. North

Smorgie’s, 127 7th St. West

Tom Reid’s Hockey City Pub, 258 7th St. West

Seventh Street Truck Park, 214 7th St. West

Patrick McGovern’s Pub, 225 7th St. West

In addition to this festive restaurant promotion, Saint Paul will also be host to a collection of other seasonal celebrations throughout the week like the Saint Paul Winter Carnival, Mayor's Cup hockey game, Minnesota Wild & Frost home games, and Red Bull Heavy Metal.

Weekly construction updates are currently paused during the winter months. As any changes or updates arise we will share them here.

More information on specific ongoing projects can be found below:

Robert Street

Utility work continues to progress on Robert Street. Crews anticipate work to continue through the end of the month between 7th Street and Kellogg Boulevard and through spring 2025 between 11th and 7th Streets, in advance of the reconstruction project.

Minnesota Street

Over the next several weeks, Xcel is scheduled to be on site working on their existing utility vault next to the UBS Building on the west side of Minnesota Street. They will set up traffic control so please follow all posted signs. In the coming weeks, intermittent lane closures are anticipated to occur for private utility work.

Kellogg Boulevard: Bridge Closure

Kellogg-3rd Street bridge remains closed. Construction is anticipated to last approximately three years.

Are you following the Alliance on Facebook? What about Instagram?

Make sure you're following the Downtown Alliance on social media to stay up to date on all the latest downtown events and news. Plus, we do love giveaways, so you never know when you could end up with tickets, swag or other great downtown prizes.

@StPLdowntown

stpdowntownalliance.org

Have questions?

Drop us a line!