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99-370� ooun�� File � 9`t- 3'iU o��NA� Presented By Referred To � 2 3 4 s 6 � & 9 io ii 12 13 14 is 16 i� is 19 20 creen sheet # �y8�g 3 RESOLUTION CITY OF SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA �O � Date V �� i RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE PLANNING CONINII3SION RECOMIVIENDATTON NOT TO DESIGNATE THE SEVENTH PLACE PROPERTIES AS HERTTAGE PRESERVATION STTES s F WHEREAS, the New Palace Theater/St. Francis�otel, commonly refened to as the Orpheum Theater/Seventh Place Residence 1-33 West 7th P1ac�e, 534-37 Wabasha Street properties, collectively known as the Seventh Place properties�,� were nominated for designation as heritage preservation sites by the Heritage Preservation Crorrunission; and WHEREAS, the Saint Paul ] that preservation of these building; very significant contribution to Co� the surrounding area and that desi€ the Saint Paul Comphrensive Plan substantial negative impact on the'� ning,Commission (hereinafter Planning Commission) resolved �ulc�'be a major obstacle to redevelopment that would make a eYiensive Plan objectives and haue a highly positive impact on ion of the structures would not serve a purpose consistent with may serve to continue the present situation which has a sunounding area; and WHEREAS, the Plan�ing Commission resolved that the proposed designations to be inconsistent with the Com . ensive Plan and recommended against designation; and 37 p�` 3a NOW, THERE�ORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the heritage preservation designation 39 nominations by the �eritage Preservation Commission for the Seventh Place properties contained in ao File Number 99-2 �Tre not adopted by the Saint Paul City Council; and Page 1 of 2 ORfGINAL q9 - 3�7a 4i BE TT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Planning Commission findings ' t heritage a2 designations for the Seventh Place properties contained in Planning Commis 'on File Number 99-18 43 and 99-19 are hereby adopted by the Saint Paul City Council. 44 / 45 � 46 47 /' 48 49 SO 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 2 of 2 Requested by Department of: Adopted by Council: Adoption Certified ay: Council Secretary Approved by Ma�or: Date sy: gy: '� � Eorm App ve by City Attorney By: Approved by Mayor for Submission to Council By: G�� Mayor Coleman's Office Alberto Quintela 68529 A 1��' a TOTAL # OF SIGNATURE PAGES 4/21/9 � GREEN SHEET q9 - � �to � .. � � �� L Vaneu.ra_ � a'r�nuw1er�l � `� ❑ arcca.tww¢ ❑ �,�� ❑ �,�.� �wrort(ort�emnum ❑ (CIJP ALL LOCATIONS FOR SIGNATURE) Denial of recommendations for heritage preservation designation sites submitted by Heritage Preservation Commission. PLANN{P1G COMMISS{ON CIB CAMMITTEE CIVIL SERY{CE COMMISSION Has this perso�rtn ever vrorketl unEer a contmc[ torthis departmeM? YES NO Vias tt�isa ce�Mmi r+er eem a cdy empwyee9 YES NO �this pe'soMrtn Possess a sidfl � namwl�YP��1 bY anY current cifY emPbYee? YES NO Is Nis G��Nfirm a targetedve�doR rES NO Heritage Preservation Commission and Planning Commission reviewed requests for heritage preservation designations. Development plan for Seventh 5treet Place can proceed. iAWANTAGES IF APPROVED Designation would serve to continue the present situation of decline which has a substantial negative impact on the surrounding area. Redevelopment of vacant and unrestored buildings would have a highly positive imnact on the surroundina area. TRANSACTION i SOURCE INFORMAiION (EXPWI� COST/REVENUE BUDGETED (CIRCLE ONE) ACTIVRY NUMBER YES NO �Qtds� �i�Se��h ��t� l �� . ` -r,��i CITY OF SAINT PAUL Norm Coleman, Mayor Apri16,1999 To: Counci] President Daniel Bostrom City Council Members � Fr: Robert Kessler, LIEP Director OFFICE OF LICENSE, INSPEC['[ONS AND ENVIRONMENTALPROTECIION � —n n, Rober! Kess[er, Director 1 J� LOWRY PROFESSIONAL Zelephone: 65Id66-9090 BU7LDING Facsimile: 651-266-9099 350 St. Peter Street Suite 300 SaintPaul, Minnesota 55702-I510 Re: Recommendafions Regarding Historic Designation of 7th Place Properties I am forwazding, for the City Council's official review under Section 73.05 of the Legislative Code, the recommendations of the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC), the Planning Commission, and the State Historic Preservation O�ce regarding the proposed historic designation ofthe Orpheum Theater and St. Francis Hotel on 7th Place and the Coney Island huildings on St. Peter Street. The Heritage Preservation held a public hearing on this matter on January 21, 1999, and the Planning Commission made its recommendation on Mazch 12, 1999. The following documents aze attached: 1. Heritage Preservarion Commission Resolutions, staff reports and nomination forms - 28 pages. 2. Heritage Preservation Commission Minutes of Meeting 7anuary 21, 1999 - 9 pages. 3. Herisage Preservation Commission Minutes of Meeting October 22, 1998 - 1 page. 4. Letter from the Minnesota Historical Society indicting that the subject properties aze eligible for local designation - 2 pages 5. Planning Commission Resolutions and Staff Reports - 22 pages. In addition to the documents described above, both the Planning Commission and Heritage Preservation Commission have additional related documentation and conespondence that is available upon request by calling Sue Synstegaard at 266-9088. The Office of License, Inspections and Environmental Protection has no recommendation on the merits of the recommendations provided herewith. I have stressed my belief to the HPC that it is essential for us to develop a process and plan to define the staff role in such matters and to guide future designations to insure that all relevant factors are considered before recommendations are approved. The City's Land Use Plan references the need to develop such a plan, and the Mayor also indicated to me that he very much wants us to develop a process to have the HPC work with the Administration, the Planning Commission, and the City at lazge to identify how best to identify and consider future historic desagnations. I will be discussing the development of a process, procedure, andJor plan with HPC and appropriate LIEP and PED staff in the coming weeks. April 6, 1449 Page Two °�R - 3'�ta LIEP believes that the ea�tensive stock of historic neighhorhoods, structures, and public infrastructure is one of the City's greatest assets, and that LIEP has both the duty and responsibility to make sure that the City Council`s guidelines and ordinances are enforced to maintain and protect our physical heritage for generations to come. We also realize that there are other important interests that ofren come into piay when historic designations are considered, and that these factors need to be identified and discussed 6efore actions are taken. I am available to answer any questions that you might have on this matter. c: Mayor Norm Coleman Susan Kimberly, DepuTy Mayor HPC Chair Steven Beutow and HPC Members Brian Sweeney, Interim PED Director Tom Harren, PED Team Leader Ken Ford, Planning Administrator Tony Schertler, PED Aaron Rubenstein, HPC Staff Nancy Anderson, Assistant Secretary to the City Council 99 -3� city of saint paul planning commission resolution �le number 99-18 date March 12, 1999 WHEREAS the Heritage Preservation Commission has nominated the New Palace Theater/St. Francis Hotel (Orpheum Theater/Seventh Place Residence, 1-33 W. 7th place, 534-37 Wabasha St.) properties for designation as heritage preservation sites and fonvazded this site nomination to the Planning Commission for review; and WHEREAS the Planning Commission, by provision of the Legislative Code, is to review such a nomination with respect to its relationship to the comprehensive plan, its effect on the surrounding neighborhood, and its opinion with respect to other planning considerations and is to give its recommendation with respect to the proposed designation (Saint Paul Legislative Code Section 73.05); and WHEREAS the Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee of the Planning Commission has reviewed the site nomination forwazded by the Heritage Preservation Commission, has visited the properiy and surrounding area, has reviewed the studies undertaken over a 20-year period to determine and encourage appropriate reuse of the property, has considered redevelopment recently proposed for the site, and has carefully reviewed pertinent policy of the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan, reviews and considerations which aze reported in the staff report dated March I, 1999 attached; and WHEREAS the Commission finds that: Job growth and strengthening of the tax base downtown are major Comprehensive Plan objectives. 2. Preservation and effective reuse of buildings with this degree of historic interest is supported in general by the Comprehensive Plan. 3. In particular, the St. Francis Hotel (Seventh Place Residence) facade is a valuable piece of historic fabric that contributes considerable warmth, chazacter and human scale to the streetscape on Wabasha and Seventh Place. These qualities, if not components of the facade, could be given priority in design of any replacement. moved by Faricy seconded by in favor Consent against Planning Commission 1 of 22 9�-3�a Heritage Preservation Nomination New Palace Theater/St. Francis Hotel Page Two of Resolution 4. The exterior presence of the Orpheum Theater is limited to the mazquee and entrance on the front of the hotel, and the stagehouse wall facing St. Peter Sireet. Much of the original character of its interior has been lost in remodeling, though restoration may be possible. 5. The impact of the properties in their present state on the surrounding area is negative. 6. While reuse studies could never be said to have e�austed a11 possibilities, those completed represent considerable effort toward appropriate reuse of these buildings over a twenty-year period, particulazly with respect to the theater. None have led to effective redevelopment. The studies, along with the lack of any implementation of the various redesigns proposed, provide strong evidence that the market cannot support effective reuse. Reuse of the theater, assuming that some market niche could be found for it, would likely entait large public subsidy and the greatest cost would be not the subsidy, but the loss of the far more substantial private investment that the recent development proposal suggests is possible if the structure can be demolished. While the Seventh Place Residence provides some low-cost housing which is badly needed, it cannot continue to support itself as presently situated. The owner, the Saint Paul Port Authority, is not in a position to continue management of low-cost housing and is not filling apartments that become vacant: Some new proyision for low-cost housing wili be needed in any case. 8. Redevelopment of the block in a way that makes full use of its potential for significant additional activity in this area of downtown is a high priority. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Saint Pau] Planning Commission conciudes that preservation of these buildings would be a major obstacle to redevelopment that wouid make very significant contributions to Comprehensive Plan objectives and have highly positive impact on the surrounding area; and that designation of the structures would not serve a purpose consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and may serve to continue the pxesent situation which has a substantial negative impact on the surrounding area; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Commission finds the proposed designation to be inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan and recommends against designation. Planning Commission 2 of 22 59-3� city of saint paul planning commission resolution file number 99-19 date March 12, 1494 WHEREAS the Heritage Preservation Commission has nominated the Au�ust Botzet Building/Minnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel commonly referred to as the Coney Island (448 and 444 St. Peter Street) properties for designation as heritage preservation sites and forwarded this site nomination to the Planning Commission for review; and WHEI2EAS the Planning Commission, by provision of the Legislative Code, is to review such a nomination with respect to its relationship to the comprehensive plan, its effect on the surrounding neighborhood, and its opinion with respect to other planning considerations and is to give its recommendation with respect to the proposed designation (Saint Paul Legislative Code, Section 73.�5); and , WHEREAS the Neighborhood and Curzent Planning Committee of the Planning Commission has reviewed the site nomination forwarded by the Heritage Preservation Commission, has visited the property and surrounding area, has considered redevelopment recently proposed for the site, and has carefully reviewed pertinent policy of the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan, reviews and considerations which are reported in the staff report dated Mazch 1, 1999 attached; and WHEREAS the Commission finds that: Job growth and strengthening of the tax base downtown are major Comprehensive Plan objectives.. . 2. Preservation and effective reuse of buildings with this degree of historic interest is supported in general by the Comprehensive Plan. 3. The impact of the properties in their present state on the sunounding area is negative. Restored, their impact could be positive if the restoration did not interfere with full use (restoration or redevelopment) of adjacent structures. moved by Fari.cy seconded by in favor Consent against � Planning Commission 3 of 22 99 -3�a Heritage Preservation Nomination August Botzet Building�innesota State Arsenal and City Hotel Page Two of Resolution 4. Because ofthe siting ofthe structures mid-block, these buildings cannot be considered in isolation. Their presence has a direct impact on reuse of the surrounding properties. An overall best solution consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and the stren�th of surrounding properties has to take a11 properties in the block into account. S. Redevelopment of the hlock in a way that makes fuil use of these properties as well as the Orpheum Theater and Seventh Place Apartments is a high priority under the Comprehensive Plan and is important for the vitality of the surrounding blocks. 6. There is no reuse plan for the buildings or for the block that gives confidence that effective reuse would not compromise the potential for the entire block; proposals are not available for preservation of the buildings in a redeveiopment scheme compazable in benefit to redevelopment that apparently can be achieved without preservation. NO W, THEREFOR.E, BE IT RESOLVED that the Planning Commission of the City of Saint ' Paul concludes that preservation of these buildings at their preseni location would be a major obstacle to redevelopment that would make very significant contributions to Comprehensive Plan objectives. and have a highly positive impact on the surrounding area; that designation of the � structures at their present location would not serve a purpose consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and may serve to continue the present situation which has a substantial negative impact on the surrounding area; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Commission finds the proposed designations at their present locations to be inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan and recommends against designation at their present locations. Planning Commission 4 of 22 yy-3�o Saint Paul Planning Commission Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee Staff Report March 1, 1999 Review of Heritage Preservation Commission Preservation Site Nomination Propert}�: Netio� Palace TheaterlSt. Francis Hotel (Orpheum Theater/Seo�enth Place Residence) Location: 1-33 W. 7tli Piace, 534-37 N, bVabasha St. The t�vo buildings occupy the entire southern half of the block bounded by Seventh Place, Seventh Street, Wabasha and St. Peter. The Seeenth Place Residence fa�ade forms the street fronta�e for the entire half block on Wabasha and the entire length of the Seeenth Place biock. The only street exposure of the Orpheum Theater is the stage wall facin� St. Peter Street. Planning Commission Authority and Responsibilin�. When it forw a nomination for local designation to the City Council, the Herita�e Preservation Commission will "secure from the city planning commission its recommendation with respect to the relationship of the proposed heritage preservation designation to the comprehensive plan of the City of Saint Paul; its opinion as to the effect of the proposed designation upon the surrounding neighborhood, and its opinion and recommendation as to any other planning consideration which may be relevant to the proposed designation, together with its recommendation of approval, rejection or modification of the proposed designation." Proposed Designations. The following findings summarize the historical significance of the t�vo structures on the site as described in detail in the Site Nomination report of the Heritage Preservation Commission: I. The Ne�r� Palace Theater/St. Francis hotel is archatecturally significant as a fine example of a Beaux Arts style commetcial building and as an important work of the prominent Saint Paul architectural firm of Buechner and Orth. 2. The New Palace Theater/St. Francis Hotel has cultural significance as one of oniy iwo remaining grand, downtown, vaudevillefmovie theaters from the first part of the riventieth century and the sole Seventh Sueet survivor of the bustling entertainment district that once centered on Seventh and Wabasha streets. 3. The new Palace TheaterJSt. Francis hotel is significant in terms of city planning and development. It is an eazly mixed-use building combining hotel, theater, and retail spaces; Planning Commission 5 of 22 99- 3�p and it is a remnant and marker of old Se��enth Street, formerly one of do«nto«�n's main commercial thoroughfares. The Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan. The Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan gives strong general support to presenation of historic resources as ��'ell as to reuse ofexistin� structures rather than demolition and ne�� construction e�herever appropriate. It reco�nizes the value of the "rich legacy of buildings, landscapes and montrments thcrt clefzne a city rooted in Zocal history." In this respect, desi�nation of the structures in question «ould be consistent ��ith the plan. These buildings, particularly the St. Francis Hotel, contribute strongly to the high-quality human- scale pedestrian environment on Seventh Place and �Vabasha Street that is a clear objective of both the Land Use Plan and the Saint Patd on the Mississippi Dei�elopment f•ametivork. Policy 4.2.3 of the Land Use Plan states: The City supports the building design guitlelines in the Saint Pairl on the bfississinpi Development franre�ror•k �vhich emphasi:e the zer•ban design quality of b<<ildings at the street lerel. Each building...shoidd conh•iba�te to the life of the street nnd contribzrte to the ptiblic recrina. This is es��eeicrtl}� importzrnt for the YPabasha-Saint Peter• cor•ridor�, the Rice Park nnd Meurs Park aretrs, and tlae other pt•oposed m�ban ti�illage areas. The Land Use Chapter also places an emphasis on gro�� and underscores the importance of continued new investment and accommodation of gro�vth in the downto�cn area through one of its four key strategies: "A Vital, Gro�cing Cit}� Center." With respect to economic de��elopment, the Plan places a high priority on job gro��th and notes that "if old industrial sites are redeveloped and the downtown grows, Saint Paul could add 18,000 jobs bet�veen 1990 and 2020." (Land Use Plan, Appendix A) The Comprehensive Plan also identifies "significant need to increase the city� tax base." "The Saint Paul property tax base per household is among the lo�vest in the metropolitan area. The School District, Ramsey County, and the City all share the need to raise values downtown, in commercial and industrial areas., and in neishborhoods with depressed values." (Land Use Pian, Appendix A, Trends and Assumptions) � The Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framerrork is not a part of the Comprehensice Plan, but is supported generally by the Comprehensive Plan as a more detailed guide for development downtown. It's principles and goals have been endorsed as the City's development policy for downtown and the central riverfront to �uide public and private investment. The following statements from the Framework are pertinent: • Preserve bzrildings, landscapes and monuments of architectural, ctdtural and historic merit. (Goal 13) • Augment the ezisting Historic Sites Sz�rvey to include all historic buildings, structures, lnndscapes, monziments and geological features within the downtown and river corridor, Planning Commission 6 of 22 gy-3� especicilly in the Seven Corners area and along �th Street. (Objec[ice) Renoration ancf adaptive re-iase shoztld be made a priority for key heritage elements. (Objective) GYabasha Street is a pou�erfzd repository of the ciry's collective memory and Saint Pazd 's historic main street.... (p. 8�) YVabasha Street is characterizecl by nurnero:es bzrildings of architecttaral and historic merit, a relatively consistent street fradl, a comfortable bzrilding sccrle, and a good birilding-height-to-street-iviclth relationship. There is a dii•ersity of:�ses along its Iength, r�cznging from institt�tional, retail, ancl hoz�sing, althozrgh same of these are at the lower end of the market. (p. 86) T{�ere is an czir of decline abo:et por•tions of 1Vabasha Street. The retail z+ses crlong its length trr•e of»ai,recl char•acter. bVhile ther-e are some good-q¢ratiry stores, mnny are weak ancl there ar a number of vncafat bufldif�gs ancl lots. Sei�ernl residentiul buildings along Yl�abcisha Street (tFte Lo�vey Hotel, 7[fz Place Residences and Scht�ber•t Apartments) generate umvanted activitdes, such ns loitering. These activities, con:bined rovith a lnckluster srreetscape anct rf lnck of vitnlin� at-gracle, create cr street thnt is often ernim�itirTg to pedestrians a fter• regailar bzrsiness ho:trs. (R'abasha Corridor Weaknesses, p. 86) • Establish a range of a�ses and activiry nocles along YT�abasha Street that encaz�rage vibrancy for additional hours of the day. (Land Use Objective p. 41) • Encozmage peopte to live ancl work nlong Wabasha. Included in the recommendations to implement ihis guideline is: Renovate e.risting structure to provide �ualiry residentiat accommodation for an expanded range of incomes including the Loxry Hotel, 7th Place Residences,SchubertApm•tments. (Guideline,p.91) • Several key redevelopment ancl planning opportz+nities are poised to play a major role in revitaliaing Wabasha Street. Phese include: the potential expansiofz of office space for a nt�mbef• of maJor private corporntions, .... (Wabasha Conidor Opportunities, p. 87) • Improve key open spnces including: 7th Place Mall, the intersection ar lth and Wabasha Str•eets, and Capitnl Centre Plaza (Guideline, p. 89} • Encozrrage major corporations seeking expansion to tocate on Wcrbasha Street between Kellogg Boulevard and 7th Street. (Guideline, p. 92) • Incorporate significant heritttge structures (Objective, built form). Planning Commission 7 of 22 9'9�3� Renova[e existing structures to pt•ovide qunlity residentic�l uccommodation for an erparzded range of incomes inclirding the Lox•ry Hotel, 7th Ptc�ce Residertces, Schubert Aperrtment.s. (Guideline, p. 91) Preser �nd rehabilitate bt�ildin,;s of archidectao•al c�ncUor historical mer•it including: City hald, Con:merce Building, Saint Paul Buitding, A'orthern States Pouer Campany Bztilding, Ecolab, A�Iinnesotu ClzilcG�en's naztseum, Fitzgeralcl Theater, Loicry Hotel, Hamnr 6trilding, ?th Plrtce Reside�7ces, O�pheerm Therater, Fitapatf•ick Btrilding, Exchange Beiilding. (Guideline, p. 92) The Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan and related Frnmetirork development policy give strong suppoct to preservation and reuse of historic resources in �eneral and recognize the important contribution of those structures that reflect important elements of the city's herita�e and continue ifs historic street ambiance. The Comprehensi��e Plan and related Frameirork policy also give hioh priority to current opportunities for gro�ti�th, increasing the density of activity, fillin$ in the empt}' or �veak spots in the do�vntown office core and the area to the north of the core, improving the tax base for the city and building economic opportunitq for citizens. Reuse Studies. Three reuse studies have been completed in efforts to find an appropriate reuse for these struchires. Two concern only the Orpheum Theater and a third concerns both structures. An appraisal report completed recentl}� provides a fourth extensi� e analysis of the property. Saint Paut-Ramsey Arts and Science Counci! OrpJ:e:rm and Shubert/Wortd Tlteaters Renovation Feasibility Stte�fy Ellerbe Associates, Inc., September 1980 A renovation feasibility study of these t4vo theaters was completed in 1980 by the Saint Paul- Ramsey Arts and Science Council. A professionai team from Ellerbe Associates, Inc. and R. Lawrence Kirkegaard, Acoustic Consultant, completed an extensive analysis and conceptual proposal for renovation of the two theaters. Findings �vith respect to the Orpheum Theater include: The buildin� is in generally sound structural condition. Much of the theater's 1916-vintage neo-classical splendor was iost when it was remodeled into a movie theater in 1950; it's new interior is a"poor example of revived Art Deco" typical of the 19�Qs movie genre. (There is disagreement with this conclusion. The 1992 study suggests that much of the finishing that provided its original character remains under the 1950s applications and could be restored.) The long and narrow proportions of the theater make it generalty acoustically good for 0 Planning Commission 8 of 22 yy-3�a music (contemporary and semi-classical orchestral �corks, including chamber music, recital music, choral groups, and opera), e�cept that the acoustics u�ould not be very good under the balcony �vhere the seats account for half of the audience. • The staae ��'inas and under-stage dressing room areas are grosst}- inadequate for modem requirements, and the sitina of the buildin� lea��es little opportunity for expansion. The ioading dock is ille�al and inadequate. • Lobbylloun�e space is inadequate by cunent standards. The renovation proposal would partially overcome this inadequacy by ezpandin� into 1,62� square feet of adjacent ground- floor retail space. • The theater seats 1,744 no�v and ��ould seat 1,478 under the renovation plan, with some seats removed for lobby and control room space. • The Orpheum space lacks the intimacy and flexibility needed for live theater, dance, opera and radio sho�vs. Its characteristics and acoustical quality suggest it only for music. The follo�ving costs �cere detemiined based the renovation plan developed (1980 costs): Acquisition: $1,062,500 Construction: 2,626,400 Annual operating cost: 500,000 The team was unable to generate specific leasing proposals to include in its analysis because of planning undenvay at the time for �vhat would become the Ord4ray Theater. Potential users were beginning io plan on the new facility envisioned at Rice Park. Having identified music, and, particularly, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, as the appropriate use for a renovated Orpheum, the study notes: "Although the Orpheum is in an ideal downtown location and is in better physical condition than the Shubert, extensive work must be done to develop an appropriate physical environment to satisfy the SPCO's audience." The study concludes: The potential zrsers af this theater ccrn be the SPCO, the Shztbert Club, varioc�s small messic groa�ps and frZm. Dz�e to the limited ntsmber of z�sers, it is essential for the St. Pazil Chnmber Orchestra to become the "anchof•" tenant for the Orpheum. YY�ithout this commitment, the feasibility af this renovation is seriously in doubt. The Shubert (no«� Fitzgerald) Theater, by comparison, was found to be in somewhat worse physical condition, but to have a more intimate space with greater flexibility that could accommodate a �cider variety of uses. Minnesota Public Radio was already using the theater, and there was more enthusiasm for the space among potential community users. � Planning Commission 9 of 22 95-3� Departn:ent of Pla�:�ri�zo ar:rl Eco�znn:ic Developnresit Tiro-Theaters Cor:versiort Study of the Orpheum Theater Benjamin Thompson & Associates, Inc., June, 1992 In response to the space needs of t�vo active theater companies in do��nto«n 3aint Paul, the Department of Plannin� and Economic Development in 1992 enga�ed Ben}amin Thompson & Associates, Architects, to undertake an architectural analysis and redesian of the Orpheum Theater for reuse as ttivo theater spaces. Under the concept, the t�co theater spaces created out of the Orpheum interior. «�ould be shared by t�vo repertory theater companies, the Park Square Thzater Company and thz Great American Histor}� Theater. This intriguin� proposal creates one theater space out of the present staae usintr the main floor seatin� in front of the balcony and the first few ro«s of the balcon}'. A second, smaller theater space �vith its o�cn stage (small platform ptus thnist sta�e) is created in �chat is presently balcon}� space. Accordin, to the report, "The two theaters captured within the orieinal auditorium have tmiquely different personalities and seat 480 and 37> patrons respecti��e]y. Each is very practicll, efficient and as mucl� as possible some��hat playfiil." General assessments of the building's structure and mechanical systems werz completed to documen[ feasibility, The report notes an unresolved need for rehearsal and property storage space and su��ests that basement space belo« the St. Francis Hotel be revie�ced as possible espansion and additional support space. In addition, "All production support activities will not be at the Orpheum and each company will largely maintain its off-site scenery and storage facilities." Dra�vings and a model of the proposed redesign were created. The available copy of the study does not contain a cost estimate. However, one of the participants in the study recalls that a cost estimate in the neighborhood of $10 million was arrived at by McGough Construction. Given the less-than-fully-adequate spaces, the difficulty of providing them in this complex using some of the St. Francis Hotel space, and a cost that was simpl}� too hi�h for the theaters involved, no effort was made to implement the proposal. The Park Square Theater found more satisfactor}� space more easily available in the Hamm Building across the street. Saint Paul Port Authority Sc{:ematic Design and Feasibility St:tdy of tl:e Orpl:etrm TJ:eater nnd Seventlr Place Residence Apcoa, Inc., Graelic, Inc., Mattson/MacDonatd, Inc., Oertel Architects, Witcher Construction July, 1997 In 1997, the Port Authority commissioned a design study of converting the Orpheum Theater into a parking facility, upgrading the Seventh Place Apartrnent (St. Francis Hotel) units and introducing parking into the basement of the Seventh Place Apartment building. The purpose of the study was "to demonstrate the potential asset value of the properties and to provide one Planning Commission 10 of 22 �5 -370 possible adaptive reuse plan for the block as a tool for prospective developers interested in purchasing these properties." This desian entailed demolition of most of the Orpheum Theater, replacing it with a parking structure c�•hich yielded 122 parkin� spaces at an approximate construction cost of $3,298,372. The Seeenth Place Residence (St. Francis Hotel) �vere reconfi�ured to produce 44 units, mostl}' one-bedroom but includin� tr��o and three-bedroom units. The building did not lend itself to efficient pro��ision of hi;her-cost housin� because the only acceptable �vindo�v outlooks were Iimited to the south side of the buildin,. The basement of the Seventh Place Residence was converted to parking in the design, yieldin� 39 spaces. Construction cost for the apartments was estimated to be $3,099,000 with an additional $�44,500 for the parking. The conclusions of the report note "a fe�c challen�es in makin� this pro}ect economically feasible." The design and analysis have not inspired any effort to bring such a project to fruition. Historic significance of the stn�ctures involved �vas given some attention in the study. Based on conversations with the State Historic Praservation Office and a representative of the Heritage Preserva[ion Commission, the authors of this study concluded that the Coney Island building has the greatest historic significance, that there is no clear consensus about the historic significance of the other buildings, but that there is likely a desire to keep the facade of the Seventh Place Residence intact. Saint Pa�{! Port Authoriry APpraistrl Report, 1998 Dhalen & Dwyer, Inc. In 1998, a comprehensive appraisal of the property was completed by the firm of Dahlen & D�vyer, Inc. for the Saint Paul Port Authorit}�. Findings from this study include: • The Por•t Airthority recently foreclosed on the pr•operty since the Seventh place matl had not been able to generate sz fficient revenzre to service the z�nderlying mortgage financing . � Although the subject properry was completely renovated in 1978 (apartments and retail space) current mczrket conditions in the Central Business District make it dif�ctdt for the property to earn a competitive retza•n. � Leasing agents hcrve hnd d�czrlty redeveloping the property dzie to the reZatively low market rents in the Downtox�n Area, and the high tenant improvement costs required to renovafe the property for occupaney. ► Mcrrket analysis currently indicates that it is not feasible to renovate the (retail) space relative to existing market rentals. 7 Planning Commission 11 of 22 qq-37o • T{re Ith Place Residence has perfor�med very strongdy the past hro yetns....Financially, 7th place Re.ridence has struggled because of the considerab[e umount of cleferred maintenance u•hich hcrs put cr strcrin on the cash flo�r. • Research indicates the properry does not generate szfficient net opernting income to cover expenses, aftd does not provide any return to land and improrernents.._a stabili=ed operating statement developecl demonstrates the property's inability to generate sz ffzcient rtet incame to tirarrant investment capital. • Tlze office market downtown is stronger than it has been in sevet•al year-s and is expected to continue to strengthen. • Tke hichest ancl best ttse rocottld be to dernolish e.risting impr•oven�ents c�nd develop the Zand [o its Highest ancl Best Use. • On the basis of a detailed analysis of operatin� costs and assumin� demolition of the Orpheum Theater for parking and completion of tenant improvements for the retail space as �cell as necessary expenditures for improvement of the apartments, the appraisal produeed an indicated "as is" market value of �31 I,000. • Indicated mazket value of the propertp if available for development (land value tess the cost of demolition) is $1,600,000. DeveloQment Opportunity. Recently, assembly of a site consisting primatily of the half-block occupied by these rir structures for a major new office buildin� (St. Paul Companies) was proposed. Development such as that proposed, canied out �vith carefnl attention to the design policies of the Frame�vork, would be a major step to�vard realization of Comprehensive Plan objectives. The addition of substantial da}time population and upgraded street-level retail space «ould overcome a significant weak spot in the downtown fabric and would most likely have a very positive impact on surroundinQ propert}. Enhancement in area appearance and liveliness ��ou1d represent an improvement for the Chiidren's Museum on the notth portion of the block, and the upgraded space and additional activity and population w�ould contribute to higher values and activity levels for surroundins retail and office spaces, including the ��'orld Trade Center and the retail spaces of Wabasha Street. While such a development involving replacement of the subject structures wouid entail loss of a potential historic resource, added population, economic activity and new construction replacing vacant structures would enhance the environment significantly for the historic structures already making very strong contributions to the character of the area: the Hamm Building, Assumption Church, Mickey's Diner, and Landmark Center. Planning Commission 12 oE 22 �5-3?0 Findings i. Job gro«th and strenothenino of the tas base do�ti�nto�cn are major Comprehensive Plan objectives. Preservation and effective reuse of buildin�s �� ith this de,ree of historic interest is supported in general b}� the Comprehensi� e Plan. � 3. In particular, the St. Francis Hotel ($eventh Piace Residence) fa�ade is a valuable piece of historic fabric that contributes considerable warmth, character and human scale to the streetscape on �Uabasha and Seventh Place. These qualities, if not components of the facade, could be given priority in design of any replacement. 4. The eaterior presence of the Orpheum Theater is limited to the marquee and entrance on the front of the hotel, and the staQehouse wall facin� St. Peter Street. Much of the original character of its interior has been lost in remodelin�, tliough restoration may be possible. �. The impact of the properties in their present state on the surrounding area is negative. 6. �Vhi1e reuse studies could never be said to have exhausted alI possibitities, those completed represent considerable effort to�card appropriate reuse of these buildings over a twent}•-year period, particularly with respect to the theater. None have led to effective rede��elopment. The studies, alon, with the lack of any implementation of the various redesians proposed, provide strong e� idence that the market cannot support effective reuse. Reuse of the theater, assuming that some market niche could be found for it, would likely entail lazge public subsidy and the greatest cost would be not the subsidy, but the loss of the far more substantial private investment that the recent development proposal suggests is possible if the structure can be demolished. R�hile the Seventh Place Residence provides some low-cost housin� which is badly needed, it cannot continue to support itself as presentl}� situated. The owner, the Saint Paul Port Authority, is not in a position to continue mana�ement of low-cost housing and is not fillin� apartments that become ��acant. Some necv provision for 1o�v-cost housing �vill be needed in any case. Rede�=elopment of the block in a wa} that makes full use of its potential for significant additional activity in this area of do«ntown is a high priority. Conciusion and Staff Recommendation. Review of development potential for the block indicates that preservation of these buildings could be a major obstacle to redevelopment that would make very significant contributions to Comprehensive Plan objectives and have highly positive impact on the surrounding area. In this situation, designation of the structures would not 0 Planning Commission 13 of 22 y5-3?o serve a purpose consistent with the Comprehensio�e Plan and may serve to continue the presenf situation tivhich has a substantial negative impact on the surroundins area. Staff finds the proposed desi?nations to be inconsistent w�ith the Comprehensive Plan and recommends a�ainst designation. Staf£ Ken Ford Planning Commission 14 of 22 10 99-32� Saint Paul Planning Commission Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee Staff Report March l, 1999 Re��ie�e of Hecitage Presen�ation Commission Preservation Site iComination Propecty: August Botzet BuildingMinnesota State Arsenal and Cit} Hotzl commonly refzrred to as the Coney Island or the Original Coney Island Location: 448 and 444 St. Peter Street; Lot 7, Block 11, Bazil and Guerin's Addition to Saint Paul The t�co buildin�s face on St. Peter Street near the centet on its eastern side near the center of the block between Seventh Place and Seventli Streei. Their site includes �vhat �could be the �vestern end of the east-west alley. The entire southern half of the block is occupied by the Seventh Place Apartments and the Orpheum Theater. Circulation parking and loading space for the Children's Museum is leased from the o�vners of these buildin�s. These buildings are immediately ad}acent to the Orpheum Theater on their southern ed�e. Planning Commission Authority and Responsibility. When it fonvards a nomination for local designation to the City Council, the Heritage Preservation Commission will "secure from the city plannin� commission its recommendation �vith respect to the relationship of the proposed heritage preservation designation to the comprehensive pIan of the City of Saint Pau1; its opuuon as to the effect of the proposed designation upon the sunoundin� neighborhood, and its opinion and recommendation as to any other plannin� consideration which may be relevant to the proposed desi�nation, together with its recommendation of approval, rejection or modification of the proposed designation." (Saint Paul Legislative Code, Section 73.05) Proposed Designntions. The followin� findines summarize the historical significance of the two structures on the site as described in detail in the Site Nomination report of the Heritage Preservation Commission: Both buildings have historic and architectural significance to the Cit}� of Saint Paul. The August Botzet(Minnesota State Arsenal building (448 St. Peter) is architecturally significant as a rare survivin� example of a distinctive early St. Paul building type: the commerciai biock of quarry-faced local Platteville limestone. It is the oldest remaizung building in downtown and the oldest commerciai building in the ciry. 2. Jointly the two buildings aze historically significant as mazkers of the large German- American community in St. Paul and their involvement in the buildinQ and hostelry uades in Planning Commission 15 of 22 9g�3�O the early decades of the city. 3. The ri�o buildings share significance as two of the few nineteenth-centurr buildings remainin� on what has historically been one of the city's main commerciaf thoroughfares. 4. The 448 St. Peter St. buildin� is historicall`� sianificant for its use as a state arsenat in the final years of the U. S. Civi1 War, 186� to 1880. The Saint Paul Comprehensi�•e Plan. The Saint Paul Comprehensi��e Plan gives strong general suppor[ to presen•ation of historic resources, as ��'ell as to reuse of existin� structures rather than demolition and ne�v construction wherever appropriate. It recognizes the calue of the "rich legacy of buildin�s, landscapes and monuments that define a cit}� rooted in local history." In this respect, designation of the structures in question would be consistent «ith the plan. Policy �.9.1 of the Land Use Plan (1999) states: Many parts of the city� have historic character and infzll constr-�rction cend renovation gener•ally sho�dd respect the traclitional cftaracter of tke immediate neighborhood, even x here it is not legally reqtrired. The Land Use Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan also places an emphasis on gro�vth, and underscores the importance of contimied ne�v in��estment and accommodation of growth in the do�rntown area throuah one of its four key strategies: "A Vital, Growina Cit} Center." With respect to economic deG�elopment, the Plan p(aces a high priority on job grouth and notes the "if old industria! sites nre redevelopecl ancl the dotinntown grows, Saint Pau! coidd add 18,ODDjobs bettiveen 1990 cind 20?0." (Land Use Plan, Appendix A) The Comprehensive Plan also identifies "significant need to increase the cin tax base." "The Saint Paul propercy tax base per household is among the lowest in the metropolitan azea. The School District, Ramsey County, and the City all shaze the need to raise values downtown, in commercial and industrial areas., and in neighborhoods with depressed values." (Land Use Plan, Appendix A, Trends and Assumptions) The Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework is not a part of the Comprehensive Plan, but is supported generally by the Comprehensive Plan as a more detailed guide for development do�vntown. It's ptinciples and goais have been endorsed as the City's development policy for downtown and the central riverfront to guide public and private investment. The following statements from the Framework are pertinent: • Preserve buildings, landscapes and monuments of nrchitectzrrnl, cttlti�rtt( and historic merit. • Augment the existing Historic Sites Survey to include a11 historic buildings, structures, landscapes, monuments and geological features within the downtown and river corridor, especially in the Seven Corners area and along 7th Street. (Objective) Planning Commission 16 of 22 9� -3 `�o • Renovation and adaptire re-use should be made a prior for key heritage elements. (Obj ective) � There is an air of decline aboztt portioFis of YYabasha Sh�eet The retail z�ses along its length nre of rr:ixed charncter. GVhile there are sotne good-quality stores, nzany are weak arzd there czre a numbet• of vctccznt buildings and lots. Sereral resideritial buildings along bb'abnsha Street (the Loivf y Hotel, 7th Plcrce Residerrces and Schzrbet7 Apartrnents) generrate zrntii�nnted activities, szech as loitering. These activities, cornbinetl ivith a lackktster streetscape ancl a Zack of vitaliry at-grczde, create a street that is often zrninviting to pedestricrns cfter� r b:rsiness hotrrs. (b��abasha Conidor Weaknesses, p. 86) • Several key redeveloprnent and pla�zning opportcrnities are poised to play a mnjor role in f•eritali=ing 6Vabashn Street. These incl:rde: the potentinl espnnaion of offzce space for a number ofmajor private corporations, .._ (Wabasha Corridor Opportunities, p. 87) • Improtie key open spaces inclztdino: %th Pluce Mnll, the intersection at 7th and Wabasha Streets, nnd Capital Centre Plaza (Guideline, p. 89) • Possibilities under this guideline include: Encozerage majDr corporationa seeking espansion to locate on YYabasha Street betu-een Kellogg Bozdevarcf and 7th Street. (Guideline, p. 92) • Incarporate signifrccrnt heritage struct:u•es (Objective, Built Form). The Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan and related Framework development policy give strong support to preservation and reuse of historic resources in general, and recognize the important contribution of those structures that reflect important elements of the city's herita�e and continue its historic street ambiance. The Comprehensive Plan and related Framework policy also give high priority to cunent opportunities for gro�Frth, increasine the density of actieity, filling in the empt}' or weak spots in the downtown office core and the area to the north of the core. The sub}ect buiidin�s, restored accordin� to the preservation program recommended by the Heritage Preservation Commission and effectively reused in a way that contributes to full utilization of the adjacent half-block occupied by the Seventh Place Apartments and the Orpheum Theater, would contribute to the objectives of the Comprehensive Plan. As long as ihe buildings are unrestored and vacant, and as long as they present an obstacle to full use of the adjacent Seventh PlacelOrpheum block, they aze an obstacle to realization of Comprehensive Pian objectives and their impact on surrounding properties is negarive. Development Opportunity. Recently, assembly of a site that would include these two buiidings along with the Seventh Place Apartments and the Orpheum Theater for a major new o�ce 3 Planning Commission 17 of 22 y9�3,o buildin� (St. Paul Companies) cvas proposed. Development such as that proposed, carried out �cith careful attention to the desian policies of the Frcrmex•ork, could be a major step toward realization of Comprehensive Plan objectives. The addition of substantiaf dar'time population and uparaded sireet-le�•el retail space ��ould o��ercome a significant �ceak spot in the downtown fabric and would most likely have a ti positive impact on surroundine propert}�. Enhancement in area appearance and liveliness �vould represent an improvement for the Children's Museum on the north portion of the block, and the up�raded space and additional acti� itc and population «ould contribute to hi�her values and activity levels for surroundin� retail and office spaces, including the World Trade Center and the retail spaces of �Vabasha Street. `Uhile such a development involvin� replacement of the subject structures «ould entail loss of a potential historic resource, added poputation, economic activity and ne�� construction replacing � acant structures «ould e�lhance the en��ironment significantly for the historic structures already makin� very stron� contributions to the character of the area: the Hanim Building, Assumption Church, Mickey's Diner and Landmark Center. Reuse Studies. No reuse studies of the buifdin�s have been completed. Little is l:nown about the potential for restoration and reuse beyond a general support of designation by the owners as a �vay to retain the buildings. Findings I. Job gro�vth and stren�thenin� of the tas base do«nto�an are major Comprehensive Plan objectives. 2. Preservation and effective reuse of buildings with this degree of historic interest is supported in general by the Comprehensive Plan. 3. The impact of the properties in their present stace on the surrounding area is negative. Restored, their impact could be positive if the testoration did not interfere �vith full use (restoration or redevelopment) of adjacent structures. 4. Because of the sitine of the structures mid-block, these buildings cannot be considered in isolation. Their presence has a direct impact on reuse of the sunoundin� properties. An overall best solution consistent �vith the Comprehensive Plan and the strength of sunounding properties has to take all properties in the block into account. Redevelopment of the block in a way that makes full use of these properties as weil as the Orpheum Theater and Seventh Place Apartments is a high priority under the Comprehensive Plan and is important for the vitality of the surrounding blocks. 6. There is no reuse plan for the buildings or for the block that gives confidence that effective reuse would not compromise the potential for the entire block. 0 Planning Commission 18 of 22 99•3'� Conclusion and Staff Recommendation. Review� of development potential for the block indicates that preservation of these buildin�s could be a major obstacie to redec�elopment that could make very significant contributions to Comprehensive Plan objectives and have a highly positi��e impact on the surroundine area. Proposals are not availabie for presen�ation of the buildings in a redevelopment scheme comparable in benefit to redevelopment that apparently can be achieved �cithout preservation. In this situation, desi�nation of the structures at their present location ��ould not serve a purpose consistent �vith the Comprehensive Plan and may serve to continue the present situation which has a substantial neoative impact on the surrounding area. Staff finds the proposed desi�nations at their present locations to be inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan and recommends against designation at their present locations. Staff: Ken Ford Planning Commission 19 of 22 95 Orpheum Block Proposed Heritage Preservation Designations Revie�v Reuse Studies of the Existing Buildings Summaries compiled by Ken Ford for the Neighborhood and Cunent Plannin� Committee, February 23, 1999 Saint Paul-Ramsev Arts and Science Council Orpheum and ShubertJWorld Theaters Reno��ation FeasibiliR� Stud} Ellerbe Associates, Inc. September 19$0 A renovation feasibilit} stud} of these t«o theaters «as completed in 1980 b� the Saint Paul- R�msep Arts and Science Council. A professional team from Ellerbe Associates, Inc. and R. L��vrence Kirke�aard, Acoustic Consultant, completed an extensive analysis and conceptual proposal for renovation of the nco theaters. Findings with respect to the Orpheum Theater include: The buildin� is in generally sound structura] condition. 2. tLluch of the tlteater's 1916-vintage neo-classicat sptzndor G4'as lost Gvhen it was remodeled into a movie theater in 19�0; if s ne�r interior is a"poor exaniple of reviced Art Deco" typical of the 19�Os movie genre. The long and narrow proportions of the theater make it generally acoustically good for music (contempozary and semi-classical orchestral �corks, including chamber music, recital music, choral groups, and opera) except that the acoustics would not be very good under the balcony where the seats account for half of the audience. 4. The sta�e �vines and under-staee dressin� room areas are grossly inadequate for modem requirements and the sitine of the building leaves ]ittle opportunity for espansion. The loadin� dock is illeoal aud inadequate. �. Lobbylloim�e space is inadequate by current standards. The renovation proposal would plrtially overcome this inadequacy by espanding into 1,625 square feet of adjacent ground- floor retail space. 6. The theater seats 1,744 no�� and would seat 1,478 under the renovation ptan with some seats removed for lobby and control room space. The Orpheum space lacks the intimacy and flexibility needed for live theatre, dance, opera and radio shows. Its chazacteristics and acoustical quality suggest it only for music. Planning Commission 20 of 22 yy_3yo The follo�cing costs «'ere determined based the renocation plan developed (1980 costs): Acquisition: $1,062.�00 Constructio n: 2,626.400 Annual operating cost: >00.000 The team �cas unable to generate specific leasing proposals to include in its analpsis because of planning undenca}� at the time for �vhat ��ould become the Ordway Theater. Potential users ��ere beJinning to plan on the ne�v facilit}� envisioned at Rice Park. HacinQ identified music, and, particularl}, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, as the appropriate use for a renovated Orpheum, the study notes: "Althou�h the Orpheum is in an ideal do�vnto«n location and is in better physical condition than the Shubert, extensive uork must be done to develop an appropriate ph;�sical em�ironment to satisfy the SPCO's audience." The study concludes: The potential t�sers of this thenter can be tJse SPCO, the Shubert Club, ti�ar•iot�s small rnicsic groi�ps and filnt. Dtie to rfie limited nt�mber of a�sers, it is essential for the St. Patrl Chcrnrber Orchestf�a to beco�ne tlae "and�or�"tenant for the Oiphetu�7. l�ithotu this co»:rnitn�ent, ihe fecrsibiliry of this renoi•atiori is ser�iozts/y� in dotrbt. The Shubert Theater, b}• comparison, was found to be in somewhat worse physical condition, but to have a more intimate space with greater flexibility that could accommodate � �cider variety of uses. Minnesota Public Radio was already usin� the theater and there ticas more enthusiasm for the space amon� potential community users. Dep�rtment of Plnnning and Economic Development TFVO-Theaters Conversion Study of the Orpheum Theater Benjamin Thompson & Associates, Ine. June, 1992 In response to the space needs of t��o active theater companies in downto��n Saint Paul, the Deparmient of Planning and Economic Development in 1992 engaged Bznjamin Thompson & Associates, Architects, to undartake an architectural anal}'sis and redesien of the Orpheum Theater far reuse as two theater spaces. Under the concept, the two theatzr spaces created out of the Orpheunt interior ��ould be shared by t«o repertory theater companies, the Park Square Theatre Company, and the Great American History Theater. This intriguing proposal creates one theater space out of the present stagz using the main floor seating in front of the balcony and the first fe�v rows of the baicony. A second, smaller theater space with its o�vn stage (small platform plus thrust stage) is created in �chat is presently balcony space. According to the report, "The two theaters captured within the original auditorium have uniquely different personalities and seat 480 and 375 patrons respectively. Each is very practical, efficient and as much as possible somewhat playful." General assessments of the buildinas structure and mechanical systems «ere completed to Planning Commission 21 of 22 �' �i ' doctmtent feasibilitJ. The report notes a need for rehearsal and propert} stora�e space not fully resoh ed and sue_ests basement area belo« the St. Francis Hotel be re� ie�ced as possible ezpansion and additional support space. ln addition. "All production suppon activities ��ill not be at thz Orpheum and each compan} «ill largely maintain its off-site scenen and storage facilities." Dra�cin�s and a model of the proposed redesi�n ��ere created. The acailable cop} of the study does not contain a cost estimate. Ho�czcer. one of the participants in the study recalls that a cost estimate in tlie nei�hborhood ofS10 million �vas arri��ed at by b4cGou�h Construction. Gicen the less than fiill� adequate spaces, the difficulty of proaidin� them in this complex using some of the St. Francis Hotet space, and a cost that was simpl} too hiRh for the theaters in� olceci, no effort «as made to implement thz proposal. The Park Square Theater fotmd more satisfactor} space more easify a��ailabie in the Hanzm Building across the street. Saint Paul Port Authority Schemntic Design �nd feasibility Study' of the Orpheum Theater and Se� enth Place Apartments Apcoa, Inc.. Graelic, Inc., Mattson/MacDonald, Ine., Oertel Architects. �Vitchzr Construction 3u1�, 1997 In ]997, The Port Ai�thority commissioned a design study of con��ertinR the Orpheum Theater into � parking facility, up�radin� the Seventh Place Apartment (St. Francis Hotei) uaits and in[roducing parking into the basement of tlie Se� enth Place Aparunent build[ne. The purpose of tl�e study �cas "to demonstrate the potential asset value of the properties and to provide one possible adaptive reuse p(an for the block as a tool for prospective decelopers interested in purchasing these properties." This design entailed demolition of most of the Orpheum Tlieater, replacin, it ��ith a parking sU ucture �ehich } ielded 122 parking spaces at an approximate construction cost of $3,298,372. The Seventh Place Apartments (St. Francis Hotel) ��ere reconfigured to produce 44 tinits, mostly one-bedroom but includine two and tllree-bedroont units. The basement of tlie Seventh Place A}�artmei�ts �� as converred to parkin� in the design. } ielding 39 spaces. Coiutruction cost for the aparmieuts �cas estimated to be �3,099,000 �cith v� additionnl $�44,500 for the parking. The conelusions of the report note "a fe�c challenges in making this projeet economically feasible," and die desi;n and analysis have not inspired any effart to bring such a project to ti•uition. Historic significance of tl�e structures involved was given some atteniion in the study. Based on conversations �vith the State Historic Preservation Office and a representati� e of the Heritage Preservation Commission, the authors of this study conciuded tliat the Coneti� Island building has the greatest historic significance, that there is no clear consensus about the historic significance of the other buildin�s, but that there is likely a desire to keep the facade of the Seventh Place Apartments intact. Planning Commission 22 of 22 9y�31� CITY OF SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION RESOLUTION FILE NUMBER 99-2 DATE 21 Ianuary 1949 WHEREAS, Chapter 73, Heritage Preservation Commission, of the Saint Paul Lesislative Code states as one of its purposes to safeguard the heritage of the city of Saint Paul by preserving sites a�d structures which reflect elements of the ciry's cultural, social, economic, political, or architectural history; and WAEREAS, Chapter 73 of the Legislative Code provides for designation as Heritage Preservation Sites buildin�s which reflect such eiements and gives the Heritage Preservation Commission the responsibility of recommending to the Ciry Council the designation of Heritage Preservation Sites and programs for the preservation of such sites; and WHEREAS, the New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hote(, now known as the Orpheum Theater and Seventh Place Residence, at 1- 33 W. Seventh Pl. and 435-37 N. Wabasha St., is a four-story, brick, Beaux Arts sryle, commerciaUresidential building designed by Saint Paul Architects Buechner and Orth and coustructed in 1916; and WHEREAS, the Heritage Preservation Commission held a public hearin� on the proposed designation of the New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel on January 21, 1999 pursuant to Sections 73.05(d) and (e) of the Saint Paul Legislative Code, and notice of the public hearing was published in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press and sent to the properry owner and owners of property within 100 feet of the property being considered for designation; and WHEREAS, the Heritage Preservation Commission at its Ianuary 21, 1999 pub(ic hearing made the following findings: 1. The New Palace TheatrelSt. Francis Hotel is architecturally significant as a fine example of a Beaux Arts style commercial bui(ding and as an important work of the prominent Saint Paul architectural firm ofBuechner and Orth. 2. The New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel has cultural significance as one of only two remaining grand, downtown, vaudeville/movie theaters from the first part of the twentieth century and the sole Seventh Street survivor of the bustling entertainment district that once centered on Seventh and Wabasha streets. 3. The New Palace TheaVelSt. Francis Hotel is significant in terms of ciTy planning and development: it is an early mixed-use building combining hotel, theater, and retail spaces; and it is a remnant and mazker of old Seventh Street, formerly one of downtown's main commercial thoroughfazes. 4. The I3ew Palace Theaue(St. Francis Hotel is eligible for local designation as a Heritage Preservation Site under criteria 1, 4 and 5 of Section 73.05(a) of the Legislative Code. HPC 1 of 28 qq 370 Heritage Preservation Commission Resotution: File �99-2 Pa�e Two NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission finds the New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel at 1- 33 W. Seventh Pl. and 435-37 N. Wabasha St. eligible for desia ation as a Heritage Preservation Site with the followin� preservation pro�ram: The New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel building, constructed in 1916, is a fine example of a Beaux Arts style commercial buildin� by St. Paul architects Buechner and Orth. Most of the buildina has changed ]ittle over time and the exterior has been well maintained. The most notable modifications to the exterior aze the existing theater marquee and sign, the renovated storefronts, the atuminum windows, and removal of the omamental wreaths and hotel signs atop the building. The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent �vith Buechner and ORh's original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be used in this regard. The following are par[iculazly important to consider in any future work on the building: Brick: Tuckpointing should match the composition, color, and tooling of the original mortar. Brick should be cleaned, if necessary, by the gentlest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Coruice: The pressed meta( cornice should be retained and repaired as necessary. It should be kept painted to prevent deterioration. Theater Entrance: If the theater doors and entry area are modified, it should be done in a manner similar to or compatib(e with the original design. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Heritage Preservation Commission now forwazds the proposed designation of the New Palace Theatre{St. Francis Hote] to the Saint Paul Planning Commission for review and comment in accordance with Section 73.05(b) of the Saint Paul Legislative Code and to the Minnesota Historical Society for review and comment in accordance with Section 73.05(c) of the Legislative Code. MOVED BY Frame SECONDED BY Paulson IN FAVOR AGAINST ABSTAIN HPC 2 of 28 y�-3�D CITY OF SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATIO\ COMMISSION STAFF REPORT FILE N.Ai�'IE: New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel Preservation Site Nomination LOCATIOI�: 1-33 W. 7th Pl., 435-37 N. Wabasha St. DATE OF HEARIVG: 1.21.99 LEGAL DESCRIPTION: Lots 9 through 14, B1ock 11, Bazi( and Guerids Addition to Saint Paul STAFP INVESTIGATION AND REPORT: AATE: 11�.99 BY: Aaron Rubenstein A. PTJRPOSE: To consider local designation of the New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel building as a heritage preservation site. B. CODE CITATIONS: Section 73.05 of the City's Legislative Code, Designation of heritage preservation sites, states: (a) Criteria. In considering the designation of any area, place, buitding structure or simitar object in the City of Saint Paul as a heritage preservation site; the commission shall apply the following criteria with respec6 to sz�ch designatiota: (1) Its character, interest or value as part of the rlevelopment, heritage or cultural characteristics of the City of Saint Paul, State of Minnesota, or the United States. (2) Its location as a site of a significant historic event. (3) Its identification with a person or persons who significantly conlributed to rhe culture and development of the Ciry of Saint Paul. (4) Its embodiment of distinguishing characteristics of an architectural or engineering type or specimen. (�) Its identification as the work of an architect, engineer, or master buitder whose individual work has influenced the development of the City of Saint Paul. (6) Its embodiment of elements of architecta�ral or engineering design, detail, materials or craftsmanship which represent a significant architectural or engineering innovation. (7) Its unique location or singular physical characteristic representing an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community or the City of Saint Paul. Section 73.05(d), Hearings, states: Prior to the heritage preservation commission recommending to the city council any building, district or object for designation as a heritage preservation site the commission shall hold a public hearing and seek the recommendation of a11 concerned citizens. Prior to such hearing the heritage HPC 3 of 28 99-3?0 HPC Staff Report: Nomination of Ne�v Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel, p. 2 preservation commission shatl cazrse to be published in a newspaper of general circzrlation notice of said hearing at least twenty (20J days prior to the date of the hearing, and notice of the hearing shall be sent to all owners ofproperty proposed to be clesignated a heritage preservation site and to a11 owners of property within one hundred (IQO) feet of the boundary of the areu to be designated a herituge preservation site. Section 73.05(e), Firading and recon:mendations, states: The heritage preservatiora con:mission shall detern:ine if the proposed heritage preservation site is eligible for designation as detern:ined by the criteria specifted in paragraph (a) of this section, and ifthe heritage preservation commission recommends to the city council that the site be designated as a heritage preservation site, the commission shalt transmit to the city cozrncil with its recommendation its proposed program for the preservation of the site. C. FINDINGS: I. The New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel is architecturally significant as a fine example of a Beau:c Arts sryie commercial bui{ding and as an important work of the prominent Saint Paul architectural firm of Buechner and Orth. 2. The New Palace Theatre/St_ Francis Hotel has cultural significance as one of only two remaining grand, downtown, vaudevillelmovie theaters From the first par[ of the twentieth century and the sole Seventh Street survivor of the bustling entertainment distcict that once centered on Seventh and Wabasha streets. The New Pa(ace TheatrelSt. Francis Hotel is significant in terms of city pianning and development: it is an early mixed-use building combining hotel, theater, and retail spaces; and it is a remnant and marker of old Seventh Street, formerly one of downtown's main commercial thoroughfares. D. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Based on the above findings, staff recommends that the New Palace TheatrelSt. Francis Hotel be designated as a Heritage Preservation Site with the following preservation program: The New Palace TheatrelSt. Francis Hotel building, constructed in 1916, is a fine example of a Beaux Arts style commercial building by St. Pau] architects Buechner and Orth. Most of the building has changed little over time and the exterior has been well maintained. The most notable modifications to the exterior are the existing theater marquee and sign, the renovated storefronts, the aluminum windows, and removal of the ornamental wreaths and hotel signs atop the building. The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent with Buechner and Orth's original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be used in this regazd. The following are particularly important to consider in any future work on the building: HPC 4 of 28 9y 370 HPC Staff Report: Desienation of New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel, p. 3 Brick: Tuckpointing should match the composition, color, and tooling of the ori�inal mortar. Brick should be cleaned, if necessary, by the gentiest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Cornice: The pressed metal cornice should be retained and repaired as neces,sary. It should be kept painted to prevent deterioration. Theater Entrance: If the theater doors and entry area are modified, it should be done in a manner similar to or compatible with the original design. HPC 5 of 28 HERITAGE PRESERVATION SITE NOMINATION SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATION COVIMISSION 1. Name Historic: Common: New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel Orpheum Theater and Seventh Place Besidence �� `�I �� 2. Location Address: 1-33 West Seventh Place and 435-37 North Wabasha Street Legal Descriptipn: Lots 9 through 14, Block 1 I, Bazit and Guerin's Addition to Saint Paul 3. Present Owner Name: Address: 4. Location Map Port Authority of the City of Saint Paul 345 Saint Peter Street #1900, Saint Paul MN 55102-1661 \ � / I . / � � � � ��P �` / )^\ J n \ 6 � � � � . ' � .' � „ '� ' i : . i�� '� • / � l � � 9 � � n � \ HPC 6 of 28 99' � Ne�v Pa4ace Theatre/St. Francis Hote! Nomination, p. 2 �. Description Number of contributing buildin�s on site: Number of noncontributing buildings on site: Sisnificantlandscape features: The New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hote1, no�ti known as the Orpheum Theater and Seventh P1ace Residence, is located at 1-33 West Seventh Place and 43537 North �Vabasha Street in downtown St. Paul. The building occupies the north side of Seventh Place between Wabasha and St. Peter streets and extends north almost half a block up Wabasha aod St. Peter. The New Palace Theatre a�d St. Francis HoteV is a symmetrical, four story, mottled tan pressed brick building that is roughly rectan�ular in plan. The three street-facing elevations contain storefronts at street level with the original hotel rooms on the upper stories. The theater auditorium occupies the northwestern part of the site. The theater lobby cuts through the storefront portion of the building to the theater entrance in the middle of the Seventh Place fapade. There is a square liaht couR at the center of the Wabasha Street end of the hotel building. The upper stories of that end also have two set-ins at the rear to provide additional illumination to the hotel rooms. The hotel building has hvo bays facing St. Peter Street, thirteen bays facing Seventh Place, and sis bays facing Wabasha Street. Its primary exterior materials are tan 6rick, cream terra cotta, and architectural sheet metal. The overall color scheme is subdued -- a cream-tan body with lighter accents and trim. A terra cotta cornice with paired, scroiled consoles above each pier articulates the functional division af the commercial ground floor from the remainder of the building. The upper story piers project slightly into pilasters, each resting on terra cotta pedestals molded into fasces and topped with free-form, tena cotta capitals bearing swags. The pitasters are margined with stacked brick headers. Terminating the walls on the three street elevations is a terra cotta frieze adorned with swags placed rhythmically above the pi(asters, a projecting sheet meta( cornice with dentils and modil(ions, and a plain brick parapet with tena cotta copings. Shallow modillioned pediments crown the comice above the comer bays along Wabasha Street and Seventh Place, and the frieze above them reiterates their slopes. Acroteria perch on the apex and lower angles of the frieze pediments; these once carried monumenta( tena cotta wreaths, but now only the pedestals remain. The parapet also rises to a pediment at the middle of the Seventh Place elevation, marking the theater entrance bay. This pediment is heavily ornamented. The standard bay embraces hvo pairs of rectangular, one-over-one, double-hung �vindows with cut limestone sills, but in each of the bays crowned by parapets the windows are evenly spaced. The pedimented comer bays contain three windows, this arrangement extending to the St. Peter Street side. Above the theater entrance are four evenly-spaced windows, creating a slightly wider bay at the center of the main elevation. On the third story, festooned terra cotta balconettes project beneath the windows of the comer bays on Wabasha Street and Seventh Place, as well as on the bays to either side of the theater entrance bay. These bays and the theater entrance bay are also distinguished by jack arches and projecting terra cotta keystones above each of the fourth-story windows. Spandrels throughout and at all ]evels carry ornamental brickwork panels beneath each window or window pair, their borders articulated by two courses of set-out brick with stone corner blocks and their heart composed of bricks arranged in a chevron pattem centering on a square, diagonally set stone block. HPC 7 of 28 �q 37a New Palace Theatre!St. Francis Hotel Nomination, p. 3 The ori�inal storefronts have been considerably altered over time. In l94 ( an extensive remodelina by �Vinsor/Faricy Architects aave them a precast stone base, bro�vn aluminum-trimmed and -mullioned storefronts and entries, and tan brick piers. These latter wrap or replace iron columns that oriQinally stood between the storefront bays. This alteration complements the orisinal buildin? by tying the masonry expanse of the upper stories to the ground. The theater entrance has also been altered considerably from original construction. Doors, marquee and si�n have been replaced, the present sign readin� "St. Paul Orpheum". The theater is separated from the southern part of the bui(din� by a narrow alleyway. Its massive rear wall, frontin� on St. Peter Street, is a distinctive feature of the building. Divided into three parts by tena cotta comices, the lower cornice continues the line of the storefront cornice but somewhat simplifies its design. The middle frieze and comice match the height, materials and design of those on the hotel buildin„ but without the periodic festoons. At the top of the wall is a simple cornice built up of sheet metal. Between the comices the masonry surfaces are treated in boldly contrasting manners. The lower part is an unadorned brick face resting on a cut limestone base and pierced only by a centrally located doorway topped by a shallo�v, bracketed hood. Pilasters matching those on the hotel portion of the building divide the middle and most expansive part into three equal bays. Each bay is identically decorated with a brick panel of diagonal diaperwork, the usual quatrefoil at the center of each module simplified into a roman cross. The upper part of the wall, which rises substantially higher than the parapet of the hotel, is divided into three blank brick panels �vith stepped margins. An octagonal chimney, recently shortened, rises just behind the wall. The grand two-story foyer of the New Palace Theatre originally featured two lavish marble staircases separated by a recessed fountain with a shell canopy and leading to a balcony that extended over most of the mezzanine floor. No intermediate suppoRS obstructed the view of the stage. The stage had a proscenium azch 40-feet by 40-feet in size, above which were painted murals. Omamental piaster work adomed the ceiling, walls, and balcony parapets. Beneath the stage were ten dressing rooms. Many of these original interior features have been removed or covered over, although much of the foyer's original marble walls and floors remain intact beneath modem sheathings. The hotel building is in good condition. The theater auditorium, however, has been unused and unheated for a number of years and may have roof problems. The New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel building is threatened with demolition to make way for a new St. Paul Companies office building. HPC 8 of 28 Ne�v Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel Nomination, p. 4 6. Significance Areas of Si�nificance: architecture, culture, city plannin� and development Period of Si�nificance: 1916 -] 977 �y-3 The New Palace Tfieatre and St. Francis Hotel buildina is both architecturally and historically significant. It is architectural]y siQnsficant as a fine example of a Beaux Arts styVe commercial building and as an important work of the prominent Saint Paul architectural firm of Buechner and Orth. It has cultural si�nificance as one of only two remainin� �rand, downtown, vaudeville/movie theaters from the first part of the hventieth century and the sole Seventh Street survivor of the bustlino entertainment district that once centered on Seventh and Wabasha streets. The bui(ding is also sionificant in terms of city planning and development: it is an early mixed-use building combining hotel, theater, and retail spaces; and it is a remnant and marker of old Seventh Street, formerly one of downtown's main commercial thorou�hfares. The New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel building was constructed in 1916 on the site ofthe city- owned Market Hall of 1881, which had been destroyed by fire on April 26, 1915. Herman Benz of George Benz and Sons, real estate developers who owned the Shubert theater/apartment complex at Wabasha and Exchange streets (now the Fitzgerald Theater and Shubert Apartments), purchased the lease on the Market Hall property in August 1915 and entered into an agreement with M. L. Finkelstein, a St. Paul jeweler, and I. H. Reuben, a Des Moines businessman. They had been in partnership in the movie theater business for several years by that time, operating numerous theaters in St. Paul, Minneapofis, and throughout the Midwest. Separately, Benz and Sons p(anned the construction of the St. Francis Hotel to be connected to the theater, commissioning the St. Paul architectural firm of Buechner and Orth to design the entire complex. A building permit for the $500,000 project was issued on December 29, 191� and construciion began shortly thereafrer. Work proceeded slowly at first on account of the bitter winter of 1915-16. The 215-room St. Francis Hotel opened on December 31, 1916. The St. Francis had a first floor lobby and dining room, with hotel rooms on the upper three floors of the building. In 1955 its name changed to the Capri Hotel. A conversion to rentat aparttnents took place in 1977, when the building acquired its present name of Seventh Place Residence. A variety of stores have occupied the ground floor of the hotel. Lona-time tenants have included the St. Paul Drug Co. and, later, Walgreen Co. Drugs, a c]othing store, a jewe(er, a florist, the Virginia Cafe, Floresheim shoes, the Bon Ton Meat Market, Mr. Johnson's Karmel Korn Shop, Brid�eman's Ice Cream, Adam Hats, and a confectioner. The New Palace, a 2,300-seat combined vaudeville and movie theater, opened in 1917. Loca( newspapers heralded the theater as one of the most beautiful between Chica�o and the West Coast. It was leased in May 1922 to the Orpheum theater circuit and became known as the Palace Orpheum. In 1930 the name changed to the RKO Orpheum and thereafrer went back and forth between that name and simply Orpheum. During this period the theater successfully made the transition from split use to a full time showhouse for feature-length movies. By the 1950's and 1960's, however, decreased use of public transit, declining numbers of downtown residents, and the burgeoning of suburban theaters led to a decline in the Orpheum's popularity and its closing in 1977. It reopened in 1981 as a second run movie house and the only regular motion picture theater operating in downtown St. Paul. After providing a temporary home to the live radio show "A Prairie Home Companion" while the ShubertlWoridlFitzgerald theater was being renovated in 1486, the Orpheum closed its doors for good. HPC 4 of 28 New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel Nomination, p. � 9y-3�' The New Palace/St. Francis building is a fine example of Beaux Arts architecture adapted to modem commercial buildin�s. At the turn of the century American cities besan to fi11 �vith elaborate renditions of neoclassical temples and pataces, using them to liouse state and local sovernments, libraries, museums, and train stations. A{I were �rand civic buildin�s distin�uished by monumental scale, symmetry, classical proportions, and a profusion of Italian or French Renaissance-inspired omament. Leadin� St. Paul examples are the State Capitol, the Pub{ic Library/Hill Reference Library, and the St. Paut Cathedral. Alongside of these arose more modest commercial buildings which freely adapted Beaux-Arts-inspired elements to local materials and functional building requirements. It is this latter type of Beaux ARs buildin�s to which the New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel belon�s, with its symmetrical facade, pedimented cornices, monumental pilasters, restrained palate, and profusion of neoclassical ornament. It is a fittin� companion to such architecturally related local landmarks as the St. Paul Hotel, the Lowry Arcade Building (now Lowry Professional Building) and the Shubert (now Fitz�erald) Theater/Shubert Buildin�. AII ware built in 1910. The New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel buildin� is also significant as an example of the work of prominent St. Paul architeMS Charles Buechner (18�9-1924) and Henry Orth. Other extant downtown St. Paul bui(dings they designed include the Shubert Building mentioned above, the Emporium Department Store (1910, now repackaged as a reflective glass box kno�vn as the Metro Square Building), and the Norwegian-Evan�elical Lutheran Church (1913, now known as Christ Lutheran Church) on Capitol Hi1L Chartes Buechner was a well known Midwestem architect who practiced in St. Paul for over forty years. He came to St. Paul in 1874 as a govemment surveyor and later worked as an engineer for the Northern Pacific Railway, rising to the position of superintendent of tracks, bridees and buildings. In 1883, Buechner entered the office of young St. Paul architect Garence H. Johnston, who woutd soon become one of the preeminent architects of the state. He lefr Johnston in 1891 to form a partnership with John Jacobsen that lasted until the latter's death in 1902. Suechner then established a partnership with Henry W. Orth. In addition to those buildings already mentioned, Buechner and Orth designed the Masonic Crippled Children's Hospital (MinneaQolis), the Ramsey County Poor Farm buildings, the St. Paul Arcade at Seventh and Robert, and the Mounds Park Sanitarium. Public buildings which the firm designed include courthouses at Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and Grand Forks and Wahpeton, North Dakota, and hospitals in Bismarck, North Dakota, and Dubuque, Mason City, and Sioux City, Iowa. Theater owner-developers Reuben and Finkelstein commissioned Buechner and Orth to design several of their entertainment palaces in St. Paul and the Midwest, including the New Astor at 449 N. Wabasha Street, where the Children's Museum now stands. All of their work displayed a strong Beaux Art character in plan, general design, and detail. The New PalacelOrpheum Theater is culturally si�nificant as one of only two remaining grand downtown, vaudeville/movie theaters from the first decades of the twentieth century. Many theaters were built in downtown St. Paul during that period, the grandest of them concenirated along Wabasha and Seventh streets. There were at least 17 theaters -- playhouses, vaudeville houses, and motion picture nickelodeons -- in downtown St. Paul by 1916. Prominent among these were the Star on Seventh Street near Jaclson (built 1901), the first Orpheum at Fifrh and St. Peter Streets (1906), the Princess at 21 E. Seventh Street (1910), the Alhambra at 16 E. Seventh Street (191 I), and the Empress at 479 N. Wabasha Street (1911). Even larger and more elaborate movie palaces sprang up across the country during the 1920s. St. Paul's was the 2,500-seat Capitol (later named the Paramount), built across the street from the New Palace Theater in i920 and incorporated into the Hamm Building. All of these have been demolished, with the most elaborate of them, the old Capitol Theatre, being thoroughly gutted and much- reduced to accommodate the present Seventh Place Theater. HPC 10 of 28 yy 3�a Ne�v Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel Nomination, p. 6 Finally, the New Palace TheatrelSt. Francis Hotel building is significant in terms of early city planning- and devetopment. It is amon� the first large scale buildinas in the city designed for multiple uses, combinin� theater, retail, and hotel components in a single complex_ It is also a remnant and marker of old Seventh Street, formerly one of downtown's main commercial thorouahfares. Finally, the Ne�v Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel is among the last survivors from the yeazs when Wabasha Street in downtown St. Paul was the site of a number of plush theaters, hotels and shops patronized by residents of all parts of the city. 7. References Michaud, Matthew, Gary Phelps and Susan Gran�er, National Re�ister of Historic Places Nomination Form for Three Downtown Theaters (New Palace, Shubert and New Astor), 1981. Millet, Larry. Lost Twin Cities. St. Paul: Minnesota Historica! Society Press, ] 992. Saylor, Henry H. Dictionary ofArchitecture. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 19�2. Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture Since ]870: A Guide to Ihe Styles. Cambrid�e, MA: M.I.T Press, 1981. Whiffen, Marcus and Frederick Koeper. American Architecture. Cambridge, MA: M.I.T Press, 1983. Minnesota Historical Society photo collection. City of St. Paul, building permit index cards. Port Authority of the City of St. Paul, blueprints of working drawings for theater, storefront renovation, and Seventh Place Residence renovation. I am indebted to architectural historian Paul Larson for a careful reading of the nomination and many helpful suggestions and additions. 8. Form prepared by: Aaron Rubenstein, Heritage Preservation Planner 15 January 1999 HPC 11 of 28 _i °�: i � !'• • � • 3:� :� �. .':i { w� �C. .- .S -� : �- _ il � 11 :�,�--;�- �.... �.�_ !:a �� . fi� �� + 1je'_' � l:`_F.� �• ��:' i • �;}�t.M � � 1 �� • � _4 E i -- ' �_ .• =_: w �€S� � �k`�� `�'��`� � --._ ---_.� `� `� E �' �' . �� [".a� R.\� F� 1 e`� �" t � i 3 �lr � r.. t . � r . �,�, �'�. r e a��fc` • -_ � c _:�!�� t .� �11 F �-•- 9 � � ° :, - n� `-_i��- `M},e.y �,.r: �i �� .'i � ��\ �. �.-,�... �;k�'. r:� �, � �� 1 �'ti�� 1 �i"� �/��a`�Ra2t -...i .�� -:` � . *..-�,��-�'-�' � . . 1i �, . �.�' -� � �, _ - ' �s,, . _ � ' `� ��..... • '� � M �. y ��, �s.l s. � ^1�� __ ♦ J r. . 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Y j . n� M S �1' Ibi.� � �_37D CITY OF SATNT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION RESOLUTION FILE NUMBER 99-t DATE 21 January 1999 WHEREAS, Chapter 73, Heritage Preservation Commission, of the Saint Paul Legislative Code states as one of its purposes to safeguard the heritage of the city of Saint Paul by preserving sites and structures which reflect elements of the city's cultural, social, economic, political, or architectural history; and WIiEREAS, Chapter 73 of the Legislative Code provides for desigpation as Heritage Preservation Sites buildings which reflect such elements and gives the Heritage Preservation Commission the responsibility of recommending to the Ciry Council the designation of Heritage Preservation Sites and programs for the preservation of such sites; and WHEREAS, the August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal building at 448 St. Peter St. is a three-story, limestone, commercial/residential structure constructed in 1858 and the Ciry Hotel buildina at 444 St. Peter St. is a three-story, brick, commercial/residential building constructed in 1888, both buildings being popularly known as the Coney Island buildings; and WHEREA5, the Heritage Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the proposed designation of the August BotzetlMinnesota State Arsenal building and the City Hotel building on 7anuary 21, 1999 pursuant to Sections 73.05(d) and (e) of the Saint Paul Legislative Code, and notice of the public hearing was published in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press and sent to the property owner and owners of property within 100 feet of the property being considered for designation; and WHEREAS, the Heritage Preservation Commission at its January 21, 1499 public hearing made the following findings: 1. Both buildings have historic and architectural significance to the city of Saint Paul. The August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal building (448 St. Peter) is architecturally significant as a rare surviving example of a distinctive early St. Paul building type: the commercia] block of quarry- faced local Platteville limestone. It is the oldest remaining building in downtown and the oldest commercial building in the city. 2. Jointly the rivo buildings are historically significant as markers of the large German-American community in St. Paul and their involvement in the building and hostelry trades in the early decades of the city. 3. The rivo buildings share significance as two of the few nineteenth-century buildings remaining on what has historicaily been one of the city's main commercial thoroughfares. 4. The 448 St. Peter St. building is historically significant for its use as a state azsenai from the final year of the U. S. Civil War, 1865, to 1880. 5. The August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal building and the City Hotel building aze eligible for locai designation as a Heritage Preservation Site under criteria 1 and 4 of Section 73.05(a) of the Legislative Code. HPC 15 of 28 y9 3�a Heritage Preservation Commission Resolution: File �99-1 Pa�e Two 1tOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul Herita�e Preservation Commission £mds the August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal building at 448 St. Peter St. and the Ciry Hotel building at 444 St. Peter St. eligible for designation as a Herita�e Preservation Site �vith the following preservation program: 448 St. Peter St. The August Botzet Buildin�innesota State Arsenal, constructed in 1858, is one of only two buildings with exposed limestone walls remaining in downtown. The most significant alterations to the building have been the additions of a brick facade in 1897 and, later, wood siding on the storefront. The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent �cith the original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabililation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be used in this regard. The follo�ving are particulazly important to consider in any future work on the building: Masonry: Tuckpointing should match the composition, color, and toolin� of the original mortar, to the extent possible. Brick should be cleaned, if necessary, by the gentlest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Storefront: The current storefront detracts from the architectural integrity of the building. If it is replaced, the design and materials of a restored or new storefront should be compatible with either the 1858 vintage of the building or the 1897 facade or both. Any historic materials under the existing siding should be retained if possible. Signage: Any new signage should be compatible with the historic character of the building; this excludes new neon signage. 444 St. Peter St. The City Hote(, constructed in 1888, is a good examgle of the many small storefronUhotel buildings once found in downtown St. Paul. The most significant alterations to building are ttte addition of stucco to the facade and wood siding to the storefront. The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent with the original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be used in this regard. The follo«'ing are particularly important to consider in any future work on the building: Masonry: Tuckpointing should match the composition, color, and toolin� of the original mortar, to the extent possibie. Brick should be cleaned, if necessary, by ihe gentlest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Storefroat: The current storefront detracts from the azchitectural integrity of the building. If it is replaced, the design and materials of a restored or new storefront should be compatible with the original. Any historic materials under the existing siding should be retained if possible. HPC 16 of 28 99 Heritage Preservation Commission Resolution: File #99-1 Page Three Signage: Any new signage should be compatible with the historic character of the buiiding; this excludes new neon signage. BE IT FURTHER TtESOLVED that the Herita�e Preservation Commission now forwards the proposed designation of the August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal building and the City Hotel buitding to the Saint Paul Ptanning Commission for review and comment in accordance with Section 73.05(b) of the Saint Pau1 Legislative Code and to the Minnesota Historical Society for review and comment in accordance with Section 73.05(c) of the Legislative Code. MOVED BY Buetow SECONDED BY Frame IN FAVOR AGAINST ABSTAIN HPC 17 of 28 99-37a CITY OF SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATIOti' COVIMISSION STAFF REPORT FILE ATAME: August Botzet BuiidingMlinnesota State Arsenal and Ciry Hotel Preservation Site Nomination LOCATION: 448 and 444 St. Peter Street DATE OF HEARING: L21.49 LEGAL DESCRIPTTON: Lot 7, Block 11, Bazil and Guerin's Addition to Saint Paul STAFF INVESTIGATION AND REPORT: AATE: 1.15.99 BY: Aaron Rubenstein A. PURPOSE: To consider local designation of the August Sotzet BuildinglMinnesota State Arsenal at 448 St. Peter St. and the City Hotei at 444 St. Peter St. as a heritage preservation site. B. CODE CITATIONS: Section 73.Q5 of the City's Legislative Code, Designation of heritage preservation sites, states: (a) Criteria. In consiclering the designution of nny urea, place, building, structure ar similar object in the City of Saint Pazd as a heritage preservation site; the commission shall apply the following criteria with respect to szrch designation: (IJ Its character, interest or value as part of the development, heritage or czdtural characteristics of the City of Saint Paul, State of Minnesota, or the United States. (2) Its location as a site of a significant historic event. (3) Its identiftcation with a person or persons who significantly contributed to the culture and development of the City of Saint Paul. (4) Its embodiment of disringuishing characteristics of an architectural or engineering rype or specimen. (.i) I1s identification as the work of an architect, engineer, or master builder whose individual work has ir�zrenced the development of the City of Sadnt Pau1. (6) Its embodiment of elements of architectural or engineering design, detail, materials or craftsmanship which represent a sign fcant architectural or engineering innovation. (7) Its unigue location or singular plrysical characteristic representing an established amd familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community or the Crty of Saint Paul. Section 73.05(d), Hearings,states: Prior to the heritage preservation commission recommending to the city cox+nci/ any building, district or object for designation as a heritage preservation site the commission shall hold a public HPC 18 of 28 qy_3�o HPC Staff Report: Nomination of August Botzet Buildin�innesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p. 2 hearing and seek the recommendation of all concerned citi�ens. Prior to such hearing the heritage presenation contmission shall cause to be pzrblished in a newspaper of general circulation notice of said hearing at least twenty (20) days prior to the date of the hearing, and notice of the hearing shall be sent to all owners of property proposed to be designated a heritage preservation site and to a11 owners ofproperty within one hundred (100) feet of the boundary oj the area to be designated a heritage preservation site. Section 73 AS(e), Finding and recommendations, states: The heritage preservation commission shall determine if the proposed heritage preservation site is eligible for designation as determined by the criteria specifted in paragraph (a) of this section, and if the heritage preservation commission recommends to the city coz�ncil that the site be designated as a heritage preservation site, the commission shall transmit to the city council with its recommendation its proposed program for the preservation of the site. C. FINDINGS: Both buildings have historic and architectural significance to the city of Saint Paul. The August BotzeUMinnesota State Arsenal buiiding (448 St. Peter) is architectura]ly significant as a rare surviving example of a distinctive early St. Paul building type: the commercial block of quarry-faced local Platteville limestone. It is the oldest remaining building in downtown and the oldest commercial building in the city. 2. Jointly the hvo buildings are historically significant as markers of the lar�e German-American community in St. Paul and their involvement in the building and hostelry trades in the early decades of the city. The rivo buildings share significance as two of the few nineteenth-century buildings remaining on what has historically been one of the city's main commercial thoroughfares. 4. The 448 St. Peter St. building is historically significant for its use as a state arsenal from the final year of the U. S. Civil War, 1865, to 1880. D. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Based on the above findings, staff recommends that the August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal and the City Hotel be designated as a Heritage Preservation Site with the fol(owin� preservation program: 448 St. Peter St. The August Botzet BuildinglMinnesota State Arsenal, constructed in 1858, is one of only two buildings with exposed limestone walls remaining in downtown. The most signi�cant alterations to the building have been the additions of a brick facade in 1897 and, Iater, wood siding on the storefront. HPC 19 of 28 q HPC Staff Report: Nomination of August Botzet BuildinaJMinnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p. 3 The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent with the original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidetines for Rehabititating Historic Buildings shall be used in this re�ard. The following are particularly important to consider in any future work on the building: Masonry: Tuckpointing should match the composition, color, and tooling of the original mortar, to the extent possible. Brick should be cieaned, if necessary, by the gentlest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Storefront: The current storefront detracts from the architectural integrity of the building. If it is replaced, the design and materials of a restored or new storefront should be compatibie with either the ] 8�8 vintage of the building or the 1897 facade or both. Any historic materials uader the existing siding should be retained if possible. Signage: Any new signage should be compatible with the historic character of the building; this excludes new neon signage. 444 St. Peter St. The Ciry Hotel, constructed in 1888, is a good example of the many small storefronUhotel buildings once found in downtown St. Paul. The most significant alterations to building are the addition of stucco to the facade and wood siding to the storefront. The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent with the original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be used in this regud. The following are particularly important to consider in any future work on the building: Masonry: Tuckpointing should match the composition, cotor, and tooling of the original mortaz, to the extent possible. Brick should be cleaned, if necessary, by the gentlest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Storefront: The current storefront detracts from the architectural integriry of the building. If it is rep3aced, the design and materials of a restored or new storefront should be compatible with the original. Any historic materials under the existing siding should be retained if possible. Signage: Any new signage should be compatible with the historic character of the building; this excludes new neon signage. HPC 20 of 28 y� 370 HERITAGE PRESERVATION STTE NOMINATION SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATION COM�'IISSION 1. Name Historic: August Botzet BuildinglMinnesota State Arsenal (4�8 St. Peter) and City Hotel (444 St. Peter) Common: Coney Island or the Original Coney Island 2. Location Address: 448 and 444 Saint Peter Street Legal Description: I,ot 7, Block 11, Bazil and Guerin's Addition to Saint Paul 3. Present Owner Name: Frances Arvanitis, Loucas Arvanitis, and Hany Arvanitis Address: 444 Saint Peter Street, Saint Paul MN 55 1 02-1 1 07 4. Location Map HPC 21 of 28 August Botzet BuildinJMinnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p2 5. Description Number of contributin� buildin�s on site: 2 Number of noncontributino buildings on site: 0 Sionificantlandscape features: 0 yy-.�D The August Botzet Buildin�/Minnesota State Arsena� and the City Hotel buildins at 448 and 444 St. Peter Street; respectively, are three-story masonry structures with flat roofs and altered ground-floor facades. Unpainted vertical wood sidin� sheathes their street e(evations from side��alk to the second story �vindow si(ls of the 448 St. Peter buitding. Each building has trvo large square windows on either side of a slightly off-center recessed entry. The 444 St. Peter buildin� is the talter of the two and has an additional door near the north end of the fa�ade. The August Botzet BuildinglMinnesota State Arsenal building (448 St. Peter ) is constructed of crudely shaped and coursed ashlars of Platteville limestone. The original limestone walls remain exposed in the rear (east) and north elevations. A red pressed brick and brownstone veneer was applied to the street faqade in 1897. Each of the upper two stories has three evenly-spaced, rectangular, one-over-one double hung windows with brownstone sills and lintels. The fa�ade terminates in a simple corbelled cornice composed of stepped brick and a shallow coping. A story-and-a-half, two-sided, metal-and-neon sion with the legend "LTQUORS" on each face rises above the storefront siding and benveen the first and second window bays. On the north wall the predominantly gray limestone changes to buff near the top of the wall. The first story has four bricked-in openings of various sizes; the second story has one original rectangular, double hung window at the center and a similar but newer window nearer the front; the third story has one original window aligned with that of the second story. The two original windows have two-over-two sash and flat arches of limestone; the newer third window has one-over-one sash. AII have wooden sills. Masonry scars marking the one-time inseRion af roof rafters form a slightly s(oped line beneath the second story windows. They are the only remaining above-ground vestige of a one-story building attached to the north side in 1417. The east or rear elevatiocr has two second-story windows and three third story windows. At least two of these retain early two-over-two sashes. All the windows have thin, buff-colored limestone sills, and those on the second-story windows also have flat arches of limestone. A rectangular one-story concrete-block- and-brick addition juts from the east wall, on top of which rests a small wood shed addition blocking what was probably a third second-story window. The original brick street faFade of the City Hotel building (444 St. Peter) has been veneered with buff= colored stucco. The second story of this building has four evenly spaced, tal( and nanow, one-over-one, double hung windows with cut-stone sills and lintels, each lintel surmounted with a drip cap. A cut-stone belt course runs across the facade just below the lintels, and two small stone consoles are located just below the band on either side of the two middle windows. Perched on the two middle linteis is a shallow sheet metal pediment crowned with an anthemion. A two-sided metal-and-neon sign reading "ORIGINAL CONEY ISLAND." runs from the top center of the storefront siding to the base of this pediment. On the third story, the two center window openings have semicircular arches, while the two outer windows have shallow, segmental azches; all have limestone sills matching those on the second HPC 22 of 28 August Botzet Buildina i innesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p3 � y-3�o story. The windo�v heads of all but the southemmost ccindow openin� have been dropped and the ty'mpana paneled over «ith wood. A small stone patera is centered above the two middle windows. The buildin� is topped by a bracketed sheet metal comice, the center portion of which project; sli�htly beyond the rest, and a shallow parapet. The City Hotel's limestone foundation and ori�inal red brick remain exposed on other elevations. All three brick elevations show evidence of efflorescence and spalling. Some of the «orst areas of the south side were once parged, but only fragments of stucco remain. Six window openings appear on the first floor of the south side; the other two floors have five. The �round-floor windows have limestone sitls, while those above rest on thin brick belt courses that articulate the stories. All the «indows on the south elevation have stone sills and se�nental rowlock arches with brick keystones. The noRh wall is visibte only where it rises above the attached buildin� at 448 St. Peter; it has no openings. The rear elevation has a tall, narrow window and a transomed door on the north end of each of the upper stories; the first story has only a door and a low, bricked-in opening. Ail existing openings have segmental arches. One early two-over-two window remains in the rear; all the others are one-over- one. A wood stairway leads to a wood deck at the rear of the second story, and this in tum canies to a metal stainvay up to an identical third-story wood deck. Both decks are surrounded on three sides with pipe railings. The interior spaces and furnishings of the two buildin�s contain a significant number of early elements. The ground floor of 448, which underwent numerous remodelings during its first eiohty years, retains its art deco bar of the World War II era. While there have also been some alterations to the 1858 floor plan on the upper stories of 448, many oFthe origina] interior features remain intact, including staircases, ne�vel posts, doors, window and door trim, and door hardware. The City Hotel also retains many original details, particularly in the upper floors. To the north and east of the A44 and 448 St. Peter St. buildings are a driveway and surface parking lot used by the Children's Museum. To the south is the stagehouse of the New Palace-Orpheum Theater. The two subject buildings appear to be in reasonably good condition. The exteriors may need some maintenance but the structures and walls appear to be sound. They may be threatened with demolition to make way for a new St. Paul Companies office building. HPC 23 of 28 Ausust Botzet Buildin�/Minnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p.d 6. Significance Areas of SianiFcance: history, architecture Period ofSignificance: 18�8-1897 9y' Thoueh their front e3evations have been altered, the Au�ust Botzet Buildine /ivlinnesota State Arsenal and the City Hotel retain a hi�h degree of significance. The buildine at 448 St. Peter was constructed in 1858 as a store and flats. It is the oldest esistin� commercial buildin� in the city. It is also architecrurally si�ni5cant as a rare surviving examQle of a distinctive early St. Paul buildin� type: the commercial block of quarry-faced local Platteville limestone. Finally, it is historically si�nificant for its prolonged use as the state arsenat during and afrer the Civil War. The buildine at 444 �vas built in 1888 as a hotel and saloon. Jointly the two bui]din�s are historically si�nificant as markers of the large German- American communiry in St. Paul and their involvement in ffie building and hostelry trades in the eazly decades of the city. In addition, they share significance as t�vo of the few nineteenth-century buildings remaining on what has historically been one of the city's main commercial thoroughfares. Even today, St. Peter Street remains the northem gateway to the ciry's downtown. The alterations to their facades clearly degrade their architectural integrity but do not measurably diminish their historic significance. 4�8 St. Peter St. The Au�ust Botzet BuildinglMinnesota State Arsenal was constructed by stone mason August Botzet durin� the summer and fall of 1858. He bought the property for $300 i� 1854, the year in which the City of Saint Paul was incorporated, and constructed the building four years later in 1858, the same year in which Minnesota became a state. Botzet and his wife, Maria Lies Botzet, lived in the upper hvo stories, and the first story probably housed one of St. Peter Street's saloons or groceries. The Botzets were members of nearby Assumption Church and they had five children, the youngest of whom married prominent St. Paul (and German-American) architect Hermann Kretz. In 1865 Botzet rented the building to the State of Minnesota for use as the state arsenal. As soldiers returned home from the Civil War, the arsenal warehoused "prizes of war" as well as weaponry. Munitions used by the state militia were stored in the building, flags and other war trophies were eachibited, and parades often commenced or terminated at its door. Botzet sold the buiiding in 1868 to Lorentz Remetter, who continued to rent it out as the state arsenal until 1880. In that year Carl Hildebrand opened a boarding house and saloon, returning the building to a semblance of its original use. The 1880 federal census lists 14 of its 20 residents as German-born, with such occupations as tailor, laborer, hired help, carpenter, shoemaker, stone mason, locksmith, aod printer, The building was known as the Vater Rhein Hotel from 1882 to 1896. Remetter took over its operation from Hildebrand azound 1895, but died the year afrer. His widow, Emma Remetter, continued to own the building until 1913; but its management passed to others. It became known as the Standard Hotel in 1896, and the following year Matthias Ross, the executor of Remetter's estate, added a brick fa�ade. From 1898 to 1917 the building was called the Market Hotel in reference to the city market around the comer on Seventh Street. By 1929 it was known as the Arcade Hotel. The properties at 444, 448 and 450 St. Peter Street were purchased in 1914 by George Benz and Son, a real estate developer that bought the burned over Market Hall site in 1916 in order to construct the New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel. In 1417, Benz erected a one story storefront building at 450 St. Peter and a one story garage building behind all three buildings at 444-50; these structures have all been razed. HPC 24 of 28 y9-37a August Botzet Building/Minnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p.5 The Arvanitis era at 444-48 St. Peter began in 1923 when brothers Nicholas and Gu>t opened a barber shop in the buildin� at 448 and lived upstairs. Nicholas Arvanitis opened a cafe on the sround floor of 4�0, the Ori�inal Coney Island, in 1923 or soon thereafter. In the ]ate 1930s or earl} 1940s Nicholas bou�ht the buildine at 448 alon� with the adjacent City Hotel. The Ori�inal Cone} Island cafe soon moved to 444, and a doonvay was cut through to an adjoinino bar at 448. Nicholas Arvanitis and his �vife Frances operated the Coney Island bar and restau�ant for five decades, Nicholas d}•in� in 1463 and his wife and children continuing the business until 1994, when she became ill. 444 St. Peter St. The adjacent City Hotel bui(ding at 444 St. Peter Street was designed by loca] architects Moritz Weiser and John F. Fisher and built at a cost of $10,000. The building permit was issued on April 12, 1888 and construction was comp{eted on August 1, 1888. lgnatius Will owned tfie building, as he had the wood frame hotel and saloon that preceded it. Fisher, who had come up through the ranks of carpentry and contracting, was just establishing a career that would establish specialties in small- to mid-scale commercial and instimtional building. From the outset the brick building at 444 served as a hotel and saloon, with Gebhard Eck the first proprietor. By 1895 it had acquired the name City Hotel, which lasted throu�h 19] 0. In 19ll it began a short life as the Charleston Hotel, but the old name came back in 1914 before givine way to Rossi Brothers Saloon and Boarding House in 1915. The building is listed as the Arcade Hotel from 1926 to 1932. The first story of the building went throuah a succession of uses after it ceased to be a saloon around the turn of the century. ]n 1905, it housed a cafe run by the City Hotel. Later occupants included a clothier (c. 1915), the White Bear Buffet (tate 1910s), and a sofr drink dispensary (1921). A tailor, Samuel Hoffman, opened shop in 1923 and occupied the first story until at least 1930 under the slogans "Hoffman Gothes of Distinction" and "The Talk of the Town." Sipnificance Both the August Botzet Building/Minnesota State Arsenal and the City Hotel building are significant for their association with the German-American community in St. Paul. The first concentration of German residenis was in the downtown area around Assumption Church, which was sometimes referred to as the German Cathedral. A half block to the nor[hwest of the two buitdin�s, the church of 1869-74 weazs the same craggy native limestone as the building at 448. The original owners and most of the nineteenth and early twentieth century residents of both buildings were German Americans. When the hotets were at their heyday, Germans were the largest group of foreign-born residents in St. Paul. Both buildings are also significant as examples of small commerciaUresidential buildings from the second half of the nineteenth century in this part of downtown Saint Paul. St. Peter Street and those intersecting it were once full of such small buildings providing food and drink on the ground floor and short and long term housing to immigrants and tradesmen on the upper floors. The August Botzet Building/Minnesota State Arsenal and the City Hotet are two of the three remaining buildings of this age and type west of Robert, the area of downtown that historically constituted its commercial core. The few other pre-1880 buildings which remain in the downtown azea, besides the building at 448 St. Feter Street, are a c.1860 limestone building at 252 E. Seventh (which also received a brick veneer in the 1880's), Assumption School (1864) and Chutch, and the First Baptist Church (1874). HPC 25 of 28 Au�ust Botzet Buildin�/Minnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p.6 q�' a The Au�ust Botzet Building/Minnesota State Arsenal is particularly significant for a number of reasons: 1. It is the oldest commercial buildin� in St. Paul. 2. It is the oldest structure in downtown St. Paul. 3. It is the o(dest limestone structure in St. Paul and Minneapolis. 4. Its upper two floors contain the best-preserved antebellum interiors in the Twin Cities. S. It is the only known remaining state arsenal buildin�, having served in that capacity from 18b5 to 1880. 7. References Richter, Bonnie, ed. St. Paul Omnibus: Images o} the Changing City. St. Paul: Old Town Restorations, 1474. Saylor, Henry H. Dictionary ofArchitecture. Ne�v York: John Wiley and Sons, 1952. Sazevich, 3ames. Interview on January 13, 1999. St. Paul historian Jim Sazevich generously provided much of the information regazding the history of the two buildings, basing his findings on city directories, atlases, city and county records, newspaper accounts, and interviews with the Arvanitis family and others. I am grateful for his assistance. I am indebted to architectural historian Pau! Lazson for a careful reading of the nomination and many he(pfu( suggestions and additions. 8. Form prepared by: Aaron Rubenstein, Heritage Preservation Planner I S January 1999 APC 26 of 28 q9.3�o �r. P�rstz S� . HPC 27 of 28 �� - 99�3�° �-� -_' �� - �--- - - � �� RE��- �� i: � . — ,a � �- >�, . �_ � � _ — �. . i £ y -�:;�.�a __ — — -J - .� � � 's :'� • �->: ,,.�`��.`.T �, `t ' — -.-- _. . — i a., ��•� r �. '`+ ��.a:a _� � ..�`Tyi y'� ` 3 � .� 9u ' ,_ "'��: - -" _ ' � =.>,r c3" �I _-- _ �–�`. :.� � � . � —� • � _ " 1 � ;_,�; �� - , �„ ,�_ . I��-� ,� j ( .j �i ;: -,. ° �i� r _1 ` �Y :Q .._ ; - x=�- .� , ��: � � : - z `- •� � � � ' � ,a.?'� � f e ■. , a'�.� . �� __°.-�-�.� � �`•' �� S�r. PtTE�, S-r . xrc zs of 2s ��/ �� HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION CITY OF SAINT PAUL MINUTES: Meeting of 21 January 1999 5:00 p.m. Room 40, Saint Paui City Aall Commissioners Present: Buetow, Frame, Hargens, Heide, Murphy, Paulson, Skrief, Trent Commissioners Absent: Benton, Larson LIEP Staff Present: Lobejko, Rubenstein I. ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Heide started the meeting at 5:10 p.m. He asked Vice Chair Skrief to provide, prior to approval of the agenda, some background on the Orpheum block nominations issue. Commissioner Skrief described the commission's involvement with the issue beginning in September, 1998. He stated the commission invited representatives from the Saint Paul PoR Authority, the Planning and Economic Development Department (PED), the St. Paul Companies, and the Arvanitis famity to the October 8, 1998 commission meeting to discuss the St. Paul Companies' proposed new buildin�. All but the St. Paul Companies attended, he said. The commission sought information to begin a discussion about possible responses to that information, Skrief said. He stated that he said at that meeting that the commission is charged by ordinance to advise the City on matters regarding historic preservation, that the commission takes that charge seriously, and that historic preservation is cited as a Ciry goal not only in the ordinance establishing the commission but also in virtually every planning document the CiTy produces. Skrief co�tinued to review the October 8, 1998 meeting, at which PED said that it took no position regarding commission action and that it had no opinion about designation of the properties, said Skrief. Skrief then said that the commission asked its staff to prepare a preliminary report regazding the historic significance of the subject properties, which report was reviewed at the foilowing HPC meeting on October 22. At the October 22 meeting, the commission decided to proceed with the nomination process, said Skrief, based on three reports: 1) the 1983 survey sponsored by the City and Ramsey County Historical Society, which identified the Orpheum and St. Francis as historically significant; 2) a 1991 letter from the HPC to PED sayinL the Coney Island buildings were "`clearly eligible for designation as heritage preservation sites. Their continued preservation should be among the highest priorities in any plans for the area" ; and 3) the Saint Paul on the �Llississippi Development Framework which describes the Seventh Place Residence and Orpheum Theater as historically important and, on p. 92, calls for their rehabilitation. II. APPROVAL OF TF� AGENDA Chair Heide informed commission members that, shortly before this meeting, the Mayor's Office made a request to the commission to delay making a decision regazding nomination and entertain a request from the St. Paul Companies for continued discussion regarding design consideration for development of the site. Buetow stated there was no reason why a discussion HPC Minutes of Meeting O1/21/99 — 1 of 9 9y.3 HPC Minutes of 21 January ] 999, p. 2 between the various parties involved conld not be held aRer the buildings are designated. Commissioner Buetow moved approval of the agenda; Commissioner Hargens seconded. Motion approved (7 - 0). Chair Heide said he would like to hear first from the St. Paul Companies, then discuss layover, and then possibly proceed with the public hearing. III. PRESENTATION BY KAREN HIMLE AND KEN Karen Himle, representing the St. Paul Companies, said the opportunity to come to the HPC tonight presents a unique opportunity to work together in the best spirit of community. What we are requesting, she said, is development of a process that demonstrates respect for St. Paul's historic past while paving way for a bright future, a process that proves that preservation and progress are not mutually exclusive. Himle stated that the company's workforce had expanded beyond existing company buildings and continues to grow. She said the process they propose is new only to St. Paul but has been used successfully elsewhere. Ken Greenberg, primary author of the St. Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework, mentioned a number of development objectives for downtown and said that they are not mutually exclusive objectives--they cannot be dealt with in isolation. One seeks to optimize a number of different objectives at the same time, he stated. Greenberg said that a growing St. Paul Companies can play a stimulating role in animating the streets of downtown and (ink with existing downtown assets. He suggested expioring techniques and solutions to accommodate growth and change in historic areas--a two to three month process involving representatives of the HPC, the St. Paul Companies, and their architects in a series of steps. A first meeting would examine objectives and expectations, the historic significance of the structures, deve]opment objectives and coniext. At a second session, he continued, architects would bring back a vaziety of conceptual approaches, followed by a second iteration if necessary. The next step would be a public presentation, foilowed by recommendations to the HPC, the St. Paul Companies, and City a�encies. Commissioner Buetow asked how this process wauld be different from those already prescribed. He added that this group could meet to discuss design options afrer the commission nominates the buildings, if it chooses to do so. Mr. Greenberg responded by saying that the proposed process would permit exploration of issues and opportunities in a non-adversarial manner, allowing creative opportunities to emerge. IV. DISCUSSION OF LAYOVER OF NOMINATIONS Mayor Coleman emphasi2ed the importance of having the conversation before the action of govemment. He said that the St. Paul Companies' proposition is a simple one and a fuller discussion is needed before the "wheels of govemmenY' begin to move. The Mayor stressed the City's commitment to the Framework to guide development and said the proposed St. Paul Companies building is a wonderful development opportunity for downtown. He noted that HPC Minutes of Meeting Ol/21/99 — 2 of 9 9 9.3?� HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. 3 St. Paul Companies, the city's largest, oldest, most benevolent employer, proposes to build a new office tower, without a penny of Ciry money, for 3,000 new employees over 10 years and possibly 6,000 over 20 years. Coleman added that the project would not move farward without resolving housing concems. Commissioners Skrief and Frame asked Ms. Himle if the St. Paul Companies had an opinion about the nomination forms. Himle responded that the St. Paul Companies is a� insurance company, has no expertise in this matter, and therefore has no opinion with regard to historic preservation. Commissioner Murphy asked if the buildings would be demolished if the commission voted to delay nominating the buildings. Himle said they would not. Commissioner Hargens stated that the commission is probably a bit "gun shy" about this project because the Salvation Army headquarters building was demolished recently by a good St. Paul corporate citizen. Hargens also said that designation is only recognition of historic significance and does not necessarily imply that the buildings cannot 6e altered. Chair Heide asked commissioners if they wanted to decide now on the St. Paul Companies' request, wait until after the pubtic hearing, or not act at all. Commissioners Frame and Buetow stated they wished to hear from the public. Deputy Mayor Susan Kimberly said she had asked the commission to hear from the St. Paul Companies, conduct the public hearing, and not take action tonight on the nominations for two reasons: to engage in a process before setting the wheels of govemment in motion and to address some procedural problems. Robert Kessler, LIEP Director, stated ihat since this is the first time the commission has proceeded with a nomination with LIEP as staff support, this is a new area for LIEP. Kessler questioned whether or not staff reports and recommendations should be given in cases such as these. Time is needed to determine the appropriate process, he said. Commissioner Paulson moved to open the public hearing portion oS the meeting; Buetow seconded. Motion approved (8 - 0). V. PUBLIC HEARING A. Slides Mr. Rubenstein presented slides of the subject buildings. B. Testimony from Property Owners Mary Ellen Arvanitis said that her family's properry and buildings are not for sale and that she is most appreciative of the commission's efforts to help protect the'u buildings. Louie Arvanitis said "I want our buildings designated, and I have always wanted it that way, but iYs a shame that I have to have it designated in order to protect it." We've been here 75 yeazs, he added. Mr. Arvanitis stated that they aze in the process of restoring the enrire buildings, including the facades; that their mother has been ill and requires constant, 24 hour, care; that they pay roughly $50,000 annually to maintain the buildings; that the St. Paul Companies has property or could HPC Minutes of O1J21/99 - 3 of 9 qy-3? a HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. 4 build to the north; that they are going to reopen; that the St. Paul Companies never talked to his family about selling their property until this week; and that they aze seekin� to have the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places with the help of historian Jim Sazevich. Bill Morin, Director of Real Estate for the Port Authority, said that he presented to the HPC last October the reasons the Port Authoriry is opposed to desia ation, that the Port still takes that position, and that he recommends the process proposed by the St. Pau] Companies. C. Public Testimony Tom Mischke, 789 I�I. A(beR St., said that if the Coney Island buildings are not worthy of designation he doesn't know what is; that they are spending $4 million to move the Shubert Theater in Minneapolis--a city not known for cazing a6out historic buitdings; that the St. Paul Companies can build elsewhere in downtown; that nothing the commission does wi(( matter if the "powers that be" want these buildings down; and that visitors to Saint Paul do not visit insurance company buildings but historic buildings. Paul Gold, 172 E. Sixth St. and former resident historian of the Seventh Place Residence, said he had prepared a history of the building, including the cover story of the winter `97 issue of the Ramsey County Historical Sociery publication. He listed importa�t vaudeville groups and performers who stayed at the St. Francis--Charlie Chapiin, W. C. Fields, Jack Benny, George Burns and Gracie Alten, John and Ethel Barrymore, and Harry Houdini--and big bands including Tommy and 3immy Dorsey, Guy Lombardo, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Paul Whiteman, as well as sports legends--particularly boxers. He stated that ail the great and near-great performers of stage, screen, and sport at one time stayed at the St. Francis Hotel. The building merits designation, he said. Dwayne Radel, V ice President for Law for Minnesota Life, 400 N. Robert St., said that Minnesota Life strongly supports the St. Paul Companies's request, that it is important to preserve history and prospects for a bright future, and that we don't have to choose between history and progress. Rick A�uilar, 602 Smith Av. and Chair-Elect of the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, said we want downtown St. Paul to thrive and be an exciting piace, that it's important to have dialogue and discussion before govemment acts, and that solutions can be found. Brian Leo, Richfieid, said this is an adversarial situation and he explored the meanings of adverse. He urged preservation of the Coney Island buitdings. Sue Kosmalski, 1509 23rd Av. NW, St. Paul, said she is passionate about the Orpheum, one of the last historic structures left in St. Paul. She said a significant number of technical and azchitectural details oFthe building remain from early vaudeville days and she encouraged their documentation. She added that she hopes the Orpheum and St. Francis can be preserved and asked that representatives of the pub]ic be allowed to participate if the process goes forward. HPC Minutes of O1/21/99 — 4 of 9 yg 37a HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. 5 James Crowther, 7�7 E. Sixth St., an architectural historian, referred to a reuse study that found the theater difFcult to reuse but said it's important to save the Coney, the St. Francis Hotel, and at least the facade of the building to maintain the historic streetscape of downtown. Dick Anfang, Executive Secretary of the St. Paul Building Trades Council and a member of the boards of the Riverfront Corporation and the Historic St. Paul Foundation, said that there is an opportunity to divide further the community or to seek a win-win situation. He added that this is a tremendous opportunity to have the Design Center bring people together to find a compromise. Victor Gomez, community liaison for Landmark Personnel at 1414 White Bear Av., said that he was sad ihat so many people are angry at such a good corporate citizen as the St. Paut Companies, that it's important to be fair and even-handed, and that "people do not eat bricks; people need jobs." Chua Yang, 886 Cook Av. E., said that Hmong people understand and appreciate history but also understand chan�e and the necessity for progress. He said the commission is in a difficult position--balancing history and progress--and encouraged listening to St. Paul Companies and their process. Perhaps agreement can be reached, he concluded. Larry Dow, 332 Minnesota St., with the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, asked the commission to not proceed with designation at this time. He said Greenberg's proposal is very reasonable. LeYs try to find a solution to respect the past and promote the future, he added. Dow said he understands and respects that the commission's mission may not include issues of job creation and income but some take this issue very seriously. We can't ignore the possibility of 2,000 new jobs and a$50-100 mitlion investment without a dime of any public subsidy or support, he stated. Dow said that Tom Kingston, an executive committee member and Wilder Foundation President, told him "Make sure we do everything we possibly can do to ensure that the St. Paul Companies project moves forward because iY s in the best interest of all citizens of this community" and we witl deal with the issues of housing and appropriate preservation. Dow urged finding a win-win solution. Brett Smith, Minneapolis, former owner of Scottie's on Seventh, said he was involved in saving the State Theater in Minneapolis in 1985 and had a vision as early as 1975 that if you build and restore theaters the people wiil come. The most significant thing happening in Minneapolis to bring peopte in from the suburbs are its theaters--they don't come to see glass buildings, he continued. People had lots of excuses and reasons and studies why the Orpheum and State theaters wouldn't work and they've been proved wrong, said he. The State is one of the best examples of integrating preservation and development--in fact David Frauenshuh, the LaSalle Place developer, said the project is much better with the theater included, Smith stated. Minneapolis is going to tremendous effort and expense to move the Shubert Theater because tha developer said a hotei had to be located at that comer; the developer ]ater changed its mind. People have slways said about historic buildings that they can't incorporate them, it costs too much, nobody will come--don't believe them. The St. Paul Companies have made widely recognized contributions to the community, Smith HPC Minutes of Meeting O1/21J99 -� of 9 q9_ HPC Minutesof2l January ]999, p. 6 continued, but it's very inappropriate to try to leverage their good will at a hearing on the merits of these historic strucrures. What they have put forward is irrelevant to the historic significance of the buildings. Smith added that he sees nothing site-specific about the St. Paul Companies' project that calls for it to be located at this site. He conduded by saying it is the HPC's responsibility to recommend based on criteria and not to be co-opted by a last minute proposal. Jim Sazevich, 454 N. Smith, said he helped to organize the HPC and he criticized the City and St. Paul Companies for trying to politically influence and take over a commissioa IYs an insult to the public and its rights, he said. The public is here to watch, guard, and shepherd the HPC, he added. He further criticized the City for questioning the HPC and its processes. Sazevich stated that those buildings belonp to us, the people. Richard Wolfgramm, an architect practicing at 336 N. Robert St., said that architecture can provide a solution in situations like this one; that he endorses the St. Paul Companies' process; that architecture and history are additive processes; and that architects are trained to find solutions. He urged the commission to look at, scrutinize, and evaluate solutions that will come before it. Mary Helen Inskeep, 9 W. Seventh Pl., said the focus here shou(d be on the historic significance ofthe buildings and not on political considerations. She said the Orpheum and St. Francis Hotel are beautiful and historic and form an important streetscape with the I-Tamm Building. She then reviewed the historic significance of the Coney Island buildings from the staff report--oldest building in downtown, limestone construction, used as state arsenal during and afrer the Civil War, and markers of the German American community in St. Paul. Annette Blazek, 9 W. Seventh PI., said that she did not understand why the City and St. Paul Companies aze opposed to public discussion and that consideration of the historic significance of the buildings is just the beginning and not the end of the process. She also said that she believes the Seventh Place buildings aze historically significant and that the Framework calls for preserving and renovating buildings for housing for an expanded ra�ge of incomes. George Edwards, Executive Director of the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota (PAM), said that, on behalf of PAM members, he endorses the nominations and believes that the buildings do have significant merit. He said that these buildings are representative of broader issues--the loss of fabric, history and place that define our communities, and that these buildin�s represent an opportunity to preserve the history, texture, and pedestrian feel of this community as well as opportunities for downtown housing, small retail, and a number of uses in these buildings. Edwards encouraged the commission and the City to look carefully at ways to preserve and recycle these buildings. He added that there appear to be other site optio�s, and development will stimulate additional redevelopment of historic buildings--that would be win-win. Rehabilitation, many studies demonstrate, generates more jobs than new construction, enriches the tax base, brings people to central cities, provides housing and incubation of small businesses, and creates pedestrian traf�ic that makes downtown vital and successful, he said. He concluded saying that there is room for compromise but it should be to examine other sites and preserve and recycte these buildings for the success of downtown St. Paul. HPC Minutes of Meeting Ol/21/99 — 6 of 9 9 ��a� HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. � Ed Groves {Gross?} said these bui{dings are historic. He spoke dramatically about his love for the Orpheum and about performances he had seen there during the theater's ear]y years. Let's preserve these buildings, examine your consciences and don't be misled, and let the people also vote on this, he said. Don Ludeman, 1504 Selby Av., encouraged the commission to move swiftly with the nominations, which have merit. He said it seems the process proposed by the St. Paul Companies and Mr. Greenberg should have been presented earlier or perhaps following designation. He said that it is the commission's responsibility, representino the citizens, to move fonvard with the designations and that he is disturbed that the Mayor's Office has cast this in an adversarial light. A vote to nominate is not a vote against the St. Paul Companies, he concluded. Doug Lamb, 435 N. Wabasha St., said thai everyday we hear customers saying there is no history left in downtown, that what happens in five years when the new building is full?, and that he supports the desionations. Patrick Loonen, Development Director for the Capital Ciry Partnership, said that many St. Paul Companies employees are St. Paul residenu and therefore this situation is not one of citizens vs. a large corporatio�; that the building is owned by the Port and not by the public or the people; that for the first time we have a good buyer who is interested in developing the site; that the next purchaser could be a slum (andlord; that we need to look at the whole situation and the development capacity of this building; and that we need to look at the balance of things, including preservation and development. He encouraged choosing the St. Paul Companies' process. Councilmember Chris Coleman said he would not speak to whether the commission should nominate these sites but only to the issue of whether the commission should make a decision tonight. It is clear, he said, you've got to move forward tonight. He said that from the beginning he has requested the kind of public process proposed here tonight, that without power you have no place at the table, and that without designation you have no say or place at the table. The St. Paul Companies, if they wish to participate in a discussion, will do so whether or not these buildin�s are designated, he concluded. Deborah Curtis Smith, Minneapolis, said it takes the HPC to stand up to city government--you have to push forward this designatio�. Tom Peterson, 9 W. Seventh Pl., said that there has been no effort on the part of the Port Authority, the Mayor's Office, and the St. Paul Companies to have a public discussion; that this has happened only because of the Community Stabilization Project, the HPC, and Chris Coleman; and that this last minute proposal is political shenanigans. Heating no further testimony, Chair Heide closed the public hearing. HPC Minutes of Meeting O1/21/99 - 7 of 9 �^� �� J HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. 8 VI. DISCUSSION Mr. Rubenstein explained the nomination process and clarified that the St. Paul Companies had first relayed their process proposal to the Commission two weeks prior. Rubenstein also stated that it was the City Attomey's opinion that the commission could layover this matter if it so desired and enga�e in an alternative process with the St. Paul Companies but that would be a separate issue or question from historic significa�ce and designation. Chair Heide said there aze two issues before the commission: I) a request from the St. Paul Companies to layover the nominations and to engage in a process with them to try to find a design solution and 2) whether the commission should proceed with the nominations. He asked for discussion first about the St. Paul Companies' request. Commissioner Murphy said that he is in favor of designating these structures but, in the interest of all parties having the opportunity to be heard and that this commission arrive at the best possible decision, he suggested entertaining the St. Paul Companies proposal with the codicil that the buildings absolutely not be demolished during that time and that the commission be given access to their full rational for what they want to do, and he so moved. The motion died for iack of a secoad. Commissioner Buetow said that he is stili not convinced that the process will lack creativity, innovation or conciliation if we have already nominated or designated; that he believes in the value of the HPC's public process; that we engage in this process, trying to find where history and preservation fit within the development of downtown St. Paul; and that the HPC is charged to look through the lens of preservation and we nominate with an eye toward that end. The Ciry Council, he continued, an elected body, can then make those political decisions which aze broader, which are economic, which have to do with housing, which have a greater range than our expertise and responsibility. Commissioner Skrief agreed that the two issues before the commission, nominations and the St. Paul Companies process, are not necessazity mutually exc]usive. Commissioner Buetow moved to nominate the August Botzet Bnilding ! Minnesota State Arsenat and the City Hotel as heritage preservation sites. Commissioner Frame seconded the motion. Frame said the commission heard during the public hearing support for the historic significance of the buildings and heard nothing refuting their significance. Motion approved unanimously (8 - 0). Commissioner Frame moved to nominate the Orpheum Theater f Seventh Place Residence as a heritage preservation site. Commissioner Paulson seconded the motion. Motion approved unanimously (8 - 0). Commissioners Sivief and Murphy recommended that Chair Heide appoint a committee to discuss with St. Pau] Companies and others the form and details of a process and report back to HPC Minutes of Meeting O1/21/99 — 8 of 9 y�-3�a HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. 9 the commission. Commissioners Murphy, Haz�ens and Buetow agreed to serve on this committee. VII. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m. Submitted by: l�.`�VL' i`:. 1 1,.{.l.V`(. W�ti � Aaron Rubenstein Preservation Planner Approved by: G � Dudley Yo nkin HPC Secretary ' HPC Minutes of Meeting O1/21/99 — 9 of 9 9y•3za HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSTON CITY OF SA1NT PAUL MINUTES: Meeting of 22 October 1998 5:00 p.m. Commissioners Present: Commissioners Absent: Room 40 Saint Paul City Hall Baker, Benton, Frame, Hargens, Heide, Murphy, Paulson, Skrief, Trent Buetow, Larson City Staff Present: Lobejko, Rubenstein--LIEP I. Chair Skrief opened the meeting by congratulating Commissioner Murphy for bein� recenfly elected president of the Minnesota Historical Society. II. III. IV Benton made a motion to approve the agenda; Murphy seconded the motion. Motion was approved 8- 0. Hargens made a motion to approve the minutes from the September 24,1998 meeting; Baker seconded. Motion was approved 9- 0. BUSINESS A. Consider staff renort reQazdine Orpheum block buildings. Chair Skrief reviewed the historic designation nomination process for members of the audience and made a strong statement about the cunent situation. Fred Kueppers, attorney for the Arvanitis family, stated the Arvantis family prefers that their property not be designated because it is already subject to govemment regulation regarding zoning, building, food and alcohol and designation would be another layer of regulation. Frame stated the importance for people to understand that the HPC is at the beginning of the process of designation. Frame moved for the HPC to begin the designation process with all due haste; Benton seconded the motion based on the downtorvn development framework and the HPC's charge. Louie Arvantis stated that designation should not be needed in order to save his family's property. Pam Wheelock, Director of PED, stated that the City has no position about designation but may have a position about the need for redevelopment. The motion was approved 9- 0. Hargens moved that Chair Skrief appoint a task force composed of commission members to work with PED, the Port Authority and other relevant parties in order for the HPC to be part of the process; Baker seconded the motion. The motion _ passed on a vote of 9- 0. HPC Minutes of Meeting 1OJ22/98 - 1 of 1 �Jy_32a 1II\\F,SOT:1 H[�TORTC�IL SOCIETI 9 February 1999 David Heide, Chair Saint Paul Heritage Preservarion Commission David Heide Design 400 S. A`� St. #710 Mumeapolis, MN 55415 Dear Mr. Heide, RE: Local designation of: c^ �_ 0 :� • New Palace Theatze/St. Francis Hotel, 1-33 W. 7'� Pl., 435-437 N. VJabasha St., MFiS Referral File No. 99-1476 • August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal Building and City Hotel, 448 and 444 St. Peter St., MHS Referral File No. 99-1477 Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the above referenced designations. They have been reviewed pursuant to Minnesota Statutes s471.193. subd. 6, and Section 73.05(b) of the Saint Paul Legislaiive Code. The New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel is architecturally significant as a good example of a Beaux Arts sryle commercial building and as an important work of the Saint Paul architectural firm of Buechner and Orth. The New Palace/St. Francis has cultural significance as one of only two remaining large scale vaudeville/movie theaters in downtown from the eazly twentieth century and as a remnant of ihe lively ente:iai.-i.�ea: disLrict Lhat er.ce ceatezed oa Seventh ar.d �Jabasha s*see?s. Finally, this b»ildin� gairs historical significance as a representative example of an eariy mixed-use building combuung hotel, theater and retail spaces along what was once one of downtown Saint Paui's primary commercial nodes. The New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel is a good candidate for local designation under criteria 1, 4 and 5 of Section 73.05(a) of the Saint Paui Legislative Code. The August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal Building is architecturally significant as a raze survivor of a quarry-faced Platteville lunestone cammercial building. Constructed in 1858, it gains historical significance as the oldest remaining building in downtown St. Paul, the oldest commercial building in the city, and for its use as a state arsenal from 1865 to 18&0. The City Hotel Building, constructed in 1888, is historically significant for its association with tfie lazge German-American eommunity in St. Paul, whose members were historically involved in the building and hostelry trades, and as one of the few small scale, nineteenth-cenriuy commercial buildings extant in downtown St. Paul. The August Botzed Minnesota State Arsenal Building and the City Hotel Building are eligibie for local designation under criteria 1 and 4 of Section 73,05(a} of the Legislative Code. 3.43hELLUCGBOI'LF�',\RD��EtlI'/y:\I\'P ['.\CC.1'�I:V�F:SU'R\.iilU_^-l9UG/"(�ELF.PIlOtYE:61_'- MISC 1 ..F 9 . , ,� Mr. David Heide/Page 2 If you have any questions regarding our assessment of these properties, please contact this office. Sincerely, �jt.�aC-c' � �--�. � U Britta L. BIoomberg Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer cc: Aaron Rubenstein, Heritage Preservation Planner, City of Saint Paul MHS 2 of 2 � ooun�� File � 9`t- 3'iU o��NA� Presented By Referred To � 2 3 4 s 6 � & 9 io ii 12 13 14 is 16 i� is 19 20 creen sheet # �y8�g 3 RESOLUTION CITY OF SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA �O � Date V �� i RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE PLANNING CONINII3SION RECOMIVIENDATTON NOT TO DESIGNATE THE SEVENTH PLACE PROPERTIES AS HERTTAGE PRESERVATION STTES s F WHEREAS, the New Palace Theater/St. Francis�otel, commonly refened to as the Orpheum Theater/Seventh Place Residence 1-33 West 7th P1ac�e, 534-37 Wabasha Street properties, collectively known as the Seventh Place properties�,� were nominated for designation as heritage preservation sites by the Heritage Preservation Crorrunission; and WHEREAS, the Saint Paul ] that preservation of these building; very significant contribution to Co� the surrounding area and that desi€ the Saint Paul Comphrensive Plan substantial negative impact on the'� ning,Commission (hereinafter Planning Commission) resolved �ulc�'be a major obstacle to redevelopment that would make a eYiensive Plan objectives and haue a highly positive impact on ion of the structures would not serve a purpose consistent with may serve to continue the present situation which has a sunounding area; and WHEREAS, the Plan�ing Commission resolved that the proposed designations to be inconsistent with the Com . ensive Plan and recommended against designation; and 37 p�` 3a NOW, THERE�ORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the heritage preservation designation 39 nominations by the �eritage Preservation Commission for the Seventh Place properties contained in ao File Number 99-2 �Tre not adopted by the Saint Paul City Council; and Page 1 of 2 ORfGINAL q9 - 3�7a 4i BE TT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Planning Commission findings ' t heritage a2 designations for the Seventh Place properties contained in Planning Commis 'on File Number 99-18 43 and 99-19 are hereby adopted by the Saint Paul City Council. 44 / 45 � 46 47 /' 48 49 SO 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 2 of 2 Requested by Department of: Adopted by Council: Adoption Certified ay: Council Secretary Approved by Ma�or: Date sy: gy: '� � Eorm App ve by City Attorney By: Approved by Mayor for Submission to Council By: G�� Mayor Coleman's Office Alberto Quintela 68529 A 1��' a TOTAL # OF SIGNATURE PAGES 4/21/9 � GREEN SHEET q9 - � �to � .. � � �� L Vaneu.ra_ � a'r�nuw1er�l � `� ❑ arcca.tww¢ ❑ �,�� ❑ �,�.� �wrort(ort�emnum ❑ (CIJP ALL LOCATIONS FOR SIGNATURE) Denial of recommendations for heritage preservation designation sites submitted by Heritage Preservation Commission. PLANN{P1G COMMISS{ON CIB CAMMITTEE CIVIL SERY{CE COMMISSION Has this perso�rtn ever vrorketl unEer a contmc[ torthis departmeM? YES NO Vias tt�isa ce�Mmi r+er eem a cdy empwyee9 YES NO �this pe'soMrtn Possess a sidfl � namwl�YP��1 bY anY current cifY emPbYee? YES NO Is Nis G��Nfirm a targetedve�doR rES NO Heritage Preservation Commission and Planning Commission reviewed requests for heritage preservation designations. Development plan for Seventh 5treet Place can proceed. iAWANTAGES IF APPROVED Designation would serve to continue the present situation of decline which has a substantial negative impact on the surrounding area. Redevelopment of vacant and unrestored buildings would have a highly positive imnact on the surroundina area. TRANSACTION i SOURCE INFORMAiION (EXPWI� COST/REVENUE BUDGETED (CIRCLE ONE) ACTIVRY NUMBER YES NO �Qtds� �i�Se��h ��t� l �� . ` -r,��i CITY OF SAINT PAUL Norm Coleman, Mayor Apri16,1999 To: Counci] President Daniel Bostrom City Council Members � Fr: Robert Kessler, LIEP Director OFFICE OF LICENSE, INSPEC['[ONS AND ENVIRONMENTALPROTECIION � —n n, Rober! Kess[er, Director 1 J� LOWRY PROFESSIONAL Zelephone: 65Id66-9090 BU7LDING Facsimile: 651-266-9099 350 St. Peter Street Suite 300 SaintPaul, Minnesota 55702-I510 Re: Recommendafions Regarding Historic Designation of 7th Place Properties I am forwazding, for the City Council's official review under Section 73.05 of the Legislative Code, the recommendations of the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC), the Planning Commission, and the State Historic Preservation O�ce regarding the proposed historic designation ofthe Orpheum Theater and St. Francis Hotel on 7th Place and the Coney Island huildings on St. Peter Street. The Heritage Preservation held a public hearing on this matter on January 21, 1999, and the Planning Commission made its recommendation on Mazch 12, 1999. The following documents aze attached: 1. Heritage Preservarion Commission Resolutions, staff reports and nomination forms - 28 pages. 2. Heritage Preservation Commission Minutes of Meeting 7anuary 21, 1999 - 9 pages. 3. Herisage Preservation Commission Minutes of Meeting October 22, 1998 - 1 page. 4. Letter from the Minnesota Historical Society indicting that the subject properties aze eligible for local designation - 2 pages 5. Planning Commission Resolutions and Staff Reports - 22 pages. In addition to the documents described above, both the Planning Commission and Heritage Preservation Commission have additional related documentation and conespondence that is available upon request by calling Sue Synstegaard at 266-9088. The Office of License, Inspections and Environmental Protection has no recommendation on the merits of the recommendations provided herewith. I have stressed my belief to the HPC that it is essential for us to develop a process and plan to define the staff role in such matters and to guide future designations to insure that all relevant factors are considered before recommendations are approved. The City's Land Use Plan references the need to develop such a plan, and the Mayor also indicated to me that he very much wants us to develop a process to have the HPC work with the Administration, the Planning Commission, and the City at lazge to identify how best to identify and consider future historic desagnations. I will be discussing the development of a process, procedure, andJor plan with HPC and appropriate LIEP and PED staff in the coming weeks. April 6, 1449 Page Two °�R - 3'�ta LIEP believes that the ea�tensive stock of historic neighhorhoods, structures, and public infrastructure is one of the City's greatest assets, and that LIEP has both the duty and responsibility to make sure that the City Council`s guidelines and ordinances are enforced to maintain and protect our physical heritage for generations to come. We also realize that there are other important interests that ofren come into piay when historic designations are considered, and that these factors need to be identified and discussed 6efore actions are taken. I am available to answer any questions that you might have on this matter. c: Mayor Norm Coleman Susan Kimberly, DepuTy Mayor HPC Chair Steven Beutow and HPC Members Brian Sweeney, Interim PED Director Tom Harren, PED Team Leader Ken Ford, Planning Administrator Tony Schertler, PED Aaron Rubenstein, HPC Staff Nancy Anderson, Assistant Secretary to the City Council 99 -3� city of saint paul planning commission resolution �le number 99-18 date March 12, 1999 WHEREAS the Heritage Preservation Commission has nominated the New Palace Theater/St. Francis Hotel (Orpheum Theater/Seventh Place Residence, 1-33 W. 7th place, 534-37 Wabasha St.) properties for designation as heritage preservation sites and fonvazded this site nomination to the Planning Commission for review; and WHEREAS the Planning Commission, by provision of the Legislative Code, is to review such a nomination with respect to its relationship to the comprehensive plan, its effect on the surrounding neighborhood, and its opinion with respect to other planning considerations and is to give its recommendation with respect to the proposed designation (Saint Paul Legislative Code Section 73.05); and WHEREAS the Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee of the Planning Commission has reviewed the site nomination forwazded by the Heritage Preservation Commission, has visited the properiy and surrounding area, has reviewed the studies undertaken over a 20-year period to determine and encourage appropriate reuse of the property, has considered redevelopment recently proposed for the site, and has carefully reviewed pertinent policy of the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan, reviews and considerations which aze reported in the staff report dated March I, 1999 attached; and WHEREAS the Commission finds that: Job growth and strengthening of the tax base downtown are major Comprehensive Plan objectives. 2. Preservation and effective reuse of buildings with this degree of historic interest is supported in general by the Comprehensive Plan. 3. In particular, the St. Francis Hotel (Seventh Place Residence) facade is a valuable piece of historic fabric that contributes considerable warmth, chazacter and human scale to the streetscape on Wabasha and Seventh Place. These qualities, if not components of the facade, could be given priority in design of any replacement. moved by Faricy seconded by in favor Consent against Planning Commission 1 of 22 9�-3�a Heritage Preservation Nomination New Palace Theater/St. Francis Hotel Page Two of Resolution 4. The exterior presence of the Orpheum Theater is limited to the mazquee and entrance on the front of the hotel, and the stagehouse wall facing St. Peter Sireet. Much of the original character of its interior has been lost in remodeling, though restoration may be possible. 5. The impact of the properties in their present state on the surrounding area is negative. 6. While reuse studies could never be said to have e�austed a11 possibilities, those completed represent considerable effort toward appropriate reuse of these buildings over a twenty-year period, particulazly with respect to the theater. None have led to effective redevelopment. The studies, along with the lack of any implementation of the various redesigns proposed, provide strong evidence that the market cannot support effective reuse. Reuse of the theater, assuming that some market niche could be found for it, would likely entait large public subsidy and the greatest cost would be not the subsidy, but the loss of the far more substantial private investment that the recent development proposal suggests is possible if the structure can be demolished. While the Seventh Place Residence provides some low-cost housing which is badly needed, it cannot continue to support itself as presently situated. The owner, the Saint Paul Port Authority, is not in a position to continue management of low-cost housing and is not filling apartments that become vacant: Some new proyision for low-cost housing wili be needed in any case. 8. Redevelopment of the block in a way that makes full use of its potential for significant additional activity in this area of downtown is a high priority. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Saint Pau] Planning Commission conciudes that preservation of these buildings would be a major obstacle to redevelopment that wouid make very significant contributions to Comprehensive Plan objectives and have highly positive impact on the surrounding area; and that designation of the structures would not serve a purpose consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and may serve to continue the pxesent situation which has a substantial negative impact on the surrounding area; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Commission finds the proposed designation to be inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan and recommends against designation. Planning Commission 2 of 22 59-3� city of saint paul planning commission resolution file number 99-19 date March 12, 1494 WHEREAS the Heritage Preservation Commission has nominated the Au�ust Botzet Building/Minnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel commonly referred to as the Coney Island (448 and 444 St. Peter Street) properties for designation as heritage preservation sites and forwarded this site nomination to the Planning Commission for review; and WHEI2EAS the Planning Commission, by provision of the Legislative Code, is to review such a nomination with respect to its relationship to the comprehensive plan, its effect on the surrounding neighborhood, and its opinion with respect to other planning considerations and is to give its recommendation with respect to the proposed designation (Saint Paul Legislative Code, Section 73.�5); and , WHEREAS the Neighborhood and Curzent Planning Committee of the Planning Commission has reviewed the site nomination forwarded by the Heritage Preservation Commission, has visited the property and surrounding area, has considered redevelopment recently proposed for the site, and has carefully reviewed pertinent policy of the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan, reviews and considerations which are reported in the staff report dated Mazch 1, 1999 attached; and WHEREAS the Commission finds that: Job growth and strengthening of the tax base downtown are major Comprehensive Plan objectives.. . 2. Preservation and effective reuse of buildings with this degree of historic interest is supported in general by the Comprehensive Plan. 3. The impact of the properties in their present state on the sunounding area is negative. Restored, their impact could be positive if the restoration did not interfere with full use (restoration or redevelopment) of adjacent structures. moved by Fari.cy seconded by in favor Consent against � Planning Commission 3 of 22 99 -3�a Heritage Preservation Nomination August Botzet Building�innesota State Arsenal and City Hotel Page Two of Resolution 4. Because ofthe siting ofthe structures mid-block, these buildings cannot be considered in isolation. Their presence has a direct impact on reuse of the surrounding properties. An overall best solution consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and the stren�th of surrounding properties has to take a11 properties in the block into account. S. Redevelopment of the hlock in a way that makes fuil use of these properties as well as the Orpheum Theater and Seventh Place Apartments is a high priority under the Comprehensive Plan and is important for the vitality of the surrounding blocks. 6. There is no reuse plan for the buildings or for the block that gives confidence that effective reuse would not compromise the potential for the entire block; proposals are not available for preservation of the buildings in a redeveiopment scheme compazable in benefit to redevelopment that apparently can be achieved without preservation. NO W, THEREFOR.E, BE IT RESOLVED that the Planning Commission of the City of Saint ' Paul concludes that preservation of these buildings at their preseni location would be a major obstacle to redevelopment that would make very significant contributions to Comprehensive Plan objectives. and have a highly positive impact on the surrounding area; that designation of the � structures at their present location would not serve a purpose consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and may serve to continue the present situation which has a substantial negative impact on the surrounding area; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Commission finds the proposed designations at their present locations to be inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan and recommends against designation at their present locations. Planning Commission 4 of 22 yy-3�o Saint Paul Planning Commission Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee Staff Report March 1, 1999 Review of Heritage Preservation Commission Preservation Site Nomination Propert}�: Netio� Palace TheaterlSt. Francis Hotel (Orpheum Theater/Seo�enth Place Residence) Location: 1-33 W. 7tli Piace, 534-37 N, bVabasha St. The t�vo buildings occupy the entire southern half of the block bounded by Seventh Place, Seventh Street, Wabasha and St. Peter. The Seeenth Place Residence fa�ade forms the street fronta�e for the entire half block on Wabasha and the entire length of the Seeenth Place biock. The only street exposure of the Orpheum Theater is the stage wall facin� St. Peter Street. Planning Commission Authority and Responsibilin�. When it forw a nomination for local designation to the City Council, the Herita�e Preservation Commission will "secure from the city planning commission its recommendation with respect to the relationship of the proposed heritage preservation designation to the comprehensive plan of the City of Saint Paul; its opinion as to the effect of the proposed designation upon the surrounding neighborhood, and its opinion and recommendation as to any other planning consideration which may be relevant to the proposed designation, together with its recommendation of approval, rejection or modification of the proposed designation." Proposed Designations. The following findings summarize the historical significance of the t�vo structures on the site as described in detail in the Site Nomination report of the Heritage Preservation Commission: I. The Ne�r� Palace Theater/St. Francis hotel is archatecturally significant as a fine example of a Beaux Arts style commetcial building and as an important work of the prominent Saint Paul architectural firm of Buechner and Orth. 2. The New Palace Theater/St. Francis Hotel has cultural significance as one of oniy iwo remaining grand, downtown, vaudevillefmovie theaters from the first part of the riventieth century and the sole Seventh Sueet survivor of the bustling entertainment district that once centered on Seventh and Wabasha streets. 3. The new Palace TheaterJSt. Francis hotel is significant in terms of city planning and development. It is an eazly mixed-use building combining hotel, theater, and retail spaces; Planning Commission 5 of 22 99- 3�p and it is a remnant and marker of old Se��enth Street, formerly one of do«nto«�n's main commercial thoroughfares. The Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan. The Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan gives strong general support to presenation of historic resources as ��'ell as to reuse ofexistin� structures rather than demolition and ne�� construction e�herever appropriate. It reco�nizes the value of the "rich legacy of buildings, landscapes and montrments thcrt clefzne a city rooted in Zocal history." In this respect, desi�nation of the structures in question «ould be consistent ��ith the plan. These buildings, particularly the St. Francis Hotel, contribute strongly to the high-quality human- scale pedestrian environment on Seventh Place and �Vabasha Street that is a clear objective of both the Land Use Plan and the Saint Patd on the Mississippi Dei�elopment f•ametivork. Policy 4.2.3 of the Land Use Plan states: The City supports the building design guitlelines in the Saint Pairl on the bfississinpi Development franre�ror•k �vhich emphasi:e the zer•ban design quality of b<<ildings at the street lerel. Each building...shoidd conh•iba�te to the life of the street nnd contribzrte to the ptiblic recrina. This is es��eeicrtl}� importzrnt for the YPabasha-Saint Peter• cor•ridor�, the Rice Park nnd Meurs Park aretrs, and tlae other pt•oposed m�ban ti�illage areas. The Land Use Chapter also places an emphasis on gro�� and underscores the importance of continued new investment and accommodation of gro�vth in the downto�cn area through one of its four key strategies: "A Vital, Gro�cing Cit}� Center." With respect to economic de��elopment, the Plan places a high priority on job gro��th and notes that "if old industrial sites are redeveloped and the downtown grows, Saint Paul could add 18,000 jobs bet�veen 1990 and 2020." (Land Use Plan, Appendix A) The Comprehensive Plan also identifies "significant need to increase the city� tax base." "The Saint Paul property tax base per household is among the lo�vest in the metropolitan area. The School District, Ramsey County, and the City all share the need to raise values downtown, in commercial and industrial areas., and in neishborhoods with depressed values." (Land Use Pian, Appendix A, Trends and Assumptions) � The Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framerrork is not a part of the Comprehensice Plan, but is supported generally by the Comprehensive Plan as a more detailed guide for development downtown. It's principles and goals have been endorsed as the City's development policy for downtown and the central riverfront to �uide public and private investment. The following statements from the Framework are pertinent: • Preserve bzrildings, landscapes and monuments of architectural, ctdtural and historic merit. (Goal 13) • Augment the ezisting Historic Sites Sz�rvey to include all historic buildings, structures, lnndscapes, monziments and geological features within the downtown and river corridor, Planning Commission 6 of 22 gy-3� especicilly in the Seven Corners area and along �th Street. (Objec[ice) Renoration ancf adaptive re-iase shoztld be made a priority for key heritage elements. (Objective) GYabasha Street is a pou�erfzd repository of the ciry's collective memory and Saint Pazd 's historic main street.... (p. 8�) YVabasha Street is characterizecl by nurnero:es bzrildings of architecttaral and historic merit, a relatively consistent street fradl, a comfortable bzrilding sccrle, and a good birilding-height-to-street-iviclth relationship. There is a dii•ersity of:�ses along its Iength, r�cznging from institt�tional, retail, ancl hoz�sing, althozrgh same of these are at the lower end of the market. (p. 86) T{�ere is an czir of decline abo:et por•tions of 1Vabasha Street. The retail z+ses crlong its length trr•e of»ai,recl char•acter. bVhile ther-e are some good-q¢ratiry stores, mnny are weak ancl there ar a number of vncafat bufldif�gs ancl lots. Sei�ernl residentiul buildings along Yl�abcisha Street (tFte Lo�vey Hotel, 7[fz Place Residences and Scht�ber•t Apartments) generate umvanted activitdes, such ns loitering. These activities, con:bined rovith a lnckluster srreetscape anct rf lnck of vitnlin� at-gracle, create cr street thnt is often ernim�itirTg to pedestrians a fter• regailar bzrsiness ho:trs. (R'abasha Corridor Weaknesses, p. 86) • Establish a range of a�ses and activiry nocles along YT�abasha Street that encaz�rage vibrancy for additional hours of the day. (Land Use Objective p. 41) • Encozmage peopte to live ancl work nlong Wabasha. Included in the recommendations to implement ihis guideline is: Renovate e.risting structure to provide �ualiry residentiat accommodation for an expanded range of incomes including the Loxry Hotel, 7th Place Residences,SchubertApm•tments. (Guideline,p.91) • Several key redevelopment ancl planning opportz+nities are poised to play a major role in revitaliaing Wabasha Street. Phese include: the potential expansiofz of office space for a nt�mbef• of maJor private corporntions, .... (Wabasha Conidor Opportunities, p. 87) • Improve key open spnces including: 7th Place Mall, the intersection ar lth and Wabasha Str•eets, and Capitnl Centre Plaza (Guideline, p. 89} • Encozrrage major corporations seeking expansion to tocate on Wcrbasha Street between Kellogg Boulevard and 7th Street. (Guideline, p. 92) • Incorporate significant heritttge structures (Objective, built form). Planning Commission 7 of 22 9'9�3� Renova[e existing structures to pt•ovide qunlity residentic�l uccommodation for an erparzded range of incomes inclirding the Lox•ry Hotel, 7th Ptc�ce Residertces, Schubert Aperrtment.s. (Guideline, p. 91) Preser �nd rehabilitate bt�ildin,;s of archidectao•al c�ncUor historical mer•it including: City hald, Con:merce Building, Saint Paul Buitding, A'orthern States Pouer Campany Bztilding, Ecolab, A�Iinnesotu ClzilcG�en's naztseum, Fitzgeralcl Theater, Loicry Hotel, Hamnr 6trilding, ?th Plrtce Reside�7ces, O�pheerm Therater, Fitapatf•ick Btrilding, Exchange Beiilding. (Guideline, p. 92) The Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan and related Frnmetirork development policy give strong suppoct to preservation and reuse of historic resources in �eneral and recognize the important contribution of those structures that reflect important elements of the city's herita�e and continue ifs historic street ambiance. The Comprehensi��e Plan and related Frameirork policy also give hioh priority to current opportunities for gro�ti�th, increasing the density of activity, fillin$ in the empt}' or �veak spots in the do�vntown office core and the area to the north of the core, improving the tax base for the city and building economic opportunitq for citizens. Reuse Studies. Three reuse studies have been completed in efforts to find an appropriate reuse for these struchires. Two concern only the Orpheum Theater and a third concerns both structures. An appraisal report completed recentl}� provides a fourth extensi� e analysis of the property. Saint Paut-Ramsey Arts and Science Counci! OrpJ:e:rm and Shubert/Wortd Tlteaters Renovation Feasibility Stte�fy Ellerbe Associates, Inc., September 1980 A renovation feasibility study of these t4vo theaters was completed in 1980 by the Saint Paul- Ramsey Arts and Science Council. A professionai team from Ellerbe Associates, Inc. and R. Lawrence Kirkegaard, Acoustic Consultant, completed an extensive analysis and conceptual proposal for renovation of the two theaters. Findings �vith respect to the Orpheum Theater include: The buildin� is in generally sound structural condition. Much of the theater's 1916-vintage neo-classical splendor was iost when it was remodeled into a movie theater in 1950; it's new interior is a"poor example of revived Art Deco" typical of the 19�Qs movie genre. (There is disagreement with this conclusion. The 1992 study suggests that much of the finishing that provided its original character remains under the 1950s applications and could be restored.) The long and narrow proportions of the theater make it generalty acoustically good for 0 Planning Commission 8 of 22 yy-3�a music (contemporary and semi-classical orchestral �corks, including chamber music, recital music, choral groups, and opera), e�cept that the acoustics u�ould not be very good under the balcony �vhere the seats account for half of the audience. • The staae ��'inas and under-stage dressing room areas are grosst}- inadequate for modem requirements, and the sitina of the buildin� lea��es little opportunity for expansion. The ioading dock is ille�al and inadequate. • Lobbylloun�e space is inadequate by cunent standards. The renovation proposal would partially overcome this inadequacy by ezpandin� into 1,62� square feet of adjacent ground- floor retail space. • The theater seats 1,744 no�v and ��ould seat 1,478 under the renovation plan, with some seats removed for lobby and control room space. • The Orpheum space lacks the intimacy and flexibility needed for live theater, dance, opera and radio sho�vs. Its characteristics and acoustical quality suggest it only for music. The follo�ving costs �cere detemiined based the renovation plan developed (1980 costs): Acquisition: $1,062,500 Construction: 2,626,400 Annual operating cost: 500,000 The team was unable to generate specific leasing proposals to include in its analysis because of planning undenvay at the time for �vhat would become the Ord4ray Theater. Potential users were beginning io plan on the new facility envisioned at Rice Park. Having identified music, and, particularly, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, as the appropriate use for a renovated Orpheum, the study notes: "Although the Orpheum is in an ideal downtown location and is in better physical condition than the Shubert, extensive work must be done to develop an appropriate physical environment to satisfy the SPCO's audience." The study concludes: The potential zrsers af this theater ccrn be the SPCO, the Shztbert Club, varioc�s small messic groa�ps and frZm. Dz�e to the limited ntsmber of z�sers, it is essential for the St. Pazil Chnmber Orchestra to become the "anchof•" tenant for the Orpheum. YY�ithout this commitment, the feasibility af this renovation is seriously in doubt. The Shubert (no«� Fitzgerald) Theater, by comparison, was found to be in somewhat worse physical condition, but to have a more intimate space with greater flexibility that could accommodate a �cider variety of uses. Minnesota Public Radio was already using the theater, and there was more enthusiasm for the space among potential community users. � Planning Commission 9 of 22 95-3� Departn:ent of Pla�:�ri�zo ar:rl Eco�znn:ic Developnresit Tiro-Theaters Cor:versiort Study of the Orpheum Theater Benjamin Thompson & Associates, Inc., June, 1992 In response to the space needs of t�vo active theater companies in do��nto«n 3aint Paul, the Department of Plannin� and Economic Development in 1992 enga�ed Ben}amin Thompson & Associates, Architects, to undertake an architectural analysis and redesian of the Orpheum Theater for reuse as ttivo theater spaces. Under the concept, the t�co theater spaces created out of the Orpheum interior. «�ould be shared by t�vo repertory theater companies, the Park Square Thzater Company and thz Great American Histor}� Theater. This intriguin� proposal creates one theater space out of the present staae usintr the main floor seatin� in front of the balcony and the first few ro«s of the balcon}'. A second, smaller theater space �vith its o�cn stage (small platform ptus thnist sta�e) is created in �chat is presently balcon}� space. Accordin, to the report, "The two theaters captured within the orieinal auditorium have tmiquely different personalities and seat 480 and 37> patrons respecti��e]y. Each is very practicll, efficient and as mucl� as possible some��hat playfiil." General assessments of the building's structure and mechanical systems werz completed to documen[ feasibility, The report notes an unresolved need for rehearsal and property storage space and su��ests that basement space belo« the St. Francis Hotel be revie�ced as possible espansion and additional support space. In addition, "All production support activities will not be at the Orpheum and each company will largely maintain its off-site scenery and storage facilities." Dra�vings and a model of the proposed redesign were created. The available copy of the study does not contain a cost estimate. However, one of the participants in the study recalls that a cost estimate in the neighborhood of $10 million was arrived at by McGough Construction. Given the less-than-fully-adequate spaces, the difficulty of providing them in this complex using some of the St. Francis Hotel space, and a cost that was simpl}� too hi�h for the theaters involved, no effort was made to implement the proposal. The Park Square Theater found more satisfactor}� space more easily available in the Hamm Building across the street. Saint Paul Port Authority Sc{:ematic Design and Feasibility St:tdy of tl:e Orpl:etrm TJ:eater nnd Seventlr Place Residence Apcoa, Inc., Graelic, Inc., Mattson/MacDonatd, Inc., Oertel Architects, Witcher Construction July, 1997 In 1997, the Port Authority commissioned a design study of converting the Orpheum Theater into a parking facility, upgrading the Seventh Place Apartrnent (St. Francis Hotel) units and introducing parking into the basement of the Seventh Place Apartment building. The purpose of the study was "to demonstrate the potential asset value of the properties and to provide one Planning Commission 10 of 22 �5 -370 possible adaptive reuse plan for the block as a tool for prospective developers interested in purchasing these properties." This desian entailed demolition of most of the Orpheum Theater, replacing it with a parking structure c�•hich yielded 122 parkin� spaces at an approximate construction cost of $3,298,372. The Seeenth Place Residence (St. Francis Hotel) �vere reconfi�ured to produce 44 units, mostl}' one-bedroom but includin� tr��o and three-bedroom units. The building did not lend itself to efficient pro��ision of hi;her-cost housin� because the only acceptable �vindo�v outlooks were Iimited to the south side of the buildin,. The basement of the Seventh Place Residence was converted to parking in the design, yieldin� 39 spaces. Construction cost for the apartments was estimated to be $3,099,000 with an additional $�44,500 for the parking. The conclusions of the report note "a fe�c challen�es in makin� this pro}ect economically feasible." The design and analysis have not inspired any effort to bring such a project to fruition. Historic significance of the stn�ctures involved �vas given some attention in the study. Based on conversations with the State Historic Praservation Office and a representative of the Heritage Preserva[ion Commission, the authors of this study concluded that the Coney Island building has the greatest historic significance, that there is no clear consensus about the historic significance of the other buildings, but that there is likely a desire to keep the facade of the Seventh Place Residence intact. Saint Pa�{! Port Authoriry APpraistrl Report, 1998 Dhalen & Dwyer, Inc. In 1998, a comprehensive appraisal of the property was completed by the firm of Dahlen & D�vyer, Inc. for the Saint Paul Port Authorit}�. Findings from this study include: • The Por•t Airthority recently foreclosed on the pr•operty since the Seventh place matl had not been able to generate sz fficient revenzre to service the z�nderlying mortgage financing . � Although the subject properry was completely renovated in 1978 (apartments and retail space) current mczrket conditions in the Central Business District make it dif�ctdt for the property to earn a competitive retza•n. � Leasing agents hcrve hnd d�czrlty redeveloping the property dzie to the reZatively low market rents in the Downtox�n Area, and the high tenant improvement costs required to renovafe the property for occupaney. ► Mcrrket analysis currently indicates that it is not feasible to renovate the (retail) space relative to existing market rentals. 7 Planning Commission 11 of 22 qq-37o • T{re Ith Place Residence has perfor�med very strongdy the past hro yetns....Financially, 7th place Re.ridence has struggled because of the considerab[e umount of cleferred maintenance u•hich hcrs put cr strcrin on the cash flo�r. • Research indicates the properry does not generate szfficient net opernting income to cover expenses, aftd does not provide any return to land and improrernents.._a stabili=ed operating statement developecl demonstrates the property's inability to generate sz ffzcient rtet incame to tirarrant investment capital. • Tlze office market downtown is stronger than it has been in sevet•al year-s and is expected to continue to strengthen. • Tke hichest ancl best ttse rocottld be to dernolish e.risting impr•oven�ents c�nd develop the Zand [o its Highest ancl Best Use. • On the basis of a detailed analysis of operatin� costs and assumin� demolition of the Orpheum Theater for parking and completion of tenant improvements for the retail space as �cell as necessary expenditures for improvement of the apartments, the appraisal produeed an indicated "as is" market value of �31 I,000. • Indicated mazket value of the propertp if available for development (land value tess the cost of demolition) is $1,600,000. DeveloQment Opportunity. Recently, assembly of a site consisting primatily of the half-block occupied by these rir structures for a major new office buildin� (St. Paul Companies) was proposed. Development such as that proposed, canied out �vith carefnl attention to the design policies of the Frame�vork, would be a major step to�vard realization of Comprehensive Plan objectives. The addition of substantial da}time population and upgraded street-level retail space «ould overcome a significant weak spot in the downtown fabric and would most likely have a very positive impact on surroundinQ propert}. Enhancement in area appearance and liveliness ��ou1d represent an improvement for the Chiidren's Museum on the notth portion of the block, and the upgraded space and additional activity and population w�ould contribute to higher values and activity levels for surroundins retail and office spaces, including the ��'orld Trade Center and the retail spaces of Wabasha Street. While such a development involving replacement of the subject structures wouid entail loss of a potential historic resource, added population, economic activity and new construction replacing vacant structures would enhance the environment significantly for the historic structures already making very strong contributions to the character of the area: the Hamm Building, Assumption Church, Mickey's Diner, and Landmark Center. Planning Commission 12 oE 22 �5-3?0 Findings i. Job gro«th and strenothenino of the tas base do�ti�nto�cn are major Comprehensive Plan objectives. Preservation and effective reuse of buildin�s �� ith this de,ree of historic interest is supported in general b}� the Comprehensi� e Plan. � 3. In particular, the St. Francis Hotel ($eventh Piace Residence) fa�ade is a valuable piece of historic fabric that contributes considerable warmth, character and human scale to the streetscape on �Uabasha and Seventh Place. These qualities, if not components of the facade, could be given priority in design of any replacement. 4. The eaterior presence of the Orpheum Theater is limited to the marquee and entrance on the front of the hotel, and the staQehouse wall facin� St. Peter Street. Much of the original character of its interior has been lost in remodelin�, tliough restoration may be possible. �. The impact of the properties in their present state on the surrounding area is negative. 6. �Vhi1e reuse studies could never be said to have exhausted alI possibitities, those completed represent considerable effort to�card appropriate reuse of these buildings over a twent}•-year period, particularly with respect to the theater. None have led to effective rede��elopment. The studies, alon, with the lack of any implementation of the various redesians proposed, provide strong e� idence that the market cannot support effective reuse. Reuse of the theater, assuming that some market niche could be found for it, would likely entail lazge public subsidy and the greatest cost would be not the subsidy, but the loss of the far more substantial private investment that the recent development proposal suggests is possible if the structure can be demolished. R�hile the Seventh Place Residence provides some low-cost housin� which is badly needed, it cannot continue to support itself as presentl}� situated. The owner, the Saint Paul Port Authority, is not in a position to continue mana�ement of low-cost housing and is not fillin� apartments that become ��acant. Some necv provision for 1o�v-cost housing �vill be needed in any case. Rede�=elopment of the block in a wa} that makes full use of its potential for significant additional activity in this area of do«ntown is a high priority. Conciusion and Staff Recommendation. Review of development potential for the block indicates that preservation of these buildings could be a major obstacle to redevelopment that would make very significant contributions to Comprehensive Plan objectives and have highly positive impact on the surrounding area. In this situation, designation of the structures would not 0 Planning Commission 13 of 22 y5-3?o serve a purpose consistent with the Comprehensio�e Plan and may serve to continue the presenf situation tivhich has a substantial negative impact on the surroundins area. Staff finds the proposed desi?nations to be inconsistent w�ith the Comprehensive Plan and recommends a�ainst designation. Staf£ Ken Ford Planning Commission 14 of 22 10 99-32� Saint Paul Planning Commission Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee Staff Report March l, 1999 Re��ie�e of Hecitage Presen�ation Commission Preservation Site iComination Propecty: August Botzet BuildingMinnesota State Arsenal and Cit} Hotzl commonly refzrred to as the Coney Island or the Original Coney Island Location: 448 and 444 St. Peter Street; Lot 7, Block 11, Bazil and Guerin's Addition to Saint Paul The t�co buildin�s face on St. Peter Street near the centet on its eastern side near the center of the block between Seventh Place and Seventli Streei. Their site includes �vhat �could be the �vestern end of the east-west alley. The entire southern half of the block is occupied by the Seventh Place Apartments and the Orpheum Theater. Circulation parking and loading space for the Children's Museum is leased from the o�vners of these buildin�s. These buildings are immediately ad}acent to the Orpheum Theater on their southern ed�e. Planning Commission Authority and Responsibility. When it fonvards a nomination for local designation to the City Council, the Heritage Preservation Commission will "secure from the city plannin� commission its recommendation �vith respect to the relationship of the proposed heritage preservation designation to the comprehensive pIan of the City of Saint Pau1; its opuuon as to the effect of the proposed designation upon the sunoundin� neighborhood, and its opinion and recommendation as to any other plannin� consideration which may be relevant to the proposed desi�nation, together with its recommendation of approval, rejection or modification of the proposed designation." (Saint Paul Legislative Code, Section 73.05) Proposed Designntions. The followin� findines summarize the historical significance of the two structures on the site as described in detail in the Site Nomination report of the Heritage Preservation Commission: Both buildings have historic and architectural significance to the Cit}� of Saint Paul. The August Botzet(Minnesota State Arsenal building (448 St. Peter) is architecturally significant as a rare survivin� example of a distinctive early St. Paul building type: the commerciai biock of quarry-faced local Platteville limestone. It is the oldest remaizung building in downtown and the oldest commerciai building in the ciry. 2. Jointly the two buildings aze historically significant as mazkers of the large German- American community in St. Paul and their involvement in the buildinQ and hostelry uades in Planning Commission 15 of 22 9g�3�O the early decades of the city. 3. The ri�o buildings share significance as two of the few nineteenth-centurr buildings remainin� on what has historically been one of the city's main commerciaf thoroughfares. 4. The 448 St. Peter St. buildin� is historicall`� sianificant for its use as a state arsenat in the final years of the U. S. Civi1 War, 186� to 1880. The Saint Paul Comprehensi�•e Plan. The Saint Paul Comprehensi��e Plan gives strong general suppor[ to presen•ation of historic resources, as ��'ell as to reuse of existin� structures rather than demolition and ne�v construction wherever appropriate. It recognizes the calue of the "rich legacy of buildin�s, landscapes and monuments that define a cit}� rooted in local history." In this respect, designation of the structures in question would be consistent «ith the plan. Policy �.9.1 of the Land Use Plan (1999) states: Many parts of the city� have historic character and infzll constr-�rction cend renovation gener•ally sho�dd respect the traclitional cftaracter of tke immediate neighborhood, even x here it is not legally reqtrired. The Land Use Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan also places an emphasis on gro�vth, and underscores the importance of contimied ne�v in��estment and accommodation of growth in the do�rntown area throuah one of its four key strategies: "A Vital, Growina Cit} Center." With respect to economic deG�elopment, the Plan p(aces a high priority on job grouth and notes the "if old industria! sites nre redevelopecl ancl the dotinntown grows, Saint Pau! coidd add 18,ODDjobs bettiveen 1990 cind 20?0." (Land Use Plan, Appendix A) The Comprehensive Plan also identifies "significant need to increase the cin tax base." "The Saint Paul propercy tax base per household is among the lowest in the metropolitan azea. The School District, Ramsey County, and the City all shaze the need to raise values downtown, in commercial and industrial areas., and in neighborhoods with depressed values." (Land Use Plan, Appendix A, Trends and Assumptions) The Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework is not a part of the Comprehensive Plan, but is supported generally by the Comprehensive Plan as a more detailed guide for development do�vntown. It's ptinciples and goais have been endorsed as the City's development policy for downtown and the central riverfront to guide public and private investment. The following statements from the Framework are pertinent: • Preserve buildings, landscapes and monuments of nrchitectzrrnl, cttlti�rtt( and historic merit. • Augment the existing Historic Sites Survey to include a11 historic buildings, structures, landscapes, monuments and geological features within the downtown and river corridor, especially in the Seven Corners area and along 7th Street. (Objective) Planning Commission 16 of 22 9� -3 `�o • Renovation and adaptire re-use should be made a prior for key heritage elements. (Obj ective) � There is an air of decline aboztt portioFis of YYabasha Sh�eet The retail z�ses along its length nre of rr:ixed charncter. GVhile there are sotne good-quality stores, nzany are weak arzd there czre a numbet• of vctccznt buildings and lots. Sereral resideritial buildings along bb'abnsha Street (the Loivf y Hotel, 7th Plcrce Residerrces and Schzrbet7 Apartrnents) generrate zrntii�nnted activities, szech as loitering. These activities, cornbinetl ivith a lackktster streetscape ancl a Zack of vitaliry at-grczde, create a street that is often zrninviting to pedestricrns cfter� r b:rsiness hotrrs. (b��abasha Conidor Weaknesses, p. 86) • Several key redeveloprnent and pla�zning opportcrnities are poised to play a mnjor role in f•eritali=ing 6Vabashn Street. These incl:rde: the potentinl espnnaion of offzce space for a number ofmajor private corporations, .._ (Wabasha Corridor Opportunities, p. 87) • Improtie key open spaces inclztdino: %th Pluce Mnll, the intersection at 7th and Wabasha Streets, nnd Capital Centre Plaza (Guideline, p. 89) • Possibilities under this guideline include: Encozerage majDr corporationa seeking espansion to locate on YYabasha Street betu-een Kellogg Bozdevarcf and 7th Street. (Guideline, p. 92) • Incarporate signifrccrnt heritage struct:u•es (Objective, Built Form). The Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan and related Framework development policy give strong support to preservation and reuse of historic resources in general, and recognize the important contribution of those structures that reflect important elements of the city's herita�e and continue its historic street ambiance. The Comprehensive Plan and related Framework policy also give high priority to cunent opportunities for gro�Frth, increasine the density of actieity, filling in the empt}' or weak spots in the downtown office core and the area to the north of the core. The sub}ect buiidin�s, restored accordin� to the preservation program recommended by the Heritage Preservation Commission and effectively reused in a way that contributes to full utilization of the adjacent half-block occupied by the Seventh Place Apartments and the Orpheum Theater, would contribute to the objectives of the Comprehensive Plan. As long as ihe buildings are unrestored and vacant, and as long as they present an obstacle to full use of the adjacent Seventh PlacelOrpheum block, they aze an obstacle to realization of Comprehensive Pian objectives and their impact on surrounding properties is negarive. Development Opportunity. Recently, assembly of a site that would include these two buiidings along with the Seventh Place Apartments and the Orpheum Theater for a major new o�ce 3 Planning Commission 17 of 22 y9�3,o buildin� (St. Paul Companies) cvas proposed. Development such as that proposed, carried out �cith careful attention to the desian policies of the Frcrmex•ork, could be a major step toward realization of Comprehensive Plan objectives. The addition of substantiaf dar'time population and uparaded sireet-le�•el retail space ��ould o��ercome a significant �ceak spot in the downtown fabric and would most likely have a ti positive impact on surroundine propert}�. Enhancement in area appearance and liveliness �vould represent an improvement for the Children's Museum on the north portion of the block, and the up�raded space and additional acti� itc and population «ould contribute to hi�her values and activity levels for surroundin� retail and office spaces, including the World Trade Center and the retail spaces of �Vabasha Street. `Uhile such a development involvin� replacement of the subject structures «ould entail loss of a potential historic resource, added poputation, economic activity and ne�� construction replacing � acant structures «ould e�lhance the en��ironment significantly for the historic structures already makin� very stron� contributions to the character of the area: the Hanim Building, Assumption Church, Mickey's Diner and Landmark Center. Reuse Studies. No reuse studies of the buifdin�s have been completed. Little is l:nown about the potential for restoration and reuse beyond a general support of designation by the owners as a �vay to retain the buildings. Findings I. Job gro�vth and stren�thenin� of the tas base do«nto�an are major Comprehensive Plan objectives. 2. Preservation and effective reuse of buildings with this degree of historic interest is supported in general by the Comprehensive Plan. 3. The impact of the properties in their present stace on the surrounding area is negative. Restored, their impact could be positive if the testoration did not interfere �vith full use (restoration or redevelopment) of adjacent structures. 4. Because of the sitine of the structures mid-block, these buildings cannot be considered in isolation. Their presence has a direct impact on reuse of the sunoundin� properties. An overall best solution consistent �vith the Comprehensive Plan and the strength of sunounding properties has to take all properties in the block into account. Redevelopment of the block in a way that makes full use of these properties as weil as the Orpheum Theater and Seventh Place Apartments is a high priority under the Comprehensive Plan and is important for the vitality of the surrounding blocks. 6. There is no reuse plan for the buildings or for the block that gives confidence that effective reuse would not compromise the potential for the entire block. 0 Planning Commission 18 of 22 99•3'� Conclusion and Staff Recommendation. Review� of development potential for the block indicates that preservation of these buildin�s could be a major obstacie to redec�elopment that could make very significant contributions to Comprehensive Plan objectives and have a highly positi��e impact on the surroundine area. Proposals are not availabie for presen�ation of the buildings in a redevelopment scheme comparable in benefit to redevelopment that apparently can be achieved �cithout preservation. In this situation, desi�nation of the structures at their present location ��ould not serve a purpose consistent �vith the Comprehensive Plan and may serve to continue the present situation which has a substantial neoative impact on the surrounding area. Staff finds the proposed desi�nations at their present locations to be inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan and recommends against designation at their present locations. Staff: Ken Ford Planning Commission 19 of 22 95 Orpheum Block Proposed Heritage Preservation Designations Revie�v Reuse Studies of the Existing Buildings Summaries compiled by Ken Ford for the Neighborhood and Cunent Plannin� Committee, February 23, 1999 Saint Paul-Ramsev Arts and Science Council Orpheum and ShubertJWorld Theaters Reno��ation FeasibiliR� Stud} Ellerbe Associates, Inc. September 19$0 A renovation feasibilit} stud} of these t«o theaters «as completed in 1980 b� the Saint Paul- R�msep Arts and Science Council. A professional team from Ellerbe Associates, Inc. and R. L��vrence Kirke�aard, Acoustic Consultant, completed an extensive analysis and conceptual proposal for renovation of the nco theaters. Findings with respect to the Orpheum Theater include: The buildin� is in generally sound structura] condition. 2. tLluch of the tlteater's 1916-vintage neo-classicat sptzndor G4'as lost Gvhen it was remodeled into a movie theater in 19�0; if s ne�r interior is a"poor exaniple of reviced Art Deco" typical of the 19�Os movie genre. The long and narrow proportions of the theater make it generally acoustically good for music (contempozary and semi-classical orchestral �corks, including chamber music, recital music, choral groups, and opera) except that the acoustics would not be very good under the balcony where the seats account for half of the audience. 4. The sta�e �vines and under-staee dressin� room areas are grossly inadequate for modem requirements and the sitine of the building leaves ]ittle opportunity for espansion. The loadin� dock is illeoal aud inadequate. �. Lobbylloim�e space is inadequate by current standards. The renovation proposal would plrtially overcome this inadequacy by espanding into 1,625 square feet of adjacent ground- floor retail space. 6. The theater seats 1,744 no�� and would seat 1,478 under the renovation ptan with some seats removed for lobby and control room space. The Orpheum space lacks the intimacy and flexibility needed for live theatre, dance, opera and radio shows. Its chazacteristics and acoustical quality suggest it only for music. Planning Commission 20 of 22 yy_3yo The follo�cing costs «'ere determined based the renocation plan developed (1980 costs): Acquisition: $1,062.�00 Constructio n: 2,626.400 Annual operating cost: >00.000 The team �cas unable to generate specific leasing proposals to include in its analpsis because of planning undenca}� at the time for �vhat ��ould become the Ordway Theater. Potential users ��ere beJinning to plan on the ne�v facilit}� envisioned at Rice Park. HacinQ identified music, and, particularl}, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, as the appropriate use for a renovated Orpheum, the study notes: "Althou�h the Orpheum is in an ideal do�vnto«n location and is in better physical condition than the Shubert, extensive uork must be done to develop an appropriate ph;�sical em�ironment to satisfy the SPCO's audience." The study concludes: The potential t�sers of this thenter can be tJse SPCO, the Shubert Club, ti�ar•iot�s small rnicsic groi�ps and filnt. Dtie to rfie limited nt�mber of a�sers, it is essential for the St. Patrl Chcrnrber Orchestf�a to beco�ne tlae "and�or�"tenant for the Oiphetu�7. l�ithotu this co»:rnitn�ent, ihe fecrsibiliry of this renoi•atiori is ser�iozts/y� in dotrbt. The Shubert Theater, b}• comparison, was found to be in somewhat worse physical condition, but to have a more intimate space with greater flexibility that could accommodate � �cider variety of uses. Minnesota Public Radio was already usin� the theater and there ticas more enthusiasm for the space amon� potential community users. Dep�rtment of Plnnning and Economic Development TFVO-Theaters Conversion Study of the Orpheum Theater Benjamin Thompson & Associates, Ine. June, 1992 In response to the space needs of t��o active theater companies in downto��n Saint Paul, the Deparmient of Planning and Economic Development in 1992 engaged Bznjamin Thompson & Associates, Architects, to undartake an architectural anal}'sis and redesien of the Orpheum Theater far reuse as two theater spaces. Under the concept, the two theatzr spaces created out of the Orpheunt interior ��ould be shared by t«o repertory theater companies, the Park Square Theatre Company, and the Great American History Theater. This intriguing proposal creates one theater space out of the present stagz using the main floor seating in front of the balcony and the first fe�v rows of the baicony. A second, smaller theater space with its o�vn stage (small platform plus thrust stage) is created in �chat is presently balcony space. According to the report, "The two theaters captured within the original auditorium have uniquely different personalities and seat 480 and 375 patrons respectively. Each is very practical, efficient and as much as possible somewhat playful." General assessments of the buildinas structure and mechanical systems «ere completed to Planning Commission 21 of 22 �' �i ' doctmtent feasibilitJ. The report notes a need for rehearsal and propert} stora�e space not fully resoh ed and sue_ests basement area belo« the St. Francis Hotel be re� ie�ced as possible ezpansion and additional support space. ln addition. "All production suppon activities ��ill not be at thz Orpheum and each compan} «ill largely maintain its off-site scenen and storage facilities." Dra�cin�s and a model of the proposed redesi�n ��ere created. The acailable cop} of the study does not contain a cost estimate. Ho�czcer. one of the participants in the study recalls that a cost estimate in tlie nei�hborhood ofS10 million �vas arri��ed at by b4cGou�h Construction. Gicen the less than fiill� adequate spaces, the difficulty of proaidin� them in this complex using some of the St. Francis Hotet space, and a cost that was simpl} too hiRh for the theaters in� olceci, no effort «as made to implement thz proposal. The Park Square Theater fotmd more satisfactor} space more easify a��ailabie in the Hanzm Building across the street. Saint Paul Port Authority Schemntic Design �nd feasibility Study' of the Orpheum Theater and Se� enth Place Apartments Apcoa, Inc.. Graelic, Inc., Mattson/MacDonald, Ine., Oertel Architects. �Vitchzr Construction 3u1�, 1997 In ]997, The Port Ai�thority commissioned a design study of con��ertinR the Orpheum Theater into � parking facility, up�radin� the Seventh Place Apartment (St. Francis Hotei) uaits and in[roducing parking into the basement of tlie Se� enth Place Aparunent build[ne. The purpose of tl�e study �cas "to demonstrate the potential asset value of the properties and to provide one possible adaptive reuse p(an for the block as a tool for prospective decelopers interested in purchasing these properties." This design entailed demolition of most of the Orpheum Tlieater, replacin, it ��ith a parking sU ucture �ehich } ielded 122 parking spaces at an approximate construction cost of $3,298,372. The Seventh Place Apartments (St. Francis Hotel) ��ere reconfigured to produce 44 tinits, mostly one-bedroom but includine two and tllree-bedroont units. The basement of tlie Seventh Place A}�artmei�ts �� as converred to parkin� in the design. } ielding 39 spaces. Coiutruction cost for the aparmieuts �cas estimated to be �3,099,000 �cith v� additionnl $�44,500 for the parking. The conelusions of the report note "a fe�c challenges in making this projeet economically feasible," and die desi;n and analysis have not inspired any effart to bring such a project to ti•uition. Historic significance of tl�e structures involved was given some atteniion in the study. Based on conversations �vith the State Historic Preservation Office and a representati� e of the Heritage Preservation Commission, the authors of this study conciuded tliat the Coneti� Island building has the greatest historic significance, that there is no clear consensus about the historic significance of the other buildin�s, but that there is likely a desire to keep the facade of the Seventh Place Apartments intact. Planning Commission 22 of 22 9y�31� CITY OF SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION RESOLUTION FILE NUMBER 99-2 DATE 21 Ianuary 1949 WHEREAS, Chapter 73, Heritage Preservation Commission, of the Saint Paul Lesislative Code states as one of its purposes to safeguard the heritage of the city of Saint Paul by preserving sites a�d structures which reflect elements of the ciry's cultural, social, economic, political, or architectural history; and WAEREAS, Chapter 73 of the Legislative Code provides for designation as Heritage Preservation Sites buildin�s which reflect such eiements and gives the Heritage Preservation Commission the responsibility of recommending to the Ciry Council the designation of Heritage Preservation Sites and programs for the preservation of such sites; and WHEREAS, the New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hote(, now known as the Orpheum Theater and Seventh Place Residence, at 1- 33 W. Seventh Pl. and 435-37 N. Wabasha St., is a four-story, brick, Beaux Arts sryle, commerciaUresidential building designed by Saint Paul Architects Buechner and Orth and coustructed in 1916; and WHEREAS, the Heritage Preservation Commission held a public hearin� on the proposed designation of the New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel on January 21, 1999 pursuant to Sections 73.05(d) and (e) of the Saint Paul Legislative Code, and notice of the public hearing was published in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press and sent to the properry owner and owners of property within 100 feet of the property being considered for designation; and WHEREAS, the Heritage Preservation Commission at its Ianuary 21, 1999 pub(ic hearing made the following findings: 1. The New Palace TheatrelSt. Francis Hotel is architecturally significant as a fine example of a Beaux Arts style commercial bui(ding and as an important work of the prominent Saint Paul architectural firm ofBuechner and Orth. 2. The New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel has cultural significance as one of only two remaining grand, downtown, vaudeville/movie theaters from the first part of the twentieth century and the sole Seventh Street survivor of the bustling entertainment district that once centered on Seventh and Wabasha streets. 3. The New Palace TheaVelSt. Francis Hotel is significant in terms of ciTy planning and development: it is an early mixed-use building combining hotel, theater, and retail spaces; and it is a remnant and mazker of old Seventh Street, formerly one of downtown's main commercial thoroughfazes. 4. The I3ew Palace Theaue(St. Francis Hotel is eligible for local designation as a Heritage Preservation Site under criteria 1, 4 and 5 of Section 73.05(a) of the Legislative Code. HPC 1 of 28 qq 370 Heritage Preservation Commission Resotution: File �99-2 Pa�e Two NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission finds the New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel at 1- 33 W. Seventh Pl. and 435-37 N. Wabasha St. eligible for desia ation as a Heritage Preservation Site with the followin� preservation pro�ram: The New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel building, constructed in 1916, is a fine example of a Beaux Arts style commercial buildin� by St. Paul architects Buechner and Orth. Most of the buildina has changed ]ittle over time and the exterior has been well maintained. The most notable modifications to the exterior aze the existing theater marquee and sign, the renovated storefronts, the atuminum windows, and removal of the omamental wreaths and hotel signs atop the building. The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent �vith Buechner and ORh's original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be used in this regard. The following are par[iculazly important to consider in any future work on the building: Brick: Tuckpointing should match the composition, color, and tooling of the original mortar. Brick should be cleaned, if necessary, by the gentlest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Coruice: The pressed meta( cornice should be retained and repaired as necessary. It should be kept painted to prevent deterioration. Theater Entrance: If the theater doors and entry area are modified, it should be done in a manner similar to or compatib(e with the original design. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Heritage Preservation Commission now forwazds the proposed designation of the New Palace Theatre{St. Francis Hote] to the Saint Paul Planning Commission for review and comment in accordance with Section 73.05(b) of the Saint Paul Legislative Code and to the Minnesota Historical Society for review and comment in accordance with Section 73.05(c) of the Legislative Code. MOVED BY Frame SECONDED BY Paulson IN FAVOR AGAINST ABSTAIN HPC 2 of 28 y�-3�D CITY OF SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATIO\ COMMISSION STAFF REPORT FILE N.Ai�'IE: New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel Preservation Site Nomination LOCATIOI�: 1-33 W. 7th Pl., 435-37 N. Wabasha St. DATE OF HEARIVG: 1.21.99 LEGAL DESCRIPTION: Lots 9 through 14, B1ock 11, Bazi( and Guerids Addition to Saint Paul STAFP INVESTIGATION AND REPORT: AATE: 11�.99 BY: Aaron Rubenstein A. PTJRPOSE: To consider local designation of the New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel building as a heritage preservation site. B. CODE CITATIONS: Section 73.05 of the City's Legislative Code, Designation of heritage preservation sites, states: (a) Criteria. In considering the designation of any area, place, buitding structure or simitar object in the City of Saint Paul as a heritage preservation site; the commission shall apply the following criteria with respec6 to sz�ch designatiota: (1) Its character, interest or value as part of the rlevelopment, heritage or cultural characteristics of the City of Saint Paul, State of Minnesota, or the United States. (2) Its location as a site of a significant historic event. (3) Its identification with a person or persons who significantly conlributed to rhe culture and development of the Ciry of Saint Paul. (4) Its embodiment of distinguishing characteristics of an architectural or engineering type or specimen. (�) Its identification as the work of an architect, engineer, or master buitder whose individual work has influenced the development of the City of Saint Paul. (6) Its embodiment of elements of architecta�ral or engineering design, detail, materials or craftsmanship which represent a significant architectural or engineering innovation. (7) Its unique location or singular physical characteristic representing an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community or the City of Saint Paul. Section 73.05(d), Hearings, states: Prior to the heritage preservation commission recommending to the city council any building, district or object for designation as a heritage preservation site the commission shall hold a public hearing and seek the recommendation of a11 concerned citizens. Prior to such hearing the heritage HPC 3 of 28 99-3?0 HPC Staff Report: Nomination of Ne�v Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel, p. 2 preservation commission shatl cazrse to be published in a newspaper of general circzrlation notice of said hearing at least twenty (20J days prior to the date of the hearing, and notice of the hearing shall be sent to all owners ofproperty proposed to be clesignated a heritage preservation site and to a11 owners of property within one hundred (IQO) feet of the boundary of the areu to be designated a herituge preservation site. Section 73.05(e), Firading and recon:mendations, states: The heritage preservatiora con:mission shall detern:ine if the proposed heritage preservation site is eligible for designation as detern:ined by the criteria specifted in paragraph (a) of this section, and ifthe heritage preservation commission recommends to the city council that the site be designated as a heritage preservation site, the commission shalt transmit to the city cozrncil with its recommendation its proposed program for the preservation of the site. C. FINDINGS: I. The New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel is architecturally significant as a fine example of a Beau:c Arts sryie commercial bui{ding and as an important work of the prominent Saint Paul architectural firm of Buechner and Orth. 2. The New Palace Theatre/St_ Francis Hotel has cultural significance as one of only two remaining grand, downtown, vaudevillelmovie theaters From the first par[ of the twentieth century and the sole Seventh Street survivor of the bustling entertainment distcict that once centered on Seventh and Wabasha streets. The New Pa(ace TheatrelSt. Francis Hotel is significant in terms of city pianning and development: it is an early mixed-use building combining hotel, theater, and retail spaces; and it is a remnant and marker of old Seventh Street, formerly one of downtown's main commercial thoroughfares. D. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Based on the above findings, staff recommends that the New Palace TheatrelSt. Francis Hotel be designated as a Heritage Preservation Site with the following preservation program: The New Palace TheatrelSt. Francis Hotel building, constructed in 1916, is a fine example of a Beaux Arts style commercial building by St. Pau] architects Buechner and Orth. Most of the building has changed little over time and the exterior has been well maintained. The most notable modifications to the exterior are the existing theater marquee and sign, the renovated storefronts, the aluminum windows, and removal of the ornamental wreaths and hotel signs atop the building. The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent with Buechner and Orth's original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be used in this regazd. The following are particularly important to consider in any future work on the building: HPC 4 of 28 9y 370 HPC Staff Report: Desienation of New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel, p. 3 Brick: Tuckpointing should match the composition, color, and tooling of the ori�inal mortar. Brick should be cleaned, if necessary, by the gentiest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Cornice: The pressed metal cornice should be retained and repaired as neces,sary. It should be kept painted to prevent deterioration. Theater Entrance: If the theater doors and entry area are modified, it should be done in a manner similar to or compatible with the original design. HPC 5 of 28 HERITAGE PRESERVATION SITE NOMINATION SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATION COVIMISSION 1. Name Historic: Common: New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel Orpheum Theater and Seventh Place Besidence �� `�I �� 2. Location Address: 1-33 West Seventh Place and 435-37 North Wabasha Street Legal Descriptipn: Lots 9 through 14, Block 1 I, Bazit and Guerin's Addition to Saint Paul 3. Present Owner Name: Address: 4. Location Map Port Authority of the City of Saint Paul 345 Saint Peter Street #1900, Saint Paul MN 55102-1661 \ � / I . / � � � � ��P �` / )^\ J n \ 6 � � � � . ' � .' � „ '� ' i : . i�� '� • / � l � � 9 � � n � \ HPC 6 of 28 99' � Ne�v Pa4ace Theatre/St. Francis Hote! Nomination, p. 2 �. Description Number of contributing buildin�s on site: Number of noncontributing buildings on site: Sisnificantlandscape features: The New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hote1, no�ti known as the Orpheum Theater and Seventh P1ace Residence, is located at 1-33 West Seventh Place and 43537 North �Vabasha Street in downtown St. Paul. The building occupies the north side of Seventh Place between Wabasha and St. Peter streets and extends north almost half a block up Wabasha aod St. Peter. The New Palace Theatre a�d St. Francis HoteV is a symmetrical, four story, mottled tan pressed brick building that is roughly rectan�ular in plan. The three street-facing elevations contain storefronts at street level with the original hotel rooms on the upper stories. The theater auditorium occupies the northwestern part of the site. The theater lobby cuts through the storefront portion of the building to the theater entrance in the middle of the Seventh Place fapade. There is a square liaht couR at the center of the Wabasha Street end of the hotel building. The upper stories of that end also have two set-ins at the rear to provide additional illumination to the hotel rooms. The hotel building has hvo bays facing St. Peter Street, thirteen bays facing Seventh Place, and sis bays facing Wabasha Street. Its primary exterior materials are tan 6rick, cream terra cotta, and architectural sheet metal. The overall color scheme is subdued -- a cream-tan body with lighter accents and trim. A terra cotta cornice with paired, scroiled consoles above each pier articulates the functional division af the commercial ground floor from the remainder of the building. The upper story piers project slightly into pilasters, each resting on terra cotta pedestals molded into fasces and topped with free-form, tena cotta capitals bearing swags. The pitasters are margined with stacked brick headers. Terminating the walls on the three street elevations is a terra cotta frieze adorned with swags placed rhythmically above the pi(asters, a projecting sheet meta( cornice with dentils and modil(ions, and a plain brick parapet with tena cotta copings. Shallow modillioned pediments crown the comice above the comer bays along Wabasha Street and Seventh Place, and the frieze above them reiterates their slopes. Acroteria perch on the apex and lower angles of the frieze pediments; these once carried monumenta( tena cotta wreaths, but now only the pedestals remain. The parapet also rises to a pediment at the middle of the Seventh Place elevation, marking the theater entrance bay. This pediment is heavily ornamented. The standard bay embraces hvo pairs of rectangular, one-over-one, double-hung �vindows with cut limestone sills, but in each of the bays crowned by parapets the windows are evenly spaced. The pedimented comer bays contain three windows, this arrangement extending to the St. Peter Street side. Above the theater entrance are four evenly-spaced windows, creating a slightly wider bay at the center of the main elevation. On the third story, festooned terra cotta balconettes project beneath the windows of the comer bays on Wabasha Street and Seventh Place, as well as on the bays to either side of the theater entrance bay. These bays and the theater entrance bay are also distinguished by jack arches and projecting terra cotta keystones above each of the fourth-story windows. Spandrels throughout and at all ]evels carry ornamental brickwork panels beneath each window or window pair, their borders articulated by two courses of set-out brick with stone corner blocks and their heart composed of bricks arranged in a chevron pattem centering on a square, diagonally set stone block. HPC 7 of 28 �q 37a New Palace Theatre!St. Francis Hotel Nomination, p. 3 The ori�inal storefronts have been considerably altered over time. In l94 ( an extensive remodelina by �Vinsor/Faricy Architects aave them a precast stone base, bro�vn aluminum-trimmed and -mullioned storefronts and entries, and tan brick piers. These latter wrap or replace iron columns that oriQinally stood between the storefront bays. This alteration complements the orisinal buildin? by tying the masonry expanse of the upper stories to the ground. The theater entrance has also been altered considerably from original construction. Doors, marquee and si�n have been replaced, the present sign readin� "St. Paul Orpheum". The theater is separated from the southern part of the bui(din� by a narrow alleyway. Its massive rear wall, frontin� on St. Peter Street, is a distinctive feature of the building. Divided into three parts by tena cotta comices, the lower cornice continues the line of the storefront cornice but somewhat simplifies its design. The middle frieze and comice match the height, materials and design of those on the hotel buildin„ but without the periodic festoons. At the top of the wall is a simple cornice built up of sheet metal. Between the comices the masonry surfaces are treated in boldly contrasting manners. The lower part is an unadorned brick face resting on a cut limestone base and pierced only by a centrally located doorway topped by a shallo�v, bracketed hood. Pilasters matching those on the hotel portion of the building divide the middle and most expansive part into three equal bays. Each bay is identically decorated with a brick panel of diagonal diaperwork, the usual quatrefoil at the center of each module simplified into a roman cross. The upper part of the wall, which rises substantially higher than the parapet of the hotel, is divided into three blank brick panels �vith stepped margins. An octagonal chimney, recently shortened, rises just behind the wall. The grand two-story foyer of the New Palace Theatre originally featured two lavish marble staircases separated by a recessed fountain with a shell canopy and leading to a balcony that extended over most of the mezzanine floor. No intermediate suppoRS obstructed the view of the stage. The stage had a proscenium azch 40-feet by 40-feet in size, above which were painted murals. Omamental piaster work adomed the ceiling, walls, and balcony parapets. Beneath the stage were ten dressing rooms. Many of these original interior features have been removed or covered over, although much of the foyer's original marble walls and floors remain intact beneath modem sheathings. The hotel building is in good condition. The theater auditorium, however, has been unused and unheated for a number of years and may have roof problems. The New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel building is threatened with demolition to make way for a new St. Paul Companies office building. HPC 8 of 28 Ne�v Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel Nomination, p. 4 6. Significance Areas of Si�nificance: architecture, culture, city plannin� and development Period of Si�nificance: 1916 -] 977 �y-3 The New Palace Tfieatre and St. Francis Hotel buildina is both architecturally and historically significant. It is architectural]y siQnsficant as a fine example of a Beaux Arts styVe commercial building and as an important work of the prominent Saint Paul architectural firm of Buechner and Orth. It has cultural si�nificance as one of only two remainin� �rand, downtown, vaudeville/movie theaters from the first part of the hventieth century and the sole Seventh Street survivor of the bustlino entertainment district that once centered on Seventh and Wabasha streets. The bui(ding is also sionificant in terms of city planning and development: it is an early mixed-use building combining hotel, theater, and retail spaces; and it is a remnant and marker of old Seventh Street, formerly one of downtown's main commercial thorou�hfares. The New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel building was constructed in 1916 on the site ofthe city- owned Market Hall of 1881, which had been destroyed by fire on April 26, 1915. Herman Benz of George Benz and Sons, real estate developers who owned the Shubert theater/apartment complex at Wabasha and Exchange streets (now the Fitzgerald Theater and Shubert Apartments), purchased the lease on the Market Hall property in August 1915 and entered into an agreement with M. L. Finkelstein, a St. Paul jeweler, and I. H. Reuben, a Des Moines businessman. They had been in partnership in the movie theater business for several years by that time, operating numerous theaters in St. Paul, Minneapofis, and throughout the Midwest. Separately, Benz and Sons p(anned the construction of the St. Francis Hotel to be connected to the theater, commissioning the St. Paul architectural firm of Buechner and Orth to design the entire complex. A building permit for the $500,000 project was issued on December 29, 191� and construciion began shortly thereafrer. Work proceeded slowly at first on account of the bitter winter of 1915-16. The 215-room St. Francis Hotel opened on December 31, 1916. The St. Francis had a first floor lobby and dining room, with hotel rooms on the upper three floors of the building. In 1955 its name changed to the Capri Hotel. A conversion to rentat aparttnents took place in 1977, when the building acquired its present name of Seventh Place Residence. A variety of stores have occupied the ground floor of the hotel. Lona-time tenants have included the St. Paul Drug Co. and, later, Walgreen Co. Drugs, a c]othing store, a jewe(er, a florist, the Virginia Cafe, Floresheim shoes, the Bon Ton Meat Market, Mr. Johnson's Karmel Korn Shop, Brid�eman's Ice Cream, Adam Hats, and a confectioner. The New Palace, a 2,300-seat combined vaudeville and movie theater, opened in 1917. Loca( newspapers heralded the theater as one of the most beautiful between Chica�o and the West Coast. It was leased in May 1922 to the Orpheum theater circuit and became known as the Palace Orpheum. In 1930 the name changed to the RKO Orpheum and thereafrer went back and forth between that name and simply Orpheum. During this period the theater successfully made the transition from split use to a full time showhouse for feature-length movies. By the 1950's and 1960's, however, decreased use of public transit, declining numbers of downtown residents, and the burgeoning of suburban theaters led to a decline in the Orpheum's popularity and its closing in 1977. It reopened in 1981 as a second run movie house and the only regular motion picture theater operating in downtown St. Paul. After providing a temporary home to the live radio show "A Prairie Home Companion" while the ShubertlWoridlFitzgerald theater was being renovated in 1486, the Orpheum closed its doors for good. HPC 4 of 28 New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel Nomination, p. � 9y-3�' The New Palace/St. Francis building is a fine example of Beaux Arts architecture adapted to modem commercial buildin�s. At the turn of the century American cities besan to fi11 �vith elaborate renditions of neoclassical temples and pataces, using them to liouse state and local sovernments, libraries, museums, and train stations. A{I were �rand civic buildin�s distin�uished by monumental scale, symmetry, classical proportions, and a profusion of Italian or French Renaissance-inspired omament. Leadin� St. Paul examples are the State Capitol, the Pub{ic Library/Hill Reference Library, and the St. Paut Cathedral. Alongside of these arose more modest commercial buildings which freely adapted Beaux-Arts-inspired elements to local materials and functional building requirements. It is this latter type of Beaux ARs buildin�s to which the New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel belon�s, with its symmetrical facade, pedimented cornices, monumental pilasters, restrained palate, and profusion of neoclassical ornament. It is a fittin� companion to such architecturally related local landmarks as the St. Paul Hotel, the Lowry Arcade Building (now Lowry Professional Building) and the Shubert (now Fitz�erald) Theater/Shubert Buildin�. AII ware built in 1910. The New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel buildin� is also significant as an example of the work of prominent St. Paul architeMS Charles Buechner (18�9-1924) and Henry Orth. Other extant downtown St. Paul bui(dings they designed include the Shubert Building mentioned above, the Emporium Department Store (1910, now repackaged as a reflective glass box kno�vn as the Metro Square Building), and the Norwegian-Evan�elical Lutheran Church (1913, now known as Christ Lutheran Church) on Capitol Hi1L Chartes Buechner was a well known Midwestem architect who practiced in St. Paul for over forty years. He came to St. Paul in 1874 as a govemment surveyor and later worked as an engineer for the Northern Pacific Railway, rising to the position of superintendent of tracks, bridees and buildings. In 1883, Buechner entered the office of young St. Paul architect Garence H. Johnston, who woutd soon become one of the preeminent architects of the state. He lefr Johnston in 1891 to form a partnership with John Jacobsen that lasted until the latter's death in 1902. Suechner then established a partnership with Henry W. Orth. In addition to those buildings already mentioned, Buechner and Orth designed the Masonic Crippled Children's Hospital (MinneaQolis), the Ramsey County Poor Farm buildings, the St. Paul Arcade at Seventh and Robert, and the Mounds Park Sanitarium. Public buildings which the firm designed include courthouses at Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and Grand Forks and Wahpeton, North Dakota, and hospitals in Bismarck, North Dakota, and Dubuque, Mason City, and Sioux City, Iowa. Theater owner-developers Reuben and Finkelstein commissioned Buechner and Orth to design several of their entertainment palaces in St. Paul and the Midwest, including the New Astor at 449 N. Wabasha Street, where the Children's Museum now stands. All of their work displayed a strong Beaux Art character in plan, general design, and detail. The New PalacelOrpheum Theater is culturally si�nificant as one of only two remaining grand downtown, vaudeville/movie theaters from the first decades of the twentieth century. Many theaters were built in downtown St. Paul during that period, the grandest of them concenirated along Wabasha and Seventh streets. There were at least 17 theaters -- playhouses, vaudeville houses, and motion picture nickelodeons -- in downtown St. Paul by 1916. Prominent among these were the Star on Seventh Street near Jaclson (built 1901), the first Orpheum at Fifrh and St. Peter Streets (1906), the Princess at 21 E. Seventh Street (1910), the Alhambra at 16 E. Seventh Street (191 I), and the Empress at 479 N. Wabasha Street (1911). Even larger and more elaborate movie palaces sprang up across the country during the 1920s. St. Paul's was the 2,500-seat Capitol (later named the Paramount), built across the street from the New Palace Theater in i920 and incorporated into the Hamm Building. All of these have been demolished, with the most elaborate of them, the old Capitol Theatre, being thoroughly gutted and much- reduced to accommodate the present Seventh Place Theater. HPC 10 of 28 yy 3�a Ne�v Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel Nomination, p. 6 Finally, the New Palace TheatrelSt. Francis Hotel building is significant in terms of early city planning- and devetopment. It is amon� the first large scale buildinas in the city designed for multiple uses, combinin� theater, retail, and hotel components in a single complex_ It is also a remnant and marker of old Seventh Street, formerly one of downtown's main commercial thorouahfares. Finally, the Ne�v Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel is among the last survivors from the yeazs when Wabasha Street in downtown St. Paul was the site of a number of plush theaters, hotels and shops patronized by residents of all parts of the city. 7. References Michaud, Matthew, Gary Phelps and Susan Gran�er, National Re�ister of Historic Places Nomination Form for Three Downtown Theaters (New Palace, Shubert and New Astor), 1981. Millet, Larry. Lost Twin Cities. St. Paul: Minnesota Historica! Society Press, ] 992. Saylor, Henry H. Dictionary ofArchitecture. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 19�2. Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture Since ]870: A Guide to Ihe Styles. Cambrid�e, MA: M.I.T Press, 1981. Whiffen, Marcus and Frederick Koeper. American Architecture. Cambridge, MA: M.I.T Press, 1983. Minnesota Historical Society photo collection. City of St. Paul, building permit index cards. Port Authority of the City of St. Paul, blueprints of working drawings for theater, storefront renovation, and Seventh Place Residence renovation. I am indebted to architectural historian Paul Larson for a careful reading of the nomination and many helpful suggestions and additions. 8. Form prepared by: Aaron Rubenstein, Heritage Preservation Planner 15 January 1999 HPC 11 of 28 _i °�: i � !'• • � • 3:� :� �. .':i { w� �C. .- .S -� : �- _ il � 11 :�,�--;�- �.... �.�_ !:a �� . fi� �� + 1je'_' � l:`_F.� �• ��:' i • �;}�t.M � � 1 �� • � _4 E i -- ' �_ .• =_: w �€S� � �k`�� `�'��`� � --._ ---_.� `� `� E �' �' . �� [".a� R.\� F� 1 e`� �" t � i 3 �lr � r.. t . � r . �,�, �'�. r e a��fc` • -_ � c _:�!�� t .� �11 F �-•- 9 � � ° :, - n� `-_i��- `M},e.y �,.r: �i �� .'i � ��\ �. �.-,�... �;k�'. r:� �, � �� 1 �'ti�� 1 �i"� �/��a`�Ra2t -...i .�� -:` � . *..-�,��-�'-�' � . . 1i �, . �.�' -� � �, _ - ' �s,, . _ � ' `� ��..... • '� � M �. y ��, �s.l s. � ^1�� __ ♦ J r. . 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Y j . n� M S �1' Ibi.� � �_37D CITY OF SATNT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION RESOLUTION FILE NUMBER 99-t DATE 21 January 1999 WHEREAS, Chapter 73, Heritage Preservation Commission, of the Saint Paul Legislative Code states as one of its purposes to safeguard the heritage of the city of Saint Paul by preserving sites and structures which reflect elements of the city's cultural, social, economic, political, or architectural history; and WIiEREAS, Chapter 73 of the Legislative Code provides for desigpation as Heritage Preservation Sites buildings which reflect such elements and gives the Heritage Preservation Commission the responsibility of recommending to the Ciry Council the designation of Heritage Preservation Sites and programs for the preservation of such sites; and WHEREAS, the August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal building at 448 St. Peter St. is a three-story, limestone, commercial/residential structure constructed in 1858 and the Ciry Hotel buildina at 444 St. Peter St. is a three-story, brick, commercial/residential building constructed in 1888, both buildings being popularly known as the Coney Island buildings; and WHEREA5, the Heritage Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the proposed designation of the August BotzetlMinnesota State Arsenal building and the City Hotel building on 7anuary 21, 1999 pursuant to Sections 73.05(d) and (e) of the Saint Paul Legislative Code, and notice of the public hearing was published in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press and sent to the property owner and owners of property within 100 feet of the property being considered for designation; and WHEREAS, the Heritage Preservation Commission at its January 21, 1499 public hearing made the following findings: 1. Both buildings have historic and architectural significance to the city of Saint Paul. The August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal building (448 St. Peter) is architecturally significant as a rare surviving example of a distinctive early St. Paul building type: the commercia] block of quarry- faced local Platteville limestone. It is the oldest remaining building in downtown and the oldest commercial building in the city. 2. Jointly the rivo buildings are historically significant as markers of the large German-American community in St. Paul and their involvement in the building and hostelry trades in the early decades of the city. 3. The rivo buildings share significance as two of the few nineteenth-century buildings remaining on what has historicaily been one of the city's main commercial thoroughfares. 4. The 448 St. Peter St. building is historically significant for its use as a state azsenai from the final year of the U. S. Civil War, 1865, to 1880. 5. The August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal building and the City Hotel building aze eligible for locai designation as a Heritage Preservation Site under criteria 1 and 4 of Section 73.05(a) of the Legislative Code. HPC 15 of 28 y9 3�a Heritage Preservation Commission Resolution: File �99-1 Pa�e Two 1tOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul Herita�e Preservation Commission £mds the August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal building at 448 St. Peter St. and the Ciry Hotel building at 444 St. Peter St. eligible for designation as a Herita�e Preservation Site �vith the following preservation program: 448 St. Peter St. The August Botzet Buildin�innesota State Arsenal, constructed in 1858, is one of only two buildings with exposed limestone walls remaining in downtown. The most significant alterations to the building have been the additions of a brick facade in 1897 and, later, wood siding on the storefront. The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent �cith the original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabililation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be used in this regard. The follo�ving are particulazly important to consider in any future work on the building: Masonry: Tuckpointing should match the composition, color, and toolin� of the original mortar, to the extent possible. Brick should be cleaned, if necessary, by the gentlest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Storefront: The current storefront detracts from the architectural integrity of the building. If it is replaced, the design and materials of a restored or new storefront should be compatible with either the 1858 vintage of the building or the 1897 facade or both. Any historic materials under the existing siding should be retained if possible. Signage: Any new signage should be compatible with the historic character of the building; this excludes new neon signage. 444 St. Peter St. The City Hote(, constructed in 1888, is a good examgle of the many small storefronUhotel buildings once found in downtown St. Paul. The most significant alterations to building are ttte addition of stucco to the facade and wood siding to the storefront. The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent with the original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be used in this regard. The follo«'ing are particularly important to consider in any future work on the building: Masonry: Tuckpointing should match the composition, color, and toolin� of the original mortar, to the extent possibie. Brick should be cleaned, if necessary, by ihe gentlest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Storefroat: The current storefront detracts from the azchitectural integrity of the building. If it is replaced, the design and materials of a restored or new storefront should be compatible with the original. Any historic materials under the existing siding should be retained if possible. HPC 16 of 28 99 Heritage Preservation Commission Resolution: File #99-1 Page Three Signage: Any new signage should be compatible with the historic character of the buiiding; this excludes new neon signage. BE IT FURTHER TtESOLVED that the Herita�e Preservation Commission now forwards the proposed designation of the August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal building and the City Hotel buitding to the Saint Paul Ptanning Commission for review and comment in accordance with Section 73.05(b) of the Saint Pau1 Legislative Code and to the Minnesota Historical Society for review and comment in accordance with Section 73.05(c) of the Legislative Code. MOVED BY Buetow SECONDED BY Frame IN FAVOR AGAINST ABSTAIN HPC 17 of 28 99-37a CITY OF SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATIOti' COVIMISSION STAFF REPORT FILE ATAME: August Botzet BuiidingMlinnesota State Arsenal and Ciry Hotel Preservation Site Nomination LOCATION: 448 and 444 St. Peter Street DATE OF HEARING: L21.49 LEGAL DESCRIPTTON: Lot 7, Block 11, Bazil and Guerin's Addition to Saint Paul STAFF INVESTIGATION AND REPORT: AATE: 1.15.99 BY: Aaron Rubenstein A. PURPOSE: To consider local designation of the August Sotzet BuildinglMinnesota State Arsenal at 448 St. Peter St. and the City Hotei at 444 St. Peter St. as a heritage preservation site. B. CODE CITATIONS: Section 73.Q5 of the City's Legislative Code, Designation of heritage preservation sites, states: (a) Criteria. In consiclering the designution of nny urea, place, building, structure ar similar object in the City of Saint Pazd as a heritage preservation site; the commission shall apply the following criteria with respect to szrch designation: (IJ Its character, interest or value as part of the development, heritage or czdtural characteristics of the City of Saint Paul, State of Minnesota, or the United States. (2) Its location as a site of a significant historic event. (3) Its identiftcation with a person or persons who significantly contributed to the culture and development of the City of Saint Paul. (4) Its embodiment of disringuishing characteristics of an architectural or engineering rype or specimen. (.i) I1s identification as the work of an architect, engineer, or master builder whose individual work has ir�zrenced the development of the City of Sadnt Pau1. (6) Its embodiment of elements of architectural or engineering design, detail, materials or craftsmanship which represent a sign fcant architectural or engineering innovation. (7) Its unigue location or singular plrysical characteristic representing an established amd familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community or the Crty of Saint Paul. Section 73.05(d), Hearings,states: Prior to the heritage preservation commission recommending to the city cox+nci/ any building, district or object for designation as a heritage preservation site the commission shall hold a public HPC 18 of 28 qy_3�o HPC Staff Report: Nomination of August Botzet Buildin�innesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p. 2 hearing and seek the recommendation of all concerned citi�ens. Prior to such hearing the heritage presenation contmission shall cause to be pzrblished in a newspaper of general circulation notice of said hearing at least twenty (20) days prior to the date of the hearing, and notice of the hearing shall be sent to all owners of property proposed to be designated a heritage preservation site and to a11 owners ofproperty within one hundred (100) feet of the boundary oj the area to be designated a heritage preservation site. Section 73 AS(e), Finding and recommendations, states: The heritage preservation commission shall determine if the proposed heritage preservation site is eligible for designation as determined by the criteria specifted in paragraph (a) of this section, and if the heritage preservation commission recommends to the city coz�ncil that the site be designated as a heritage preservation site, the commission shall transmit to the city council with its recommendation its proposed program for the preservation of the site. C. FINDINGS: Both buildings have historic and architectural significance to the city of Saint Paul. The August BotzeUMinnesota State Arsenal buiiding (448 St. Peter) is architectura]ly significant as a rare surviving example of a distinctive early St. Paul building type: the commercial block of quarry-faced local Platteville limestone. It is the oldest remaining building in downtown and the oldest commercial building in the city. 2. Jointly the hvo buildings are historically significant as markers of the lar�e German-American community in St. Paul and their involvement in the building and hostelry trades in the early decades of the city. The rivo buildings share significance as two of the few nineteenth-century buildings remaining on what has historically been one of the city's main commercial thoroughfares. 4. The 448 St. Peter St. building is historically significant for its use as a state arsenal from the final year of the U. S. Civil War, 1865, to 1880. D. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Based on the above findings, staff recommends that the August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal and the City Hotel be designated as a Heritage Preservation Site with the fol(owin� preservation program: 448 St. Peter St. The August Botzet BuildinglMinnesota State Arsenal, constructed in 1858, is one of only two buildings with exposed limestone walls remaining in downtown. The most signi�cant alterations to the building have been the additions of a brick facade in 1897 and, Iater, wood siding on the storefront. HPC 19 of 28 q HPC Staff Report: Nomination of August Botzet BuildinaJMinnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p. 3 The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent with the original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidetines for Rehabititating Historic Buildings shall be used in this re�ard. The following are particularly important to consider in any future work on the building: Masonry: Tuckpointing should match the composition, color, and tooling of the original mortar, to the extent possible. Brick should be cieaned, if necessary, by the gentlest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Storefront: The current storefront detracts from the architectural integrity of the building. If it is replaced, the design and materials of a restored or new storefront should be compatibie with either the ] 8�8 vintage of the building or the 1897 facade or both. Any historic materials uader the existing siding should be retained if possible. Signage: Any new signage should be compatible with the historic character of the building; this excludes new neon signage. 444 St. Peter St. The Ciry Hotel, constructed in 1888, is a good example of the many small storefronUhotel buildings once found in downtown St. Paul. The most significant alterations to building are the addition of stucco to the facade and wood siding to the storefront. The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent with the original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be used in this regud. The following are particularly important to consider in any future work on the building: Masonry: Tuckpointing should match the composition, cotor, and tooling of the original mortaz, to the extent possible. Brick should be cleaned, if necessary, by the gentlest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Storefront: The current storefront detracts from the architectural integriry of the building. If it is rep3aced, the design and materials of a restored or new storefront should be compatible with the original. Any historic materials under the existing siding should be retained if possible. Signage: Any new signage should be compatible with the historic character of the building; this excludes new neon signage. HPC 20 of 28 y� 370 HERITAGE PRESERVATION STTE NOMINATION SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATION COM�'IISSION 1. Name Historic: August Botzet BuildinglMinnesota State Arsenal (4�8 St. Peter) and City Hotel (444 St. Peter) Common: Coney Island or the Original Coney Island 2. Location Address: 448 and 444 Saint Peter Street Legal Description: I,ot 7, Block 11, Bazil and Guerin's Addition to Saint Paul 3. Present Owner Name: Frances Arvanitis, Loucas Arvanitis, and Hany Arvanitis Address: 444 Saint Peter Street, Saint Paul MN 55 1 02-1 1 07 4. Location Map HPC 21 of 28 August Botzet BuildinJMinnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p2 5. Description Number of contributin� buildin�s on site: 2 Number of noncontributino buildings on site: 0 Sionificantlandscape features: 0 yy-.�D The August Botzet Buildin�/Minnesota State Arsena� and the City Hotel buildins at 448 and 444 St. Peter Street; respectively, are three-story masonry structures with flat roofs and altered ground-floor facades. Unpainted vertical wood sidin� sheathes their street e(evations from side��alk to the second story �vindow si(ls of the 448 St. Peter buitding. Each building has trvo large square windows on either side of a slightly off-center recessed entry. The 444 St. Peter buildin� is the talter of the two and has an additional door near the north end of the fa�ade. The August Botzet BuildinglMinnesota State Arsenal building (448 St. Peter ) is constructed of crudely shaped and coursed ashlars of Platteville limestone. The original limestone walls remain exposed in the rear (east) and north elevations. A red pressed brick and brownstone veneer was applied to the street faqade in 1897. Each of the upper two stories has three evenly-spaced, rectangular, one-over-one double hung windows with brownstone sills and lintels. The fa�ade terminates in a simple corbelled cornice composed of stepped brick and a shallow coping. A story-and-a-half, two-sided, metal-and-neon sion with the legend "LTQUORS" on each face rises above the storefront siding and benveen the first and second window bays. On the north wall the predominantly gray limestone changes to buff near the top of the wall. The first story has four bricked-in openings of various sizes; the second story has one original rectangular, double hung window at the center and a similar but newer window nearer the front; the third story has one original window aligned with that of the second story. The two original windows have two-over-two sash and flat arches of limestone; the newer third window has one-over-one sash. AII have wooden sills. Masonry scars marking the one-time inseRion af roof rafters form a slightly s(oped line beneath the second story windows. They are the only remaining above-ground vestige of a one-story building attached to the north side in 1417. The east or rear elevatiocr has two second-story windows and three third story windows. At least two of these retain early two-over-two sashes. All the windows have thin, buff-colored limestone sills, and those on the second-story windows also have flat arches of limestone. A rectangular one-story concrete-block- and-brick addition juts from the east wall, on top of which rests a small wood shed addition blocking what was probably a third second-story window. The original brick street faFade of the City Hotel building (444 St. Peter) has been veneered with buff= colored stucco. The second story of this building has four evenly spaced, tal( and nanow, one-over-one, double hung windows with cut-stone sills and lintels, each lintel surmounted with a drip cap. A cut-stone belt course runs across the facade just below the lintels, and two small stone consoles are located just below the band on either side of the two middle windows. Perched on the two middle linteis is a shallow sheet metal pediment crowned with an anthemion. A two-sided metal-and-neon sign reading "ORIGINAL CONEY ISLAND." runs from the top center of the storefront siding to the base of this pediment. On the third story, the two center window openings have semicircular arches, while the two outer windows have shallow, segmental azches; all have limestone sills matching those on the second HPC 22 of 28 August Botzet Buildina i innesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p3 � y-3�o story. The windo�v heads of all but the southemmost ccindow openin� have been dropped and the ty'mpana paneled over «ith wood. A small stone patera is centered above the two middle windows. The buildin� is topped by a bracketed sheet metal comice, the center portion of which project; sli�htly beyond the rest, and a shallow parapet. The City Hotel's limestone foundation and ori�inal red brick remain exposed on other elevations. All three brick elevations show evidence of efflorescence and spalling. Some of the «orst areas of the south side were once parged, but only fragments of stucco remain. Six window openings appear on the first floor of the south side; the other two floors have five. The �round-floor windows have limestone sitls, while those above rest on thin brick belt courses that articulate the stories. All the «indows on the south elevation have stone sills and se�nental rowlock arches with brick keystones. The noRh wall is visibte only where it rises above the attached buildin� at 448 St. Peter; it has no openings. The rear elevation has a tall, narrow window and a transomed door on the north end of each of the upper stories; the first story has only a door and a low, bricked-in opening. Ail existing openings have segmental arches. One early two-over-two window remains in the rear; all the others are one-over- one. A wood stairway leads to a wood deck at the rear of the second story, and this in tum canies to a metal stainvay up to an identical third-story wood deck. Both decks are surrounded on three sides with pipe railings. The interior spaces and furnishings of the two buildin�s contain a significant number of early elements. The ground floor of 448, which underwent numerous remodelings during its first eiohty years, retains its art deco bar of the World War II era. While there have also been some alterations to the 1858 floor plan on the upper stories of 448, many oFthe origina] interior features remain intact, including staircases, ne�vel posts, doors, window and door trim, and door hardware. The City Hotel also retains many original details, particularly in the upper floors. To the north and east of the A44 and 448 St. Peter St. buildings are a driveway and surface parking lot used by the Children's Museum. To the south is the stagehouse of the New Palace-Orpheum Theater. The two subject buildings appear to be in reasonably good condition. The exteriors may need some maintenance but the structures and walls appear to be sound. They may be threatened with demolition to make way for a new St. Paul Companies office building. HPC 23 of 28 Ausust Botzet Buildin�/Minnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p.d 6. Significance Areas of SianiFcance: history, architecture Period ofSignificance: 18�8-1897 9y' Thoueh their front e3evations have been altered, the Au�ust Botzet Buildine /ivlinnesota State Arsenal and the City Hotel retain a hi�h degree of significance. The buildine at 448 St. Peter was constructed in 1858 as a store and flats. It is the oldest esistin� commercial buildin� in the city. It is also architecrurally si�ni5cant as a rare surviving examQle of a distinctive early St. Paul buildin� type: the commercial block of quarry-faced local Platteville limestone. Finally, it is historically si�nificant for its prolonged use as the state arsenat during and afrer the Civil War. The buildine at 444 �vas built in 1888 as a hotel and saloon. Jointly the two bui]din�s are historically si�nificant as markers of the large German- American communiry in St. Paul and their involvement in ffie building and hostelry trades in the eazly decades of the city. In addition, they share significance as t�vo of the few nineteenth-century buildings remaining on what has historically been one of the city's main commercial thoroughfares. Even today, St. Peter Street remains the northem gateway to the ciry's downtown. The alterations to their facades clearly degrade their architectural integrity but do not measurably diminish their historic significance. 4�8 St. Peter St. The Au�ust Botzet BuildinglMinnesota State Arsenal was constructed by stone mason August Botzet durin� the summer and fall of 1858. He bought the property for $300 i� 1854, the year in which the City of Saint Paul was incorporated, and constructed the building four years later in 1858, the same year in which Minnesota became a state. Botzet and his wife, Maria Lies Botzet, lived in the upper hvo stories, and the first story probably housed one of St. Peter Street's saloons or groceries. The Botzets were members of nearby Assumption Church and they had five children, the youngest of whom married prominent St. Paul (and German-American) architect Hermann Kretz. In 1865 Botzet rented the building to the State of Minnesota for use as the state arsenal. As soldiers returned home from the Civil War, the arsenal warehoused "prizes of war" as well as weaponry. Munitions used by the state militia were stored in the building, flags and other war trophies were eachibited, and parades often commenced or terminated at its door. Botzet sold the buiiding in 1868 to Lorentz Remetter, who continued to rent it out as the state arsenal until 1880. In that year Carl Hildebrand opened a boarding house and saloon, returning the building to a semblance of its original use. The 1880 federal census lists 14 of its 20 residents as German-born, with such occupations as tailor, laborer, hired help, carpenter, shoemaker, stone mason, locksmith, aod printer, The building was known as the Vater Rhein Hotel from 1882 to 1896. Remetter took over its operation from Hildebrand azound 1895, but died the year afrer. His widow, Emma Remetter, continued to own the building until 1913; but its management passed to others. It became known as the Standard Hotel in 1896, and the following year Matthias Ross, the executor of Remetter's estate, added a brick fa�ade. From 1898 to 1917 the building was called the Market Hotel in reference to the city market around the comer on Seventh Street. By 1929 it was known as the Arcade Hotel. The properties at 444, 448 and 450 St. Peter Street were purchased in 1914 by George Benz and Son, a real estate developer that bought the burned over Market Hall site in 1916 in order to construct the New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel. In 1417, Benz erected a one story storefront building at 450 St. Peter and a one story garage building behind all three buildings at 444-50; these structures have all been razed. HPC 24 of 28 y9-37a August Botzet Building/Minnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p.5 The Arvanitis era at 444-48 St. Peter began in 1923 when brothers Nicholas and Gu>t opened a barber shop in the buildin� at 448 and lived upstairs. Nicholas Arvanitis opened a cafe on the sround floor of 4�0, the Ori�inal Coney Island, in 1923 or soon thereafter. In the ]ate 1930s or earl} 1940s Nicholas bou�ht the buildine at 448 alon� with the adjacent City Hotel. The Ori�inal Cone} Island cafe soon moved to 444, and a doonvay was cut through to an adjoinino bar at 448. Nicholas Arvanitis and his �vife Frances operated the Coney Island bar and restau�ant for five decades, Nicholas d}•in� in 1463 and his wife and children continuing the business until 1994, when she became ill. 444 St. Peter St. The adjacent City Hotel bui(ding at 444 St. Peter Street was designed by loca] architects Moritz Weiser and John F. Fisher and built at a cost of $10,000. The building permit was issued on April 12, 1888 and construction was comp{eted on August 1, 1888. lgnatius Will owned tfie building, as he had the wood frame hotel and saloon that preceded it. Fisher, who had come up through the ranks of carpentry and contracting, was just establishing a career that would establish specialties in small- to mid-scale commercial and instimtional building. From the outset the brick building at 444 served as a hotel and saloon, with Gebhard Eck the first proprietor. By 1895 it had acquired the name City Hotel, which lasted throu�h 19] 0. In 19ll it began a short life as the Charleston Hotel, but the old name came back in 1914 before givine way to Rossi Brothers Saloon and Boarding House in 1915. The building is listed as the Arcade Hotel from 1926 to 1932. The first story of the building went throuah a succession of uses after it ceased to be a saloon around the turn of the century. ]n 1905, it housed a cafe run by the City Hotel. Later occupants included a clothier (c. 1915), the White Bear Buffet (tate 1910s), and a sofr drink dispensary (1921). A tailor, Samuel Hoffman, opened shop in 1923 and occupied the first story until at least 1930 under the slogans "Hoffman Gothes of Distinction" and "The Talk of the Town." Sipnificance Both the August Botzet Building/Minnesota State Arsenal and the City Hotel building are significant for their association with the German-American community in St. Paul. The first concentration of German residenis was in the downtown area around Assumption Church, which was sometimes referred to as the German Cathedral. A half block to the nor[hwest of the two buitdin�s, the church of 1869-74 weazs the same craggy native limestone as the building at 448. The original owners and most of the nineteenth and early twentieth century residents of both buildings were German Americans. When the hotets were at their heyday, Germans were the largest group of foreign-born residents in St. Paul. Both buildings are also significant as examples of small commerciaUresidential buildings from the second half of the nineteenth century in this part of downtown Saint Paul. St. Peter Street and those intersecting it were once full of such small buildings providing food and drink on the ground floor and short and long term housing to immigrants and tradesmen on the upper floors. The August Botzet Building/Minnesota State Arsenal and the City Hotet are two of the three remaining buildings of this age and type west of Robert, the area of downtown that historically constituted its commercial core. The few other pre-1880 buildings which remain in the downtown azea, besides the building at 448 St. Feter Street, are a c.1860 limestone building at 252 E. Seventh (which also received a brick veneer in the 1880's), Assumption School (1864) and Chutch, and the First Baptist Church (1874). HPC 25 of 28 Au�ust Botzet Buildin�/Minnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p.6 q�' a The Au�ust Botzet Building/Minnesota State Arsenal is particularly significant for a number of reasons: 1. It is the oldest commercial buildin� in St. Paul. 2. It is the oldest structure in downtown St. Paul. 3. It is the o(dest limestone structure in St. Paul and Minneapolis. 4. Its upper two floors contain the best-preserved antebellum interiors in the Twin Cities. S. It is the only known remaining state arsenal buildin�, having served in that capacity from 18b5 to 1880. 7. References Richter, Bonnie, ed. St. Paul Omnibus: Images o} the Changing City. St. Paul: Old Town Restorations, 1474. Saylor, Henry H. Dictionary ofArchitecture. Ne�v York: John Wiley and Sons, 1952. Sazevich, 3ames. Interview on January 13, 1999. St. Paul historian Jim Sazevich generously provided much of the information regazding the history of the two buildings, basing his findings on city directories, atlases, city and county records, newspaper accounts, and interviews with the Arvanitis family and others. I am grateful for his assistance. I am indebted to architectural historian Pau! Lazson for a careful reading of the nomination and many he(pfu( suggestions and additions. 8. Form prepared by: Aaron Rubenstein, Heritage Preservation Planner I S January 1999 APC 26 of 28 q9.3�o �r. P�rstz S� . HPC 27 of 28 �� - 99�3�° �-� -_' �� - �--- - - � �� RE��- �� i: � . — ,a � �- >�, . �_ � � _ — �. . i £ y -�:;�.�a __ — — -J - .� � � 's :'� • �->: ,,.�`��.`.T �, `t ' — -.-- _. . — i a., ��•� r �. '`+ ��.a:a _� � ..�`Tyi y'� ` 3 � .� 9u ' ,_ "'��: - -" _ ' � =.>,r c3" �I _-- _ �–�`. :.� � � . � —� • � _ " 1 � ;_,�; �� - , �„ ,�_ . I��-� ,� j ( .j �i ;: -,. ° �i� r _1 ` �Y :Q .._ ; - x=�- .� , ��: � � : - z `- •� � � � ' � ,a.?'� � f e ■. , a'�.� . �� __°.-�-�.� � �`•' �� S�r. PtTE�, S-r . xrc zs of 2s ��/ �� HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION CITY OF SAINT PAUL MINUTES: Meeting of 21 January 1999 5:00 p.m. Room 40, Saint Paui City Aall Commissioners Present: Buetow, Frame, Hargens, Heide, Murphy, Paulson, Skrief, Trent Commissioners Absent: Benton, Larson LIEP Staff Present: Lobejko, Rubenstein I. ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Heide started the meeting at 5:10 p.m. He asked Vice Chair Skrief to provide, prior to approval of the agenda, some background on the Orpheum block nominations issue. Commissioner Skrief described the commission's involvement with the issue beginning in September, 1998. He stated the commission invited representatives from the Saint Paul PoR Authority, the Planning and Economic Development Department (PED), the St. Paul Companies, and the Arvanitis famity to the October 8, 1998 commission meeting to discuss the St. Paul Companies' proposed new buildin�. All but the St. Paul Companies attended, he said. The commission sought information to begin a discussion about possible responses to that information, Skrief said. He stated that he said at that meeting that the commission is charged by ordinance to advise the City on matters regarding historic preservation, that the commission takes that charge seriously, and that historic preservation is cited as a Ciry goal not only in the ordinance establishing the commission but also in virtually every planning document the CiTy produces. Skrief co�tinued to review the October 8, 1998 meeting, at which PED said that it took no position regarding commission action and that it had no opinion about designation of the properties, said Skrief. Skrief then said that the commission asked its staff to prepare a preliminary report regazding the historic significance of the subject properties, which report was reviewed at the foilowing HPC meeting on October 22. At the October 22 meeting, the commission decided to proceed with the nomination process, said Skrief, based on three reports: 1) the 1983 survey sponsored by the City and Ramsey County Historical Society, which identified the Orpheum and St. Francis as historically significant; 2) a 1991 letter from the HPC to PED sayinL the Coney Island buildings were "`clearly eligible for designation as heritage preservation sites. Their continued preservation should be among the highest priorities in any plans for the area" ; and 3) the Saint Paul on the �Llississippi Development Framework which describes the Seventh Place Residence and Orpheum Theater as historically important and, on p. 92, calls for their rehabilitation. II. APPROVAL OF TF� AGENDA Chair Heide informed commission members that, shortly before this meeting, the Mayor's Office made a request to the commission to delay making a decision regazding nomination and entertain a request from the St. Paul Companies for continued discussion regarding design consideration for development of the site. Buetow stated there was no reason why a discussion HPC Minutes of Meeting O1/21/99 — 1 of 9 9y.3 HPC Minutes of 21 January ] 999, p. 2 between the various parties involved conld not be held aRer the buildings are designated. Commissioner Buetow moved approval of the agenda; Commissioner Hargens seconded. Motion approved (7 - 0). Chair Heide said he would like to hear first from the St. Paul Companies, then discuss layover, and then possibly proceed with the public hearing. III. PRESENTATION BY KAREN HIMLE AND KEN Karen Himle, representing the St. Paul Companies, said the opportunity to come to the HPC tonight presents a unique opportunity to work together in the best spirit of community. What we are requesting, she said, is development of a process that demonstrates respect for St. Paul's historic past while paving way for a bright future, a process that proves that preservation and progress are not mutually exclusive. Himle stated that the company's workforce had expanded beyond existing company buildings and continues to grow. She said the process they propose is new only to St. Paul but has been used successfully elsewhere. Ken Greenberg, primary author of the St. Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework, mentioned a number of development objectives for downtown and said that they are not mutually exclusive objectives--they cannot be dealt with in isolation. One seeks to optimize a number of different objectives at the same time, he stated. Greenberg said that a growing St. Paul Companies can play a stimulating role in animating the streets of downtown and (ink with existing downtown assets. He suggested expioring techniques and solutions to accommodate growth and change in historic areas--a two to three month process involving representatives of the HPC, the St. Paul Companies, and their architects in a series of steps. A first meeting would examine objectives and expectations, the historic significance of the structures, deve]opment objectives and coniext. At a second session, he continued, architects would bring back a vaziety of conceptual approaches, followed by a second iteration if necessary. The next step would be a public presentation, foilowed by recommendations to the HPC, the St. Paul Companies, and City a�encies. Commissioner Buetow asked how this process wauld be different from those already prescribed. He added that this group could meet to discuss design options afrer the commission nominates the buildings, if it chooses to do so. Mr. Greenberg responded by saying that the proposed process would permit exploration of issues and opportunities in a non-adversarial manner, allowing creative opportunities to emerge. IV. DISCUSSION OF LAYOVER OF NOMINATIONS Mayor Coleman emphasi2ed the importance of having the conversation before the action of govemment. He said that the St. Paul Companies' proposition is a simple one and a fuller discussion is needed before the "wheels of govemmenY' begin to move. The Mayor stressed the City's commitment to the Framework to guide development and said the proposed St. Paul Companies building is a wonderful development opportunity for downtown. He noted that HPC Minutes of Meeting Ol/21/99 — 2 of 9 9 9.3?� HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. 3 St. Paul Companies, the city's largest, oldest, most benevolent employer, proposes to build a new office tower, without a penny of Ciry money, for 3,000 new employees over 10 years and possibly 6,000 over 20 years. Coleman added that the project would not move farward without resolving housing concems. Commissioners Skrief and Frame asked Ms. Himle if the St. Paul Companies had an opinion about the nomination forms. Himle responded that the St. Paul Companies is a� insurance company, has no expertise in this matter, and therefore has no opinion with regard to historic preservation. Commissioner Murphy asked if the buildings would be demolished if the commission voted to delay nominating the buildings. Himle said they would not. Commissioner Hargens stated that the commission is probably a bit "gun shy" about this project because the Salvation Army headquarters building was demolished recently by a good St. Paul corporate citizen. Hargens also said that designation is only recognition of historic significance and does not necessarily imply that the buildings cannot 6e altered. Chair Heide asked commissioners if they wanted to decide now on the St. Paul Companies' request, wait until after the pubtic hearing, or not act at all. Commissioners Frame and Buetow stated they wished to hear from the public. Deputy Mayor Susan Kimberly said she had asked the commission to hear from the St. Paul Companies, conduct the public hearing, and not take action tonight on the nominations for two reasons: to engage in a process before setting the wheels of govemment in motion and to address some procedural problems. Robert Kessler, LIEP Director, stated ihat since this is the first time the commission has proceeded with a nomination with LIEP as staff support, this is a new area for LIEP. Kessler questioned whether or not staff reports and recommendations should be given in cases such as these. Time is needed to determine the appropriate process, he said. Commissioner Paulson moved to open the public hearing portion oS the meeting; Buetow seconded. Motion approved (8 - 0). V. PUBLIC HEARING A. Slides Mr. Rubenstein presented slides of the subject buildings. B. Testimony from Property Owners Mary Ellen Arvanitis said that her family's properry and buildings are not for sale and that she is most appreciative of the commission's efforts to help protect the'u buildings. Louie Arvanitis said "I want our buildings designated, and I have always wanted it that way, but iYs a shame that I have to have it designated in order to protect it." We've been here 75 yeazs, he added. Mr. Arvanitis stated that they aze in the process of restoring the enrire buildings, including the facades; that their mother has been ill and requires constant, 24 hour, care; that they pay roughly $50,000 annually to maintain the buildings; that the St. Paul Companies has property or could HPC Minutes of O1J21/99 - 3 of 9 qy-3? a HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. 4 build to the north; that they are going to reopen; that the St. Paul Companies never talked to his family about selling their property until this week; and that they aze seekin� to have the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places with the help of historian Jim Sazevich. Bill Morin, Director of Real Estate for the Port Authority, said that he presented to the HPC last October the reasons the Port Authoriry is opposed to desia ation, that the Port still takes that position, and that he recommends the process proposed by the St. Pau] Companies. C. Public Testimony Tom Mischke, 789 I�I. A(beR St., said that if the Coney Island buildings are not worthy of designation he doesn't know what is; that they are spending $4 million to move the Shubert Theater in Minneapolis--a city not known for cazing a6out historic buitdings; that the St. Paul Companies can build elsewhere in downtown; that nothing the commission does wi(( matter if the "powers that be" want these buildings down; and that visitors to Saint Paul do not visit insurance company buildings but historic buildings. Paul Gold, 172 E. Sixth St. and former resident historian of the Seventh Place Residence, said he had prepared a history of the building, including the cover story of the winter `97 issue of the Ramsey County Historical Sociery publication. He listed importa�t vaudeville groups and performers who stayed at the St. Francis--Charlie Chapiin, W. C. Fields, Jack Benny, George Burns and Gracie Alten, John and Ethel Barrymore, and Harry Houdini--and big bands including Tommy and 3immy Dorsey, Guy Lombardo, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Paul Whiteman, as well as sports legends--particularly boxers. He stated that ail the great and near-great performers of stage, screen, and sport at one time stayed at the St. Francis Hotel. The building merits designation, he said. Dwayne Radel, V ice President for Law for Minnesota Life, 400 N. Robert St., said that Minnesota Life strongly supports the St. Paul Companies's request, that it is important to preserve history and prospects for a bright future, and that we don't have to choose between history and progress. Rick A�uilar, 602 Smith Av. and Chair-Elect of the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, said we want downtown St. Paul to thrive and be an exciting piace, that it's important to have dialogue and discussion before govemment acts, and that solutions can be found. Brian Leo, Richfieid, said this is an adversarial situation and he explored the meanings of adverse. He urged preservation of the Coney Island buitdings. Sue Kosmalski, 1509 23rd Av. NW, St. Paul, said she is passionate about the Orpheum, one of the last historic structures left in St. Paul. She said a significant number of technical and azchitectural details oFthe building remain from early vaudeville days and she encouraged their documentation. She added that she hopes the Orpheum and St. Francis can be preserved and asked that representatives of the pub]ic be allowed to participate if the process goes forward. HPC Minutes of O1/21/99 — 4 of 9 yg 37a HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. 5 James Crowther, 7�7 E. Sixth St., an architectural historian, referred to a reuse study that found the theater difFcult to reuse but said it's important to save the Coney, the St. Francis Hotel, and at least the facade of the building to maintain the historic streetscape of downtown. Dick Anfang, Executive Secretary of the St. Paul Building Trades Council and a member of the boards of the Riverfront Corporation and the Historic St. Paul Foundation, said that there is an opportunity to divide further the community or to seek a win-win situation. He added that this is a tremendous opportunity to have the Design Center bring people together to find a compromise. Victor Gomez, community liaison for Landmark Personnel at 1414 White Bear Av., said that he was sad ihat so many people are angry at such a good corporate citizen as the St. Paut Companies, that it's important to be fair and even-handed, and that "people do not eat bricks; people need jobs." Chua Yang, 886 Cook Av. E., said that Hmong people understand and appreciate history but also understand chan�e and the necessity for progress. He said the commission is in a difficult position--balancing history and progress--and encouraged listening to St. Paul Companies and their process. Perhaps agreement can be reached, he concluded. Larry Dow, 332 Minnesota St., with the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, asked the commission to not proceed with designation at this time. He said Greenberg's proposal is very reasonable. LeYs try to find a solution to respect the past and promote the future, he added. Dow said he understands and respects that the commission's mission may not include issues of job creation and income but some take this issue very seriously. We can't ignore the possibility of 2,000 new jobs and a$50-100 mitlion investment without a dime of any public subsidy or support, he stated. Dow said that Tom Kingston, an executive committee member and Wilder Foundation President, told him "Make sure we do everything we possibly can do to ensure that the St. Paul Companies project moves forward because iY s in the best interest of all citizens of this community" and we witl deal with the issues of housing and appropriate preservation. Dow urged finding a win-win solution. Brett Smith, Minneapolis, former owner of Scottie's on Seventh, said he was involved in saving the State Theater in Minneapolis in 1985 and had a vision as early as 1975 that if you build and restore theaters the people wiil come. The most significant thing happening in Minneapolis to bring peopte in from the suburbs are its theaters--they don't come to see glass buildings, he continued. People had lots of excuses and reasons and studies why the Orpheum and State theaters wouldn't work and they've been proved wrong, said he. The State is one of the best examples of integrating preservation and development--in fact David Frauenshuh, the LaSalle Place developer, said the project is much better with the theater included, Smith stated. Minneapolis is going to tremendous effort and expense to move the Shubert Theater because tha developer said a hotei had to be located at that comer; the developer ]ater changed its mind. People have slways said about historic buildings that they can't incorporate them, it costs too much, nobody will come--don't believe them. The St. Paul Companies have made widely recognized contributions to the community, Smith HPC Minutes of Meeting O1/21J99 -� of 9 q9_ HPC Minutesof2l January ]999, p. 6 continued, but it's very inappropriate to try to leverage their good will at a hearing on the merits of these historic strucrures. What they have put forward is irrelevant to the historic significance of the buildings. Smith added that he sees nothing site-specific about the St. Paul Companies' project that calls for it to be located at this site. He conduded by saying it is the HPC's responsibility to recommend based on criteria and not to be co-opted by a last minute proposal. Jim Sazevich, 454 N. Smith, said he helped to organize the HPC and he criticized the City and St. Paul Companies for trying to politically influence and take over a commissioa IYs an insult to the public and its rights, he said. The public is here to watch, guard, and shepherd the HPC, he added. He further criticized the City for questioning the HPC and its processes. Sazevich stated that those buildings belonp to us, the people. Richard Wolfgramm, an architect practicing at 336 N. Robert St., said that architecture can provide a solution in situations like this one; that he endorses the St. Paul Companies' process; that architecture and history are additive processes; and that architects are trained to find solutions. He urged the commission to look at, scrutinize, and evaluate solutions that will come before it. Mary Helen Inskeep, 9 W. Seventh Pl., said the focus here shou(d be on the historic significance ofthe buildings and not on political considerations. She said the Orpheum and St. Francis Hotel are beautiful and historic and form an important streetscape with the I-Tamm Building. She then reviewed the historic significance of the Coney Island buildings from the staff report--oldest building in downtown, limestone construction, used as state arsenal during and afrer the Civil War, and markers of the German American community in St. Paul. Annette Blazek, 9 W. Seventh PI., said that she did not understand why the City and St. Paul Companies aze opposed to public discussion and that consideration of the historic significance of the buildings is just the beginning and not the end of the process. She also said that she believes the Seventh Place buildings aze historically significant and that the Framework calls for preserving and renovating buildings for housing for an expanded ra�ge of incomes. George Edwards, Executive Director of the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota (PAM), said that, on behalf of PAM members, he endorses the nominations and believes that the buildings do have significant merit. He said that these buildings are representative of broader issues--the loss of fabric, history and place that define our communities, and that these buildin�s represent an opportunity to preserve the history, texture, and pedestrian feel of this community as well as opportunities for downtown housing, small retail, and a number of uses in these buildings. Edwards encouraged the commission and the City to look carefully at ways to preserve and recycle these buildings. He added that there appear to be other site optio�s, and development will stimulate additional redevelopment of historic buildings--that would be win-win. Rehabilitation, many studies demonstrate, generates more jobs than new construction, enriches the tax base, brings people to central cities, provides housing and incubation of small businesses, and creates pedestrian traf�ic that makes downtown vital and successful, he said. He concluded saying that there is room for compromise but it should be to examine other sites and preserve and recycte these buildings for the success of downtown St. Paul. HPC Minutes of Meeting Ol/21/99 — 6 of 9 9 ��a� HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. � Ed Groves {Gross?} said these bui{dings are historic. He spoke dramatically about his love for the Orpheum and about performances he had seen there during the theater's ear]y years. Let's preserve these buildings, examine your consciences and don't be misled, and let the people also vote on this, he said. Don Ludeman, 1504 Selby Av., encouraged the commission to move swiftly with the nominations, which have merit. He said it seems the process proposed by the St. Paul Companies and Mr. Greenberg should have been presented earlier or perhaps following designation. He said that it is the commission's responsibility, representino the citizens, to move fonvard with the designations and that he is disturbed that the Mayor's Office has cast this in an adversarial light. A vote to nominate is not a vote against the St. Paul Companies, he concluded. Doug Lamb, 435 N. Wabasha St., said thai everyday we hear customers saying there is no history left in downtown, that what happens in five years when the new building is full?, and that he supports the desionations. Patrick Loonen, Development Director for the Capital Ciry Partnership, said that many St. Paul Companies employees are St. Paul residenu and therefore this situation is not one of citizens vs. a large corporatio�; that the building is owned by the Port and not by the public or the people; that for the first time we have a good buyer who is interested in developing the site; that the next purchaser could be a slum (andlord; that we need to look at the whole situation and the development capacity of this building; and that we need to look at the balance of things, including preservation and development. He encouraged choosing the St. Paul Companies' process. Councilmember Chris Coleman said he would not speak to whether the commission should nominate these sites but only to the issue of whether the commission should make a decision tonight. It is clear, he said, you've got to move forward tonight. He said that from the beginning he has requested the kind of public process proposed here tonight, that without power you have no place at the table, and that without designation you have no say or place at the table. The St. Paul Companies, if they wish to participate in a discussion, will do so whether or not these buildin�s are designated, he concluded. Deborah Curtis Smith, Minneapolis, said it takes the HPC to stand up to city government--you have to push forward this designatio�. Tom Peterson, 9 W. Seventh Pl., said that there has been no effort on the part of the Port Authority, the Mayor's Office, and the St. Paul Companies to have a public discussion; that this has happened only because of the Community Stabilization Project, the HPC, and Chris Coleman; and that this last minute proposal is political shenanigans. Heating no further testimony, Chair Heide closed the public hearing. HPC Minutes of Meeting O1/21/99 - 7 of 9 �^� �� J HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. 8 VI. DISCUSSION Mr. Rubenstein explained the nomination process and clarified that the St. Paul Companies had first relayed their process proposal to the Commission two weeks prior. Rubenstein also stated that it was the City Attomey's opinion that the commission could layover this matter if it so desired and enga�e in an alternative process with the St. Paul Companies but that would be a separate issue or question from historic significa�ce and designation. Chair Heide said there aze two issues before the commission: I) a request from the St. Paul Companies to layover the nominations and to engage in a process with them to try to find a design solution and 2) whether the commission should proceed with the nominations. He asked for discussion first about the St. Paul Companies' request. Commissioner Murphy said that he is in favor of designating these structures but, in the interest of all parties having the opportunity to be heard and that this commission arrive at the best possible decision, he suggested entertaining the St. Paul Companies proposal with the codicil that the buildings absolutely not be demolished during that time and that the commission be given access to their full rational for what they want to do, and he so moved. The motion died for iack of a secoad. Commissioner Buetow said that he is stili not convinced that the process will lack creativity, innovation or conciliation if we have already nominated or designated; that he believes in the value of the HPC's public process; that we engage in this process, trying to find where history and preservation fit within the development of downtown St. Paul; and that the HPC is charged to look through the lens of preservation and we nominate with an eye toward that end. The Ciry Council, he continued, an elected body, can then make those political decisions which aze broader, which are economic, which have to do with housing, which have a greater range than our expertise and responsibility. Commissioner Skrief agreed that the two issues before the commission, nominations and the St. Paul Companies process, are not necessazity mutually exc]usive. Commissioner Buetow moved to nominate the August Botzet Bnilding ! Minnesota State Arsenat and the City Hotel as heritage preservation sites. Commissioner Frame seconded the motion. Frame said the commission heard during the public hearing support for the historic significance of the buildings and heard nothing refuting their significance. Motion approved unanimously (8 - 0). Commissioner Frame moved to nominate the Orpheum Theater f Seventh Place Residence as a heritage preservation site. Commissioner Paulson seconded the motion. Motion approved unanimously (8 - 0). Commissioners Sivief and Murphy recommended that Chair Heide appoint a committee to discuss with St. Pau] Companies and others the form and details of a process and report back to HPC Minutes of Meeting O1/21/99 — 8 of 9 y�-3�a HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. 9 the commission. Commissioners Murphy, Haz�ens and Buetow agreed to serve on this committee. VII. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m. Submitted by: l�.`�VL' i`:. 1 1,.{.l.V`(. W�ti � Aaron Rubenstein Preservation Planner Approved by: G � Dudley Yo nkin HPC Secretary ' HPC Minutes of Meeting O1/21/99 — 9 of 9 9y•3za HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSTON CITY OF SA1NT PAUL MINUTES: Meeting of 22 October 1998 5:00 p.m. Commissioners Present: Commissioners Absent: Room 40 Saint Paul City Hall Baker, Benton, Frame, Hargens, Heide, Murphy, Paulson, Skrief, Trent Buetow, Larson City Staff Present: Lobejko, Rubenstein--LIEP I. Chair Skrief opened the meeting by congratulating Commissioner Murphy for bein� recenfly elected president of the Minnesota Historical Society. II. III. IV Benton made a motion to approve the agenda; Murphy seconded the motion. Motion was approved 8- 0. Hargens made a motion to approve the minutes from the September 24,1998 meeting; Baker seconded. Motion was approved 9- 0. BUSINESS A. Consider staff renort reQazdine Orpheum block buildings. Chair Skrief reviewed the historic designation nomination process for members of the audience and made a strong statement about the cunent situation. Fred Kueppers, attorney for the Arvanitis family, stated the Arvantis family prefers that their property not be designated because it is already subject to govemment regulation regarding zoning, building, food and alcohol and designation would be another layer of regulation. Frame stated the importance for people to understand that the HPC is at the beginning of the process of designation. Frame moved for the HPC to begin the designation process with all due haste; Benton seconded the motion based on the downtorvn development framework and the HPC's charge. Louie Arvantis stated that designation should not be needed in order to save his family's property. Pam Wheelock, Director of PED, stated that the City has no position about designation but may have a position about the need for redevelopment. The motion was approved 9- 0. Hargens moved that Chair Skrief appoint a task force composed of commission members to work with PED, the Port Authority and other relevant parties in order for the HPC to be part of the process; Baker seconded the motion. The motion _ passed on a vote of 9- 0. HPC Minutes of Meeting 1OJ22/98 - 1 of 1 �Jy_32a 1II\\F,SOT:1 H[�TORTC�IL SOCIETI 9 February 1999 David Heide, Chair Saint Paul Heritage Preservarion Commission David Heide Design 400 S. A`� St. #710 Mumeapolis, MN 55415 Dear Mr. Heide, RE: Local designation of: c^ �_ 0 :� • New Palace Theatze/St. Francis Hotel, 1-33 W. 7'� Pl., 435-437 N. VJabasha St., MFiS Referral File No. 99-1476 • August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal Building and City Hotel, 448 and 444 St. Peter St., MHS Referral File No. 99-1477 Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the above referenced designations. They have been reviewed pursuant to Minnesota Statutes s471.193. subd. 6, and Section 73.05(b) of the Saint Paul Legislaiive Code. The New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel is architecturally significant as a good example of a Beaux Arts sryle commercial building and as an important work of the Saint Paul architectural firm of Buechner and Orth. The New Palace/St. Francis has cultural significance as one of only two remaining large scale vaudeville/movie theaters in downtown from the eazly twentieth century and as a remnant of ihe lively ente:iai.-i.�ea: disLrict Lhat er.ce ceatezed oa Seventh ar.d �Jabasha s*see?s. Finally, this b»ildin� gairs historical significance as a representative example of an eariy mixed-use building combuung hotel, theater and retail spaces along what was once one of downtown Saint Paui's primary commercial nodes. The New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel is a good candidate for local designation under criteria 1, 4 and 5 of Section 73.05(a) of the Saint Paui Legislative Code. The August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal Building is architecturally significant as a raze survivor of a quarry-faced Platteville lunestone cammercial building. Constructed in 1858, it gains historical significance as the oldest remaining building in downtown St. Paul, the oldest commercial building in the city, and for its use as a state arsenal from 1865 to 18&0. The City Hotel Building, constructed in 1888, is historically significant for its association with tfie lazge German-American eommunity in St. Paul, whose members were historically involved in the building and hostelry trades, and as one of the few small scale, nineteenth-cenriuy commercial buildings extant in downtown St. Paul. The August Botzed Minnesota State Arsenal Building and the City Hotel Building are eligibie for local designation under criteria 1 and 4 of Section 73,05(a} of the Legislative Code. 3.43hELLUCGBOI'LF�',\RD��EtlI'/y:\I\'P ['.\CC.1'�I:V�F:SU'R\.iilU_^-l9UG/"(�ELF.PIlOtYE:61_'- MISC 1 ..F 9 . , ,� Mr. David Heide/Page 2 If you have any questions regarding our assessment of these properties, please contact this office. Sincerely, �jt.�aC-c' � �--�. � U Britta L. BIoomberg Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer cc: Aaron Rubenstein, Heritage Preservation Planner, City of Saint Paul MHS 2 of 2 � ooun�� File � 9`t- 3'iU o��NA� Presented By Referred To � 2 3 4 s 6 � & 9 io ii 12 13 14 is 16 i� is 19 20 creen sheet # �y8�g 3 RESOLUTION CITY OF SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA �O � Date V �� i RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE PLANNING CONINII3SION RECOMIVIENDATTON NOT TO DESIGNATE THE SEVENTH PLACE PROPERTIES AS HERTTAGE PRESERVATION STTES s F WHEREAS, the New Palace Theater/St. Francis�otel, commonly refened to as the Orpheum Theater/Seventh Place Residence 1-33 West 7th P1ac�e, 534-37 Wabasha Street properties, collectively known as the Seventh Place properties�,� were nominated for designation as heritage preservation sites by the Heritage Preservation Crorrunission; and WHEREAS, the Saint Paul ] that preservation of these building; very significant contribution to Co� the surrounding area and that desi€ the Saint Paul Comphrensive Plan substantial negative impact on the'� ning,Commission (hereinafter Planning Commission) resolved �ulc�'be a major obstacle to redevelopment that would make a eYiensive Plan objectives and haue a highly positive impact on ion of the structures would not serve a purpose consistent with may serve to continue the present situation which has a sunounding area; and WHEREAS, the Plan�ing Commission resolved that the proposed designations to be inconsistent with the Com . ensive Plan and recommended against designation; and 37 p�` 3a NOW, THERE�ORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the heritage preservation designation 39 nominations by the �eritage Preservation Commission for the Seventh Place properties contained in ao File Number 99-2 �Tre not adopted by the Saint Paul City Council; and Page 1 of 2 ORfGINAL q9 - 3�7a 4i BE TT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Planning Commission findings ' t heritage a2 designations for the Seventh Place properties contained in Planning Commis 'on File Number 99-18 43 and 99-19 are hereby adopted by the Saint Paul City Council. 44 / 45 � 46 47 /' 48 49 SO 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 2 of 2 Requested by Department of: Adopted by Council: Adoption Certified ay: Council Secretary Approved by Ma�or: Date sy: gy: '� � Eorm App ve by City Attorney By: Approved by Mayor for Submission to Council By: G�� Mayor Coleman's Office Alberto Quintela 68529 A 1��' a TOTAL # OF SIGNATURE PAGES 4/21/9 � GREEN SHEET q9 - � �to � .. � � �� L Vaneu.ra_ � a'r�nuw1er�l � `� ❑ arcca.tww¢ ❑ �,�� ❑ �,�.� �wrort(ort�emnum ❑ (CIJP ALL LOCATIONS FOR SIGNATURE) Denial of recommendations for heritage preservation designation sites submitted by Heritage Preservation Commission. PLANN{P1G COMMISS{ON CIB CAMMITTEE CIVIL SERY{CE COMMISSION Has this perso�rtn ever vrorketl unEer a contmc[ torthis departmeM? YES NO Vias tt�isa ce�Mmi r+er eem a cdy empwyee9 YES NO �this pe'soMrtn Possess a sidfl � namwl�YP��1 bY anY current cifY emPbYee? YES NO Is Nis G��Nfirm a targetedve�doR rES NO Heritage Preservation Commission and Planning Commission reviewed requests for heritage preservation designations. Development plan for Seventh 5treet Place can proceed. iAWANTAGES IF APPROVED Designation would serve to continue the present situation of decline which has a substantial negative impact on the surrounding area. Redevelopment of vacant and unrestored buildings would have a highly positive imnact on the surroundina area. TRANSACTION i SOURCE INFORMAiION (EXPWI� COST/REVENUE BUDGETED (CIRCLE ONE) ACTIVRY NUMBER YES NO �Qtds� �i�Se��h ��t� l �� . ` -r,��i CITY OF SAINT PAUL Norm Coleman, Mayor Apri16,1999 To: Counci] President Daniel Bostrom City Council Members � Fr: Robert Kessler, LIEP Director OFFICE OF LICENSE, INSPEC['[ONS AND ENVIRONMENTALPROTECIION � —n n, Rober! Kess[er, Director 1 J� LOWRY PROFESSIONAL Zelephone: 65Id66-9090 BU7LDING Facsimile: 651-266-9099 350 St. Peter Street Suite 300 SaintPaul, Minnesota 55702-I510 Re: Recommendafions Regarding Historic Designation of 7th Place Properties I am forwazding, for the City Council's official review under Section 73.05 of the Legislative Code, the recommendations of the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC), the Planning Commission, and the State Historic Preservation O�ce regarding the proposed historic designation ofthe Orpheum Theater and St. Francis Hotel on 7th Place and the Coney Island huildings on St. Peter Street. The Heritage Preservation held a public hearing on this matter on January 21, 1999, and the Planning Commission made its recommendation on Mazch 12, 1999. The following documents aze attached: 1. Heritage Preservarion Commission Resolutions, staff reports and nomination forms - 28 pages. 2. Heritage Preservation Commission Minutes of Meeting 7anuary 21, 1999 - 9 pages. 3. Herisage Preservation Commission Minutes of Meeting October 22, 1998 - 1 page. 4. Letter from the Minnesota Historical Society indicting that the subject properties aze eligible for local designation - 2 pages 5. Planning Commission Resolutions and Staff Reports - 22 pages. In addition to the documents described above, both the Planning Commission and Heritage Preservation Commission have additional related documentation and conespondence that is available upon request by calling Sue Synstegaard at 266-9088. The Office of License, Inspections and Environmental Protection has no recommendation on the merits of the recommendations provided herewith. I have stressed my belief to the HPC that it is essential for us to develop a process and plan to define the staff role in such matters and to guide future designations to insure that all relevant factors are considered before recommendations are approved. The City's Land Use Plan references the need to develop such a plan, and the Mayor also indicated to me that he very much wants us to develop a process to have the HPC work with the Administration, the Planning Commission, and the City at lazge to identify how best to identify and consider future historic desagnations. I will be discussing the development of a process, procedure, andJor plan with HPC and appropriate LIEP and PED staff in the coming weeks. April 6, 1449 Page Two °�R - 3'�ta LIEP believes that the ea�tensive stock of historic neighhorhoods, structures, and public infrastructure is one of the City's greatest assets, and that LIEP has both the duty and responsibility to make sure that the City Council`s guidelines and ordinances are enforced to maintain and protect our physical heritage for generations to come. We also realize that there are other important interests that ofren come into piay when historic designations are considered, and that these factors need to be identified and discussed 6efore actions are taken. I am available to answer any questions that you might have on this matter. c: Mayor Norm Coleman Susan Kimberly, DepuTy Mayor HPC Chair Steven Beutow and HPC Members Brian Sweeney, Interim PED Director Tom Harren, PED Team Leader Ken Ford, Planning Administrator Tony Schertler, PED Aaron Rubenstein, HPC Staff Nancy Anderson, Assistant Secretary to the City Council 99 -3� city of saint paul planning commission resolution �le number 99-18 date March 12, 1999 WHEREAS the Heritage Preservation Commission has nominated the New Palace Theater/St. Francis Hotel (Orpheum Theater/Seventh Place Residence, 1-33 W. 7th place, 534-37 Wabasha St.) properties for designation as heritage preservation sites and fonvazded this site nomination to the Planning Commission for review; and WHEREAS the Planning Commission, by provision of the Legislative Code, is to review such a nomination with respect to its relationship to the comprehensive plan, its effect on the surrounding neighborhood, and its opinion with respect to other planning considerations and is to give its recommendation with respect to the proposed designation (Saint Paul Legislative Code Section 73.05); and WHEREAS the Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee of the Planning Commission has reviewed the site nomination forwazded by the Heritage Preservation Commission, has visited the properiy and surrounding area, has reviewed the studies undertaken over a 20-year period to determine and encourage appropriate reuse of the property, has considered redevelopment recently proposed for the site, and has carefully reviewed pertinent policy of the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan, reviews and considerations which aze reported in the staff report dated March I, 1999 attached; and WHEREAS the Commission finds that: Job growth and strengthening of the tax base downtown are major Comprehensive Plan objectives. 2. Preservation and effective reuse of buildings with this degree of historic interest is supported in general by the Comprehensive Plan. 3. In particular, the St. Francis Hotel (Seventh Place Residence) facade is a valuable piece of historic fabric that contributes considerable warmth, chazacter and human scale to the streetscape on Wabasha and Seventh Place. These qualities, if not components of the facade, could be given priority in design of any replacement. moved by Faricy seconded by in favor Consent against Planning Commission 1 of 22 9�-3�a Heritage Preservation Nomination New Palace Theater/St. Francis Hotel Page Two of Resolution 4. The exterior presence of the Orpheum Theater is limited to the mazquee and entrance on the front of the hotel, and the stagehouse wall facing St. Peter Sireet. Much of the original character of its interior has been lost in remodeling, though restoration may be possible. 5. The impact of the properties in their present state on the surrounding area is negative. 6. While reuse studies could never be said to have e�austed a11 possibilities, those completed represent considerable effort toward appropriate reuse of these buildings over a twenty-year period, particulazly with respect to the theater. None have led to effective redevelopment. The studies, along with the lack of any implementation of the various redesigns proposed, provide strong evidence that the market cannot support effective reuse. Reuse of the theater, assuming that some market niche could be found for it, would likely entait large public subsidy and the greatest cost would be not the subsidy, but the loss of the far more substantial private investment that the recent development proposal suggests is possible if the structure can be demolished. While the Seventh Place Residence provides some low-cost housing which is badly needed, it cannot continue to support itself as presently situated. The owner, the Saint Paul Port Authority, is not in a position to continue management of low-cost housing and is not filling apartments that become vacant: Some new proyision for low-cost housing wili be needed in any case. 8. Redevelopment of the block in a way that makes full use of its potential for significant additional activity in this area of downtown is a high priority. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Saint Pau] Planning Commission conciudes that preservation of these buildings would be a major obstacle to redevelopment that wouid make very significant contributions to Comprehensive Plan objectives and have highly positive impact on the surrounding area; and that designation of the structures would not serve a purpose consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and may serve to continue the pxesent situation which has a substantial negative impact on the surrounding area; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Commission finds the proposed designation to be inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan and recommends against designation. Planning Commission 2 of 22 59-3� city of saint paul planning commission resolution file number 99-19 date March 12, 1494 WHEREAS the Heritage Preservation Commission has nominated the Au�ust Botzet Building/Minnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel commonly referred to as the Coney Island (448 and 444 St. Peter Street) properties for designation as heritage preservation sites and forwarded this site nomination to the Planning Commission for review; and WHEI2EAS the Planning Commission, by provision of the Legislative Code, is to review such a nomination with respect to its relationship to the comprehensive plan, its effect on the surrounding neighborhood, and its opinion with respect to other planning considerations and is to give its recommendation with respect to the proposed designation (Saint Paul Legislative Code, Section 73.�5); and , WHEREAS the Neighborhood and Curzent Planning Committee of the Planning Commission has reviewed the site nomination forwarded by the Heritage Preservation Commission, has visited the property and surrounding area, has considered redevelopment recently proposed for the site, and has carefully reviewed pertinent policy of the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan, reviews and considerations which are reported in the staff report dated Mazch 1, 1999 attached; and WHEREAS the Commission finds that: Job growth and strengthening of the tax base downtown are major Comprehensive Plan objectives.. . 2. Preservation and effective reuse of buildings with this degree of historic interest is supported in general by the Comprehensive Plan. 3. The impact of the properties in their present state on the sunounding area is negative. Restored, their impact could be positive if the restoration did not interfere with full use (restoration or redevelopment) of adjacent structures. moved by Fari.cy seconded by in favor Consent against � Planning Commission 3 of 22 99 -3�a Heritage Preservation Nomination August Botzet Building�innesota State Arsenal and City Hotel Page Two of Resolution 4. Because ofthe siting ofthe structures mid-block, these buildings cannot be considered in isolation. Their presence has a direct impact on reuse of the surrounding properties. An overall best solution consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and the stren�th of surrounding properties has to take a11 properties in the block into account. S. Redevelopment of the hlock in a way that makes fuil use of these properties as well as the Orpheum Theater and Seventh Place Apartments is a high priority under the Comprehensive Plan and is important for the vitality of the surrounding blocks. 6. There is no reuse plan for the buildings or for the block that gives confidence that effective reuse would not compromise the potential for the entire block; proposals are not available for preservation of the buildings in a redeveiopment scheme compazable in benefit to redevelopment that apparently can be achieved without preservation. NO W, THEREFOR.E, BE IT RESOLVED that the Planning Commission of the City of Saint ' Paul concludes that preservation of these buildings at their preseni location would be a major obstacle to redevelopment that would make very significant contributions to Comprehensive Plan objectives. and have a highly positive impact on the surrounding area; that designation of the � structures at their present location would not serve a purpose consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and may serve to continue the present situation which has a substantial negative impact on the surrounding area; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Commission finds the proposed designations at their present locations to be inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan and recommends against designation at their present locations. Planning Commission 4 of 22 yy-3�o Saint Paul Planning Commission Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee Staff Report March 1, 1999 Review of Heritage Preservation Commission Preservation Site Nomination Propert}�: Netio� Palace TheaterlSt. Francis Hotel (Orpheum Theater/Seo�enth Place Residence) Location: 1-33 W. 7tli Piace, 534-37 N, bVabasha St. The t�vo buildings occupy the entire southern half of the block bounded by Seventh Place, Seventh Street, Wabasha and St. Peter. The Seeenth Place Residence fa�ade forms the street fronta�e for the entire half block on Wabasha and the entire length of the Seeenth Place biock. The only street exposure of the Orpheum Theater is the stage wall facin� St. Peter Street. Planning Commission Authority and Responsibilin�. When it forw a nomination for local designation to the City Council, the Herita�e Preservation Commission will "secure from the city planning commission its recommendation with respect to the relationship of the proposed heritage preservation designation to the comprehensive plan of the City of Saint Paul; its opinion as to the effect of the proposed designation upon the surrounding neighborhood, and its opinion and recommendation as to any other planning consideration which may be relevant to the proposed designation, together with its recommendation of approval, rejection or modification of the proposed designation." Proposed Designations. The following findings summarize the historical significance of the t�vo structures on the site as described in detail in the Site Nomination report of the Heritage Preservation Commission: I. The Ne�r� Palace Theater/St. Francis hotel is archatecturally significant as a fine example of a Beaux Arts style commetcial building and as an important work of the prominent Saint Paul architectural firm of Buechner and Orth. 2. The New Palace Theater/St. Francis Hotel has cultural significance as one of oniy iwo remaining grand, downtown, vaudevillefmovie theaters from the first part of the riventieth century and the sole Seventh Sueet survivor of the bustling entertainment district that once centered on Seventh and Wabasha streets. 3. The new Palace TheaterJSt. Francis hotel is significant in terms of city planning and development. It is an eazly mixed-use building combining hotel, theater, and retail spaces; Planning Commission 5 of 22 99- 3�p and it is a remnant and marker of old Se��enth Street, formerly one of do«nto«�n's main commercial thoroughfares. The Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan. The Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan gives strong general support to presenation of historic resources as ��'ell as to reuse ofexistin� structures rather than demolition and ne�� construction e�herever appropriate. It reco�nizes the value of the "rich legacy of buildings, landscapes and montrments thcrt clefzne a city rooted in Zocal history." In this respect, desi�nation of the structures in question «ould be consistent ��ith the plan. These buildings, particularly the St. Francis Hotel, contribute strongly to the high-quality human- scale pedestrian environment on Seventh Place and �Vabasha Street that is a clear objective of both the Land Use Plan and the Saint Patd on the Mississippi Dei�elopment f•ametivork. Policy 4.2.3 of the Land Use Plan states: The City supports the building design guitlelines in the Saint Pairl on the bfississinpi Development franre�ror•k �vhich emphasi:e the zer•ban design quality of b<<ildings at the street lerel. Each building...shoidd conh•iba�te to the life of the street nnd contribzrte to the ptiblic recrina. This is es��eeicrtl}� importzrnt for the YPabasha-Saint Peter• cor•ridor�, the Rice Park nnd Meurs Park aretrs, and tlae other pt•oposed m�ban ti�illage areas. The Land Use Chapter also places an emphasis on gro�� and underscores the importance of continued new investment and accommodation of gro�vth in the downto�cn area through one of its four key strategies: "A Vital, Gro�cing Cit}� Center." With respect to economic de��elopment, the Plan places a high priority on job gro��th and notes that "if old industrial sites are redeveloped and the downtown grows, Saint Paul could add 18,000 jobs bet�veen 1990 and 2020." (Land Use Plan, Appendix A) The Comprehensive Plan also identifies "significant need to increase the city� tax base." "The Saint Paul property tax base per household is among the lo�vest in the metropolitan area. The School District, Ramsey County, and the City all share the need to raise values downtown, in commercial and industrial areas., and in neishborhoods with depressed values." (Land Use Pian, Appendix A, Trends and Assumptions) � The Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framerrork is not a part of the Comprehensice Plan, but is supported generally by the Comprehensive Plan as a more detailed guide for development downtown. It's principles and goals have been endorsed as the City's development policy for downtown and the central riverfront to �uide public and private investment. The following statements from the Framework are pertinent: • Preserve bzrildings, landscapes and monuments of architectural, ctdtural and historic merit. (Goal 13) • Augment the ezisting Historic Sites Sz�rvey to include all historic buildings, structures, lnndscapes, monziments and geological features within the downtown and river corridor, Planning Commission 6 of 22 gy-3� especicilly in the Seven Corners area and along �th Street. (Objec[ice) Renoration ancf adaptive re-iase shoztld be made a priority for key heritage elements. (Objective) GYabasha Street is a pou�erfzd repository of the ciry's collective memory and Saint Pazd 's historic main street.... (p. 8�) YVabasha Street is characterizecl by nurnero:es bzrildings of architecttaral and historic merit, a relatively consistent street fradl, a comfortable bzrilding sccrle, and a good birilding-height-to-street-iviclth relationship. There is a dii•ersity of:�ses along its Iength, r�cznging from institt�tional, retail, ancl hoz�sing, althozrgh same of these are at the lower end of the market. (p. 86) T{�ere is an czir of decline abo:et por•tions of 1Vabasha Street. The retail z+ses crlong its length trr•e of»ai,recl char•acter. bVhile ther-e are some good-q¢ratiry stores, mnny are weak ancl there ar a number of vncafat bufldif�gs ancl lots. Sei�ernl residentiul buildings along Yl�abcisha Street (tFte Lo�vey Hotel, 7[fz Place Residences and Scht�ber•t Apartments) generate umvanted activitdes, such ns loitering. These activities, con:bined rovith a lnckluster srreetscape anct rf lnck of vitnlin� at-gracle, create cr street thnt is often ernim�itirTg to pedestrians a fter• regailar bzrsiness ho:trs. (R'abasha Corridor Weaknesses, p. 86) • Establish a range of a�ses and activiry nocles along YT�abasha Street that encaz�rage vibrancy for additional hours of the day. (Land Use Objective p. 41) • Encozmage peopte to live ancl work nlong Wabasha. Included in the recommendations to implement ihis guideline is: Renovate e.risting structure to provide �ualiry residentiat accommodation for an expanded range of incomes including the Loxry Hotel, 7th Place Residences,SchubertApm•tments. (Guideline,p.91) • Several key redevelopment ancl planning opportz+nities are poised to play a major role in revitaliaing Wabasha Street. Phese include: the potential expansiofz of office space for a nt�mbef• of maJor private corporntions, .... (Wabasha Conidor Opportunities, p. 87) • Improve key open spnces including: 7th Place Mall, the intersection ar lth and Wabasha Str•eets, and Capitnl Centre Plaza (Guideline, p. 89} • Encozrrage major corporations seeking expansion to tocate on Wcrbasha Street between Kellogg Boulevard and 7th Street. (Guideline, p. 92) • Incorporate significant heritttge structures (Objective, built form). Planning Commission 7 of 22 9'9�3� Renova[e existing structures to pt•ovide qunlity residentic�l uccommodation for an erparzded range of incomes inclirding the Lox•ry Hotel, 7th Ptc�ce Residertces, Schubert Aperrtment.s. (Guideline, p. 91) Preser �nd rehabilitate bt�ildin,;s of archidectao•al c�ncUor historical mer•it including: City hald, Con:merce Building, Saint Paul Buitding, A'orthern States Pouer Campany Bztilding, Ecolab, A�Iinnesotu ClzilcG�en's naztseum, Fitzgeralcl Theater, Loicry Hotel, Hamnr 6trilding, ?th Plrtce Reside�7ces, O�pheerm Therater, Fitapatf•ick Btrilding, Exchange Beiilding. (Guideline, p. 92) The Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan and related Frnmetirork development policy give strong suppoct to preservation and reuse of historic resources in �eneral and recognize the important contribution of those structures that reflect important elements of the city's herita�e and continue ifs historic street ambiance. The Comprehensi��e Plan and related Frameirork policy also give hioh priority to current opportunities for gro�ti�th, increasing the density of activity, fillin$ in the empt}' or �veak spots in the do�vntown office core and the area to the north of the core, improving the tax base for the city and building economic opportunitq for citizens. Reuse Studies. Three reuse studies have been completed in efforts to find an appropriate reuse for these struchires. Two concern only the Orpheum Theater and a third concerns both structures. An appraisal report completed recentl}� provides a fourth extensi� e analysis of the property. Saint Paut-Ramsey Arts and Science Counci! OrpJ:e:rm and Shubert/Wortd Tlteaters Renovation Feasibility Stte�fy Ellerbe Associates, Inc., September 1980 A renovation feasibility study of these t4vo theaters was completed in 1980 by the Saint Paul- Ramsey Arts and Science Council. A professionai team from Ellerbe Associates, Inc. and R. Lawrence Kirkegaard, Acoustic Consultant, completed an extensive analysis and conceptual proposal for renovation of the two theaters. Findings �vith respect to the Orpheum Theater include: The buildin� is in generally sound structural condition. Much of the theater's 1916-vintage neo-classical splendor was iost when it was remodeled into a movie theater in 1950; it's new interior is a"poor example of revived Art Deco" typical of the 19�Qs movie genre. (There is disagreement with this conclusion. The 1992 study suggests that much of the finishing that provided its original character remains under the 1950s applications and could be restored.) The long and narrow proportions of the theater make it generalty acoustically good for 0 Planning Commission 8 of 22 yy-3�a music (contemporary and semi-classical orchestral �corks, including chamber music, recital music, choral groups, and opera), e�cept that the acoustics u�ould not be very good under the balcony �vhere the seats account for half of the audience. • The staae ��'inas and under-stage dressing room areas are grosst}- inadequate for modem requirements, and the sitina of the buildin� lea��es little opportunity for expansion. The ioading dock is ille�al and inadequate. • Lobbylloun�e space is inadequate by cunent standards. The renovation proposal would partially overcome this inadequacy by ezpandin� into 1,62� square feet of adjacent ground- floor retail space. • The theater seats 1,744 no�v and ��ould seat 1,478 under the renovation plan, with some seats removed for lobby and control room space. • The Orpheum space lacks the intimacy and flexibility needed for live theater, dance, opera and radio sho�vs. Its characteristics and acoustical quality suggest it only for music. The follo�ving costs �cere detemiined based the renovation plan developed (1980 costs): Acquisition: $1,062,500 Construction: 2,626,400 Annual operating cost: 500,000 The team was unable to generate specific leasing proposals to include in its analysis because of planning undenvay at the time for �vhat would become the Ord4ray Theater. Potential users were beginning io plan on the new facility envisioned at Rice Park. Having identified music, and, particularly, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, as the appropriate use for a renovated Orpheum, the study notes: "Although the Orpheum is in an ideal downtown location and is in better physical condition than the Shubert, extensive work must be done to develop an appropriate physical environment to satisfy the SPCO's audience." The study concludes: The potential zrsers af this theater ccrn be the SPCO, the Shztbert Club, varioc�s small messic groa�ps and frZm. Dz�e to the limited ntsmber of z�sers, it is essential for the St. Pazil Chnmber Orchestra to become the "anchof•" tenant for the Orpheum. YY�ithout this commitment, the feasibility af this renovation is seriously in doubt. The Shubert (no«� Fitzgerald) Theater, by comparison, was found to be in somewhat worse physical condition, but to have a more intimate space with greater flexibility that could accommodate a �cider variety of uses. Minnesota Public Radio was already using the theater, and there was more enthusiasm for the space among potential community users. � Planning Commission 9 of 22 95-3� Departn:ent of Pla�:�ri�zo ar:rl Eco�znn:ic Developnresit Tiro-Theaters Cor:versiort Study of the Orpheum Theater Benjamin Thompson & Associates, Inc., June, 1992 In response to the space needs of t�vo active theater companies in do��nto«n 3aint Paul, the Department of Plannin� and Economic Development in 1992 enga�ed Ben}amin Thompson & Associates, Architects, to undertake an architectural analysis and redesian of the Orpheum Theater for reuse as ttivo theater spaces. Under the concept, the t�co theater spaces created out of the Orpheum interior. «�ould be shared by t�vo repertory theater companies, the Park Square Thzater Company and thz Great American Histor}� Theater. This intriguin� proposal creates one theater space out of the present staae usintr the main floor seatin� in front of the balcony and the first few ro«s of the balcon}'. A second, smaller theater space �vith its o�cn stage (small platform ptus thnist sta�e) is created in �chat is presently balcon}� space. Accordin, to the report, "The two theaters captured within the orieinal auditorium have tmiquely different personalities and seat 480 and 37> patrons respecti��e]y. Each is very practicll, efficient and as mucl� as possible some��hat playfiil." General assessments of the building's structure and mechanical systems werz completed to documen[ feasibility, The report notes an unresolved need for rehearsal and property storage space and su��ests that basement space belo« the St. Francis Hotel be revie�ced as possible espansion and additional support space. In addition, "All production support activities will not be at the Orpheum and each company will largely maintain its off-site scenery and storage facilities." Dra�vings and a model of the proposed redesign were created. The available copy of the study does not contain a cost estimate. However, one of the participants in the study recalls that a cost estimate in the neighborhood of $10 million was arrived at by McGough Construction. Given the less-than-fully-adequate spaces, the difficulty of providing them in this complex using some of the St. Francis Hotel space, and a cost that was simpl}� too hi�h for the theaters involved, no effort was made to implement the proposal. The Park Square Theater found more satisfactor}� space more easily available in the Hamm Building across the street. Saint Paul Port Authority Sc{:ematic Design and Feasibility St:tdy of tl:e Orpl:etrm TJ:eater nnd Seventlr Place Residence Apcoa, Inc., Graelic, Inc., Mattson/MacDonatd, Inc., Oertel Architects, Witcher Construction July, 1997 In 1997, the Port Authority commissioned a design study of converting the Orpheum Theater into a parking facility, upgrading the Seventh Place Apartrnent (St. Francis Hotel) units and introducing parking into the basement of the Seventh Place Apartment building. The purpose of the study was "to demonstrate the potential asset value of the properties and to provide one Planning Commission 10 of 22 �5 -370 possible adaptive reuse plan for the block as a tool for prospective developers interested in purchasing these properties." This desian entailed demolition of most of the Orpheum Theater, replacing it with a parking structure c�•hich yielded 122 parkin� spaces at an approximate construction cost of $3,298,372. The Seeenth Place Residence (St. Francis Hotel) �vere reconfi�ured to produce 44 units, mostl}' one-bedroom but includin� tr��o and three-bedroom units. The building did not lend itself to efficient pro��ision of hi;her-cost housin� because the only acceptable �vindo�v outlooks were Iimited to the south side of the buildin,. The basement of the Seventh Place Residence was converted to parking in the design, yieldin� 39 spaces. Construction cost for the apartments was estimated to be $3,099,000 with an additional $�44,500 for the parking. The conclusions of the report note "a fe�c challen�es in makin� this pro}ect economically feasible." The design and analysis have not inspired any effort to bring such a project to fruition. Historic significance of the stn�ctures involved �vas given some attention in the study. Based on conversations with the State Historic Praservation Office and a representative of the Heritage Preserva[ion Commission, the authors of this study concluded that the Coney Island building has the greatest historic significance, that there is no clear consensus about the historic significance of the other buildings, but that there is likely a desire to keep the facade of the Seventh Place Residence intact. Saint Pa�{! Port Authoriry APpraistrl Report, 1998 Dhalen & Dwyer, Inc. In 1998, a comprehensive appraisal of the property was completed by the firm of Dahlen & D�vyer, Inc. for the Saint Paul Port Authorit}�. Findings from this study include: • The Por•t Airthority recently foreclosed on the pr•operty since the Seventh place matl had not been able to generate sz fficient revenzre to service the z�nderlying mortgage financing . � Although the subject properry was completely renovated in 1978 (apartments and retail space) current mczrket conditions in the Central Business District make it dif�ctdt for the property to earn a competitive retza•n. � Leasing agents hcrve hnd d�czrlty redeveloping the property dzie to the reZatively low market rents in the Downtox�n Area, and the high tenant improvement costs required to renovafe the property for occupaney. ► Mcrrket analysis currently indicates that it is not feasible to renovate the (retail) space relative to existing market rentals. 7 Planning Commission 11 of 22 qq-37o • T{re Ith Place Residence has perfor�med very strongdy the past hro yetns....Financially, 7th place Re.ridence has struggled because of the considerab[e umount of cleferred maintenance u•hich hcrs put cr strcrin on the cash flo�r. • Research indicates the properry does not generate szfficient net opernting income to cover expenses, aftd does not provide any return to land and improrernents.._a stabili=ed operating statement developecl demonstrates the property's inability to generate sz ffzcient rtet incame to tirarrant investment capital. • Tlze office market downtown is stronger than it has been in sevet•al year-s and is expected to continue to strengthen. • Tke hichest ancl best ttse rocottld be to dernolish e.risting impr•oven�ents c�nd develop the Zand [o its Highest ancl Best Use. • On the basis of a detailed analysis of operatin� costs and assumin� demolition of the Orpheum Theater for parking and completion of tenant improvements for the retail space as �cell as necessary expenditures for improvement of the apartments, the appraisal produeed an indicated "as is" market value of �31 I,000. • Indicated mazket value of the propertp if available for development (land value tess the cost of demolition) is $1,600,000. DeveloQment Opportunity. Recently, assembly of a site consisting primatily of the half-block occupied by these rir structures for a major new office buildin� (St. Paul Companies) was proposed. Development such as that proposed, canied out �vith carefnl attention to the design policies of the Frame�vork, would be a major step to�vard realization of Comprehensive Plan objectives. The addition of substantial da}time population and upgraded street-level retail space «ould overcome a significant weak spot in the downtown fabric and would most likely have a very positive impact on surroundinQ propert}. Enhancement in area appearance and liveliness ��ou1d represent an improvement for the Chiidren's Museum on the notth portion of the block, and the upgraded space and additional activity and population w�ould contribute to higher values and activity levels for surroundins retail and office spaces, including the ��'orld Trade Center and the retail spaces of Wabasha Street. While such a development involving replacement of the subject structures wouid entail loss of a potential historic resource, added population, economic activity and new construction replacing vacant structures would enhance the environment significantly for the historic structures already making very strong contributions to the character of the area: the Hamm Building, Assumption Church, Mickey's Diner, and Landmark Center. Planning Commission 12 oE 22 �5-3?0 Findings i. Job gro«th and strenothenino of the tas base do�ti�nto�cn are major Comprehensive Plan objectives. Preservation and effective reuse of buildin�s �� ith this de,ree of historic interest is supported in general b}� the Comprehensi� e Plan. � 3. In particular, the St. Francis Hotel ($eventh Piace Residence) fa�ade is a valuable piece of historic fabric that contributes considerable warmth, character and human scale to the streetscape on �Uabasha and Seventh Place. These qualities, if not components of the facade, could be given priority in design of any replacement. 4. The eaterior presence of the Orpheum Theater is limited to the marquee and entrance on the front of the hotel, and the staQehouse wall facin� St. Peter Street. Much of the original character of its interior has been lost in remodelin�, tliough restoration may be possible. �. The impact of the properties in their present state on the surrounding area is negative. 6. �Vhi1e reuse studies could never be said to have exhausted alI possibitities, those completed represent considerable effort to�card appropriate reuse of these buildings over a twent}•-year period, particularly with respect to the theater. None have led to effective rede��elopment. The studies, alon, with the lack of any implementation of the various redesians proposed, provide strong e� idence that the market cannot support effective reuse. Reuse of the theater, assuming that some market niche could be found for it, would likely entail lazge public subsidy and the greatest cost would be not the subsidy, but the loss of the far more substantial private investment that the recent development proposal suggests is possible if the structure can be demolished. R�hile the Seventh Place Residence provides some low-cost housin� which is badly needed, it cannot continue to support itself as presentl}� situated. The owner, the Saint Paul Port Authority, is not in a position to continue mana�ement of low-cost housing and is not fillin� apartments that become ��acant. Some necv provision for 1o�v-cost housing �vill be needed in any case. Rede�=elopment of the block in a wa} that makes full use of its potential for significant additional activity in this area of do«ntown is a high priority. Conciusion and Staff Recommendation. Review of development potential for the block indicates that preservation of these buildings could be a major obstacle to redevelopment that would make very significant contributions to Comprehensive Plan objectives and have highly positive impact on the surrounding area. In this situation, designation of the structures would not 0 Planning Commission 13 of 22 y5-3?o serve a purpose consistent with the Comprehensio�e Plan and may serve to continue the presenf situation tivhich has a substantial negative impact on the surroundins area. Staff finds the proposed desi?nations to be inconsistent w�ith the Comprehensive Plan and recommends a�ainst designation. Staf£ Ken Ford Planning Commission 14 of 22 10 99-32� Saint Paul Planning Commission Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee Staff Report March l, 1999 Re��ie�e of Hecitage Presen�ation Commission Preservation Site iComination Propecty: August Botzet BuildingMinnesota State Arsenal and Cit} Hotzl commonly refzrred to as the Coney Island or the Original Coney Island Location: 448 and 444 St. Peter Street; Lot 7, Block 11, Bazil and Guerin's Addition to Saint Paul The t�co buildin�s face on St. Peter Street near the centet on its eastern side near the center of the block between Seventh Place and Seventli Streei. Their site includes �vhat �could be the �vestern end of the east-west alley. The entire southern half of the block is occupied by the Seventh Place Apartments and the Orpheum Theater. Circulation parking and loading space for the Children's Museum is leased from the o�vners of these buildin�s. These buildings are immediately ad}acent to the Orpheum Theater on their southern ed�e. Planning Commission Authority and Responsibility. When it fonvards a nomination for local designation to the City Council, the Heritage Preservation Commission will "secure from the city plannin� commission its recommendation �vith respect to the relationship of the proposed heritage preservation designation to the comprehensive pIan of the City of Saint Pau1; its opuuon as to the effect of the proposed designation upon the sunoundin� neighborhood, and its opinion and recommendation as to any other plannin� consideration which may be relevant to the proposed desi�nation, together with its recommendation of approval, rejection or modification of the proposed designation." (Saint Paul Legislative Code, Section 73.05) Proposed Designntions. The followin� findines summarize the historical significance of the two structures on the site as described in detail in the Site Nomination report of the Heritage Preservation Commission: Both buildings have historic and architectural significance to the Cit}� of Saint Paul. The August Botzet(Minnesota State Arsenal building (448 St. Peter) is architecturally significant as a rare survivin� example of a distinctive early St. Paul building type: the commerciai biock of quarry-faced local Platteville limestone. It is the oldest remaizung building in downtown and the oldest commerciai building in the ciry. 2. Jointly the two buildings aze historically significant as mazkers of the large German- American community in St. Paul and their involvement in the buildinQ and hostelry uades in Planning Commission 15 of 22 9g�3�O the early decades of the city. 3. The ri�o buildings share significance as two of the few nineteenth-centurr buildings remainin� on what has historically been one of the city's main commerciaf thoroughfares. 4. The 448 St. Peter St. buildin� is historicall`� sianificant for its use as a state arsenat in the final years of the U. S. Civi1 War, 186� to 1880. The Saint Paul Comprehensi�•e Plan. The Saint Paul Comprehensi��e Plan gives strong general suppor[ to presen•ation of historic resources, as ��'ell as to reuse of existin� structures rather than demolition and ne�v construction wherever appropriate. It recognizes the calue of the "rich legacy of buildin�s, landscapes and monuments that define a cit}� rooted in local history." In this respect, designation of the structures in question would be consistent «ith the plan. Policy �.9.1 of the Land Use Plan (1999) states: Many parts of the city� have historic character and infzll constr-�rction cend renovation gener•ally sho�dd respect the traclitional cftaracter of tke immediate neighborhood, even x here it is not legally reqtrired. The Land Use Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan also places an emphasis on gro�vth, and underscores the importance of contimied ne�v in��estment and accommodation of growth in the do�rntown area throuah one of its four key strategies: "A Vital, Growina Cit} Center." With respect to economic deG�elopment, the Plan p(aces a high priority on job grouth and notes the "if old industria! sites nre redevelopecl ancl the dotinntown grows, Saint Pau! coidd add 18,ODDjobs bettiveen 1990 cind 20?0." (Land Use Plan, Appendix A) The Comprehensive Plan also identifies "significant need to increase the cin tax base." "The Saint Paul propercy tax base per household is among the lowest in the metropolitan azea. The School District, Ramsey County, and the City all shaze the need to raise values downtown, in commercial and industrial areas., and in neighborhoods with depressed values." (Land Use Plan, Appendix A, Trends and Assumptions) The Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework is not a part of the Comprehensive Plan, but is supported generally by the Comprehensive Plan as a more detailed guide for development do�vntown. It's ptinciples and goais have been endorsed as the City's development policy for downtown and the central riverfront to guide public and private investment. The following statements from the Framework are pertinent: • Preserve buildings, landscapes and monuments of nrchitectzrrnl, cttlti�rtt( and historic merit. • Augment the existing Historic Sites Survey to include a11 historic buildings, structures, landscapes, monuments and geological features within the downtown and river corridor, especially in the Seven Corners area and along 7th Street. (Objective) Planning Commission 16 of 22 9� -3 `�o • Renovation and adaptire re-use should be made a prior for key heritage elements. (Obj ective) � There is an air of decline aboztt portioFis of YYabasha Sh�eet The retail z�ses along its length nre of rr:ixed charncter. GVhile there are sotne good-quality stores, nzany are weak arzd there czre a numbet• of vctccznt buildings and lots. Sereral resideritial buildings along bb'abnsha Street (the Loivf y Hotel, 7th Plcrce Residerrces and Schzrbet7 Apartrnents) generrate zrntii�nnted activities, szech as loitering. These activities, cornbinetl ivith a lackktster streetscape ancl a Zack of vitaliry at-grczde, create a street that is often zrninviting to pedestricrns cfter� r b:rsiness hotrrs. (b��abasha Conidor Weaknesses, p. 86) • Several key redeveloprnent and pla�zning opportcrnities are poised to play a mnjor role in f•eritali=ing 6Vabashn Street. These incl:rde: the potentinl espnnaion of offzce space for a number ofmajor private corporations, .._ (Wabasha Corridor Opportunities, p. 87) • Improtie key open spaces inclztdino: %th Pluce Mnll, the intersection at 7th and Wabasha Streets, nnd Capital Centre Plaza (Guideline, p. 89) • Possibilities under this guideline include: Encozerage majDr corporationa seeking espansion to locate on YYabasha Street betu-een Kellogg Bozdevarcf and 7th Street. (Guideline, p. 92) • Incarporate signifrccrnt heritage struct:u•es (Objective, Built Form). The Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan and related Framework development policy give strong support to preservation and reuse of historic resources in general, and recognize the important contribution of those structures that reflect important elements of the city's herita�e and continue its historic street ambiance. The Comprehensive Plan and related Framework policy also give high priority to cunent opportunities for gro�Frth, increasine the density of actieity, filling in the empt}' or weak spots in the downtown office core and the area to the north of the core. The sub}ect buiidin�s, restored accordin� to the preservation program recommended by the Heritage Preservation Commission and effectively reused in a way that contributes to full utilization of the adjacent half-block occupied by the Seventh Place Apartments and the Orpheum Theater, would contribute to the objectives of the Comprehensive Plan. As long as ihe buildings are unrestored and vacant, and as long as they present an obstacle to full use of the adjacent Seventh PlacelOrpheum block, they aze an obstacle to realization of Comprehensive Pian objectives and their impact on surrounding properties is negarive. Development Opportunity. Recently, assembly of a site that would include these two buiidings along with the Seventh Place Apartments and the Orpheum Theater for a major new o�ce 3 Planning Commission 17 of 22 y9�3,o buildin� (St. Paul Companies) cvas proposed. Development such as that proposed, carried out �cith careful attention to the desian policies of the Frcrmex•ork, could be a major step toward realization of Comprehensive Plan objectives. The addition of substantiaf dar'time population and uparaded sireet-le�•el retail space ��ould o��ercome a significant �ceak spot in the downtown fabric and would most likely have a ti positive impact on surroundine propert}�. Enhancement in area appearance and liveliness �vould represent an improvement for the Children's Museum on the north portion of the block, and the up�raded space and additional acti� itc and population «ould contribute to hi�her values and activity levels for surroundin� retail and office spaces, including the World Trade Center and the retail spaces of �Vabasha Street. `Uhile such a development involvin� replacement of the subject structures «ould entail loss of a potential historic resource, added poputation, economic activity and ne�� construction replacing � acant structures «ould e�lhance the en��ironment significantly for the historic structures already makin� very stron� contributions to the character of the area: the Hanim Building, Assumption Church, Mickey's Diner and Landmark Center. Reuse Studies. No reuse studies of the buifdin�s have been completed. Little is l:nown about the potential for restoration and reuse beyond a general support of designation by the owners as a �vay to retain the buildings. Findings I. Job gro�vth and stren�thenin� of the tas base do«nto�an are major Comprehensive Plan objectives. 2. Preservation and effective reuse of buildings with this degree of historic interest is supported in general by the Comprehensive Plan. 3. The impact of the properties in their present stace on the surrounding area is negative. Restored, their impact could be positive if the testoration did not interfere �vith full use (restoration or redevelopment) of adjacent structures. 4. Because of the sitine of the structures mid-block, these buildings cannot be considered in isolation. Their presence has a direct impact on reuse of the sunoundin� properties. An overall best solution consistent �vith the Comprehensive Plan and the strength of sunounding properties has to take all properties in the block into account. Redevelopment of the block in a way that makes full use of these properties as weil as the Orpheum Theater and Seventh Place Apartments is a high priority under the Comprehensive Plan and is important for the vitality of the surrounding blocks. 6. There is no reuse plan for the buildings or for the block that gives confidence that effective reuse would not compromise the potential for the entire block. 0 Planning Commission 18 of 22 99•3'� Conclusion and Staff Recommendation. Review� of development potential for the block indicates that preservation of these buildin�s could be a major obstacie to redec�elopment that could make very significant contributions to Comprehensive Plan objectives and have a highly positi��e impact on the surroundine area. Proposals are not availabie for presen�ation of the buildings in a redevelopment scheme comparable in benefit to redevelopment that apparently can be achieved �cithout preservation. In this situation, desi�nation of the structures at their present location ��ould not serve a purpose consistent �vith the Comprehensive Plan and may serve to continue the present situation which has a substantial neoative impact on the surrounding area. Staff finds the proposed desi�nations at their present locations to be inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan and recommends against designation at their present locations. Staff: Ken Ford Planning Commission 19 of 22 95 Orpheum Block Proposed Heritage Preservation Designations Revie�v Reuse Studies of the Existing Buildings Summaries compiled by Ken Ford for the Neighborhood and Cunent Plannin� Committee, February 23, 1999 Saint Paul-Ramsev Arts and Science Council Orpheum and ShubertJWorld Theaters Reno��ation FeasibiliR� Stud} Ellerbe Associates, Inc. September 19$0 A renovation feasibilit} stud} of these t«o theaters «as completed in 1980 b� the Saint Paul- R�msep Arts and Science Council. A professional team from Ellerbe Associates, Inc. and R. L��vrence Kirke�aard, Acoustic Consultant, completed an extensive analysis and conceptual proposal for renovation of the nco theaters. Findings with respect to the Orpheum Theater include: The buildin� is in generally sound structura] condition. 2. tLluch of the tlteater's 1916-vintage neo-classicat sptzndor G4'as lost Gvhen it was remodeled into a movie theater in 19�0; if s ne�r interior is a"poor exaniple of reviced Art Deco" typical of the 19�Os movie genre. The long and narrow proportions of the theater make it generally acoustically good for music (contempozary and semi-classical orchestral �corks, including chamber music, recital music, choral groups, and opera) except that the acoustics would not be very good under the balcony where the seats account for half of the audience. 4. The sta�e �vines and under-staee dressin� room areas are grossly inadequate for modem requirements and the sitine of the building leaves ]ittle opportunity for espansion. The loadin� dock is illeoal aud inadequate. �. Lobbylloim�e space is inadequate by current standards. The renovation proposal would plrtially overcome this inadequacy by espanding into 1,625 square feet of adjacent ground- floor retail space. 6. The theater seats 1,744 no�� and would seat 1,478 under the renovation ptan with some seats removed for lobby and control room space. The Orpheum space lacks the intimacy and flexibility needed for live theatre, dance, opera and radio shows. Its chazacteristics and acoustical quality suggest it only for music. Planning Commission 20 of 22 yy_3yo The follo�cing costs «'ere determined based the renocation plan developed (1980 costs): Acquisition: $1,062.�00 Constructio n: 2,626.400 Annual operating cost: >00.000 The team �cas unable to generate specific leasing proposals to include in its analpsis because of planning undenca}� at the time for �vhat ��ould become the Ordway Theater. Potential users ��ere beJinning to plan on the ne�v facilit}� envisioned at Rice Park. HacinQ identified music, and, particularl}, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, as the appropriate use for a renovated Orpheum, the study notes: "Althou�h the Orpheum is in an ideal do�vnto«n location and is in better physical condition than the Shubert, extensive uork must be done to develop an appropriate ph;�sical em�ironment to satisfy the SPCO's audience." The study concludes: The potential t�sers of this thenter can be tJse SPCO, the Shubert Club, ti�ar•iot�s small rnicsic groi�ps and filnt. Dtie to rfie limited nt�mber of a�sers, it is essential for the St. Patrl Chcrnrber Orchestf�a to beco�ne tlae "and�or�"tenant for the Oiphetu�7. l�ithotu this co»:rnitn�ent, ihe fecrsibiliry of this renoi•atiori is ser�iozts/y� in dotrbt. The Shubert Theater, b}• comparison, was found to be in somewhat worse physical condition, but to have a more intimate space with greater flexibility that could accommodate � �cider variety of uses. Minnesota Public Radio was already usin� the theater and there ticas more enthusiasm for the space amon� potential community users. Dep�rtment of Plnnning and Economic Development TFVO-Theaters Conversion Study of the Orpheum Theater Benjamin Thompson & Associates, Ine. June, 1992 In response to the space needs of t��o active theater companies in downto��n Saint Paul, the Deparmient of Planning and Economic Development in 1992 engaged Bznjamin Thompson & Associates, Architects, to undartake an architectural anal}'sis and redesien of the Orpheum Theater far reuse as two theater spaces. Under the concept, the two theatzr spaces created out of the Orpheunt interior ��ould be shared by t«o repertory theater companies, the Park Square Theatre Company, and the Great American History Theater. This intriguing proposal creates one theater space out of the present stagz using the main floor seating in front of the balcony and the first fe�v rows of the baicony. A second, smaller theater space with its o�vn stage (small platform plus thrust stage) is created in �chat is presently balcony space. According to the report, "The two theaters captured within the original auditorium have uniquely different personalities and seat 480 and 375 patrons respectively. Each is very practical, efficient and as much as possible somewhat playful." General assessments of the buildinas structure and mechanical systems «ere completed to Planning Commission 21 of 22 �' �i ' doctmtent feasibilitJ. The report notes a need for rehearsal and propert} stora�e space not fully resoh ed and sue_ests basement area belo« the St. Francis Hotel be re� ie�ced as possible ezpansion and additional support space. ln addition. "All production suppon activities ��ill not be at thz Orpheum and each compan} «ill largely maintain its off-site scenen and storage facilities." Dra�cin�s and a model of the proposed redesi�n ��ere created. The acailable cop} of the study does not contain a cost estimate. Ho�czcer. one of the participants in the study recalls that a cost estimate in tlie nei�hborhood ofS10 million �vas arri��ed at by b4cGou�h Construction. Gicen the less than fiill� adequate spaces, the difficulty of proaidin� them in this complex using some of the St. Francis Hotet space, and a cost that was simpl} too hiRh for the theaters in� olceci, no effort «as made to implement thz proposal. The Park Square Theater fotmd more satisfactor} space more easify a��ailabie in the Hanzm Building across the street. Saint Paul Port Authority Schemntic Design �nd feasibility Study' of the Orpheum Theater and Se� enth Place Apartments Apcoa, Inc.. Graelic, Inc., Mattson/MacDonald, Ine., Oertel Architects. �Vitchzr Construction 3u1�, 1997 In ]997, The Port Ai�thority commissioned a design study of con��ertinR the Orpheum Theater into � parking facility, up�radin� the Seventh Place Apartment (St. Francis Hotei) uaits and in[roducing parking into the basement of tlie Se� enth Place Aparunent build[ne. The purpose of tl�e study �cas "to demonstrate the potential asset value of the properties and to provide one possible adaptive reuse p(an for the block as a tool for prospective decelopers interested in purchasing these properties." This design entailed demolition of most of the Orpheum Tlieater, replacin, it ��ith a parking sU ucture �ehich } ielded 122 parking spaces at an approximate construction cost of $3,298,372. The Seventh Place Apartments (St. Francis Hotel) ��ere reconfigured to produce 44 tinits, mostly one-bedroom but includine two and tllree-bedroont units. The basement of tlie Seventh Place A}�artmei�ts �� as converred to parkin� in the design. } ielding 39 spaces. Coiutruction cost for the aparmieuts �cas estimated to be �3,099,000 �cith v� additionnl $�44,500 for the parking. The conelusions of the report note "a fe�c challenges in making this projeet economically feasible," and die desi;n and analysis have not inspired any effart to bring such a project to ti•uition. Historic significance of tl�e structures involved was given some atteniion in the study. Based on conversations �vith the State Historic Preservation Office and a representati� e of the Heritage Preservation Commission, the authors of this study conciuded tliat the Coneti� Island building has the greatest historic significance, that there is no clear consensus about the historic significance of the other buildin�s, but that there is likely a desire to keep the facade of the Seventh Place Apartments intact. Planning Commission 22 of 22 9y�31� CITY OF SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION RESOLUTION FILE NUMBER 99-2 DATE 21 Ianuary 1949 WHEREAS, Chapter 73, Heritage Preservation Commission, of the Saint Paul Lesislative Code states as one of its purposes to safeguard the heritage of the city of Saint Paul by preserving sites a�d structures which reflect elements of the ciry's cultural, social, economic, political, or architectural history; and WAEREAS, Chapter 73 of the Legislative Code provides for designation as Heritage Preservation Sites buildin�s which reflect such eiements and gives the Heritage Preservation Commission the responsibility of recommending to the Ciry Council the designation of Heritage Preservation Sites and programs for the preservation of such sites; and WHEREAS, the New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hote(, now known as the Orpheum Theater and Seventh Place Residence, at 1- 33 W. Seventh Pl. and 435-37 N. Wabasha St., is a four-story, brick, Beaux Arts sryle, commerciaUresidential building designed by Saint Paul Architects Buechner and Orth and coustructed in 1916; and WHEREAS, the Heritage Preservation Commission held a public hearin� on the proposed designation of the New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel on January 21, 1999 pursuant to Sections 73.05(d) and (e) of the Saint Paul Legislative Code, and notice of the public hearing was published in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press and sent to the properry owner and owners of property within 100 feet of the property being considered for designation; and WHEREAS, the Heritage Preservation Commission at its Ianuary 21, 1999 pub(ic hearing made the following findings: 1. The New Palace TheatrelSt. Francis Hotel is architecturally significant as a fine example of a Beaux Arts style commercial bui(ding and as an important work of the prominent Saint Paul architectural firm ofBuechner and Orth. 2. The New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel has cultural significance as one of only two remaining grand, downtown, vaudeville/movie theaters from the first part of the twentieth century and the sole Seventh Street survivor of the bustling entertainment district that once centered on Seventh and Wabasha streets. 3. The New Palace TheaVelSt. Francis Hotel is significant in terms of ciTy planning and development: it is an early mixed-use building combining hotel, theater, and retail spaces; and it is a remnant and mazker of old Seventh Street, formerly one of downtown's main commercial thoroughfazes. 4. The I3ew Palace Theaue(St. Francis Hotel is eligible for local designation as a Heritage Preservation Site under criteria 1, 4 and 5 of Section 73.05(a) of the Legislative Code. HPC 1 of 28 qq 370 Heritage Preservation Commission Resotution: File �99-2 Pa�e Two NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission finds the New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel at 1- 33 W. Seventh Pl. and 435-37 N. Wabasha St. eligible for desia ation as a Heritage Preservation Site with the followin� preservation pro�ram: The New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel building, constructed in 1916, is a fine example of a Beaux Arts style commercial buildin� by St. Paul architects Buechner and Orth. Most of the buildina has changed ]ittle over time and the exterior has been well maintained. The most notable modifications to the exterior aze the existing theater marquee and sign, the renovated storefronts, the atuminum windows, and removal of the omamental wreaths and hotel signs atop the building. The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent �vith Buechner and ORh's original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be used in this regard. The following are par[iculazly important to consider in any future work on the building: Brick: Tuckpointing should match the composition, color, and tooling of the original mortar. Brick should be cleaned, if necessary, by the gentlest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Coruice: The pressed meta( cornice should be retained and repaired as necessary. It should be kept painted to prevent deterioration. Theater Entrance: If the theater doors and entry area are modified, it should be done in a manner similar to or compatib(e with the original design. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Heritage Preservation Commission now forwazds the proposed designation of the New Palace Theatre{St. Francis Hote] to the Saint Paul Planning Commission for review and comment in accordance with Section 73.05(b) of the Saint Paul Legislative Code and to the Minnesota Historical Society for review and comment in accordance with Section 73.05(c) of the Legislative Code. MOVED BY Frame SECONDED BY Paulson IN FAVOR AGAINST ABSTAIN HPC 2 of 28 y�-3�D CITY OF SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATIO\ COMMISSION STAFF REPORT FILE N.Ai�'IE: New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel Preservation Site Nomination LOCATIOI�: 1-33 W. 7th Pl., 435-37 N. Wabasha St. DATE OF HEARIVG: 1.21.99 LEGAL DESCRIPTION: Lots 9 through 14, B1ock 11, Bazi( and Guerids Addition to Saint Paul STAFP INVESTIGATION AND REPORT: AATE: 11�.99 BY: Aaron Rubenstein A. PTJRPOSE: To consider local designation of the New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel building as a heritage preservation site. B. CODE CITATIONS: Section 73.05 of the City's Legislative Code, Designation of heritage preservation sites, states: (a) Criteria. In considering the designation of any area, place, buitding structure or simitar object in the City of Saint Paul as a heritage preservation site; the commission shall apply the following criteria with respec6 to sz�ch designatiota: (1) Its character, interest or value as part of the rlevelopment, heritage or cultural characteristics of the City of Saint Paul, State of Minnesota, or the United States. (2) Its location as a site of a significant historic event. (3) Its identification with a person or persons who significantly conlributed to rhe culture and development of the Ciry of Saint Paul. (4) Its embodiment of distinguishing characteristics of an architectural or engineering type or specimen. (�) Its identification as the work of an architect, engineer, or master buitder whose individual work has influenced the development of the City of Saint Paul. (6) Its embodiment of elements of architecta�ral or engineering design, detail, materials or craftsmanship which represent a significant architectural or engineering innovation. (7) Its unique location or singular physical characteristic representing an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community or the City of Saint Paul. Section 73.05(d), Hearings, states: Prior to the heritage preservation commission recommending to the city council any building, district or object for designation as a heritage preservation site the commission shall hold a public hearing and seek the recommendation of a11 concerned citizens. Prior to such hearing the heritage HPC 3 of 28 99-3?0 HPC Staff Report: Nomination of Ne�v Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel, p. 2 preservation commission shatl cazrse to be published in a newspaper of general circzrlation notice of said hearing at least twenty (20J days prior to the date of the hearing, and notice of the hearing shall be sent to all owners ofproperty proposed to be clesignated a heritage preservation site and to a11 owners of property within one hundred (IQO) feet of the boundary of the areu to be designated a herituge preservation site. Section 73.05(e), Firading and recon:mendations, states: The heritage preservatiora con:mission shall detern:ine if the proposed heritage preservation site is eligible for designation as detern:ined by the criteria specifted in paragraph (a) of this section, and ifthe heritage preservation commission recommends to the city council that the site be designated as a heritage preservation site, the commission shalt transmit to the city cozrncil with its recommendation its proposed program for the preservation of the site. C. FINDINGS: I. The New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel is architecturally significant as a fine example of a Beau:c Arts sryie commercial bui{ding and as an important work of the prominent Saint Paul architectural firm of Buechner and Orth. 2. The New Palace Theatre/St_ Francis Hotel has cultural significance as one of only two remaining grand, downtown, vaudevillelmovie theaters From the first par[ of the twentieth century and the sole Seventh Street survivor of the bustling entertainment distcict that once centered on Seventh and Wabasha streets. The New Pa(ace TheatrelSt. Francis Hotel is significant in terms of city pianning and development: it is an early mixed-use building combining hotel, theater, and retail spaces; and it is a remnant and marker of old Seventh Street, formerly one of downtown's main commercial thoroughfares. D. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Based on the above findings, staff recommends that the New Palace TheatrelSt. Francis Hotel be designated as a Heritage Preservation Site with the following preservation program: The New Palace TheatrelSt. Francis Hotel building, constructed in 1916, is a fine example of a Beaux Arts style commercial building by St. Pau] architects Buechner and Orth. Most of the building has changed little over time and the exterior has been well maintained. The most notable modifications to the exterior are the existing theater marquee and sign, the renovated storefronts, the aluminum windows, and removal of the ornamental wreaths and hotel signs atop the building. The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent with Buechner and Orth's original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be used in this regazd. The following are particularly important to consider in any future work on the building: HPC 4 of 28 9y 370 HPC Staff Report: Desienation of New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel, p. 3 Brick: Tuckpointing should match the composition, color, and tooling of the ori�inal mortar. Brick should be cleaned, if necessary, by the gentiest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Cornice: The pressed metal cornice should be retained and repaired as neces,sary. It should be kept painted to prevent deterioration. Theater Entrance: If the theater doors and entry area are modified, it should be done in a manner similar to or compatible with the original design. HPC 5 of 28 HERITAGE PRESERVATION SITE NOMINATION SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATION COVIMISSION 1. Name Historic: Common: New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel Orpheum Theater and Seventh Place Besidence �� `�I �� 2. Location Address: 1-33 West Seventh Place and 435-37 North Wabasha Street Legal Descriptipn: Lots 9 through 14, Block 1 I, Bazit and Guerin's Addition to Saint Paul 3. Present Owner Name: Address: 4. Location Map Port Authority of the City of Saint Paul 345 Saint Peter Street #1900, Saint Paul MN 55102-1661 \ � / I . / � � � � ��P �` / )^\ J n \ 6 � � � � . ' � .' � „ '� ' i : . i�� '� • / � l � � 9 � � n � \ HPC 6 of 28 99' � Ne�v Pa4ace Theatre/St. Francis Hote! Nomination, p. 2 �. Description Number of contributing buildin�s on site: Number of noncontributing buildings on site: Sisnificantlandscape features: The New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hote1, no�ti known as the Orpheum Theater and Seventh P1ace Residence, is located at 1-33 West Seventh Place and 43537 North �Vabasha Street in downtown St. Paul. The building occupies the north side of Seventh Place between Wabasha and St. Peter streets and extends north almost half a block up Wabasha aod St. Peter. The New Palace Theatre a�d St. Francis HoteV is a symmetrical, four story, mottled tan pressed brick building that is roughly rectan�ular in plan. The three street-facing elevations contain storefronts at street level with the original hotel rooms on the upper stories. The theater auditorium occupies the northwestern part of the site. The theater lobby cuts through the storefront portion of the building to the theater entrance in the middle of the Seventh Place fapade. There is a square liaht couR at the center of the Wabasha Street end of the hotel building. The upper stories of that end also have two set-ins at the rear to provide additional illumination to the hotel rooms. The hotel building has hvo bays facing St. Peter Street, thirteen bays facing Seventh Place, and sis bays facing Wabasha Street. Its primary exterior materials are tan 6rick, cream terra cotta, and architectural sheet metal. The overall color scheme is subdued -- a cream-tan body with lighter accents and trim. A terra cotta cornice with paired, scroiled consoles above each pier articulates the functional division af the commercial ground floor from the remainder of the building. The upper story piers project slightly into pilasters, each resting on terra cotta pedestals molded into fasces and topped with free-form, tena cotta capitals bearing swags. The pitasters are margined with stacked brick headers. Terminating the walls on the three street elevations is a terra cotta frieze adorned with swags placed rhythmically above the pi(asters, a projecting sheet meta( cornice with dentils and modil(ions, and a plain brick parapet with tena cotta copings. Shallow modillioned pediments crown the comice above the comer bays along Wabasha Street and Seventh Place, and the frieze above them reiterates their slopes. Acroteria perch on the apex and lower angles of the frieze pediments; these once carried monumenta( tena cotta wreaths, but now only the pedestals remain. The parapet also rises to a pediment at the middle of the Seventh Place elevation, marking the theater entrance bay. This pediment is heavily ornamented. The standard bay embraces hvo pairs of rectangular, one-over-one, double-hung �vindows with cut limestone sills, but in each of the bays crowned by parapets the windows are evenly spaced. The pedimented comer bays contain three windows, this arrangement extending to the St. Peter Street side. Above the theater entrance are four evenly-spaced windows, creating a slightly wider bay at the center of the main elevation. On the third story, festooned terra cotta balconettes project beneath the windows of the comer bays on Wabasha Street and Seventh Place, as well as on the bays to either side of the theater entrance bay. These bays and the theater entrance bay are also distinguished by jack arches and projecting terra cotta keystones above each of the fourth-story windows. Spandrels throughout and at all ]evels carry ornamental brickwork panels beneath each window or window pair, their borders articulated by two courses of set-out brick with stone corner blocks and their heart composed of bricks arranged in a chevron pattem centering on a square, diagonally set stone block. HPC 7 of 28 �q 37a New Palace Theatre!St. Francis Hotel Nomination, p. 3 The ori�inal storefronts have been considerably altered over time. In l94 ( an extensive remodelina by �Vinsor/Faricy Architects aave them a precast stone base, bro�vn aluminum-trimmed and -mullioned storefronts and entries, and tan brick piers. These latter wrap or replace iron columns that oriQinally stood between the storefront bays. This alteration complements the orisinal buildin? by tying the masonry expanse of the upper stories to the ground. The theater entrance has also been altered considerably from original construction. Doors, marquee and si�n have been replaced, the present sign readin� "St. Paul Orpheum". The theater is separated from the southern part of the bui(din� by a narrow alleyway. Its massive rear wall, frontin� on St. Peter Street, is a distinctive feature of the building. Divided into three parts by tena cotta comices, the lower cornice continues the line of the storefront cornice but somewhat simplifies its design. The middle frieze and comice match the height, materials and design of those on the hotel buildin„ but without the periodic festoons. At the top of the wall is a simple cornice built up of sheet metal. Between the comices the masonry surfaces are treated in boldly contrasting manners. The lower part is an unadorned brick face resting on a cut limestone base and pierced only by a centrally located doorway topped by a shallo�v, bracketed hood. Pilasters matching those on the hotel portion of the building divide the middle and most expansive part into three equal bays. Each bay is identically decorated with a brick panel of diagonal diaperwork, the usual quatrefoil at the center of each module simplified into a roman cross. The upper part of the wall, which rises substantially higher than the parapet of the hotel, is divided into three blank brick panels �vith stepped margins. An octagonal chimney, recently shortened, rises just behind the wall. The grand two-story foyer of the New Palace Theatre originally featured two lavish marble staircases separated by a recessed fountain with a shell canopy and leading to a balcony that extended over most of the mezzanine floor. No intermediate suppoRS obstructed the view of the stage. The stage had a proscenium azch 40-feet by 40-feet in size, above which were painted murals. Omamental piaster work adomed the ceiling, walls, and balcony parapets. Beneath the stage were ten dressing rooms. Many of these original interior features have been removed or covered over, although much of the foyer's original marble walls and floors remain intact beneath modem sheathings. The hotel building is in good condition. The theater auditorium, however, has been unused and unheated for a number of years and may have roof problems. The New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel building is threatened with demolition to make way for a new St. Paul Companies office building. HPC 8 of 28 Ne�v Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel Nomination, p. 4 6. Significance Areas of Si�nificance: architecture, culture, city plannin� and development Period of Si�nificance: 1916 -] 977 �y-3 The New Palace Tfieatre and St. Francis Hotel buildina is both architecturally and historically significant. It is architectural]y siQnsficant as a fine example of a Beaux Arts styVe commercial building and as an important work of the prominent Saint Paul architectural firm of Buechner and Orth. It has cultural si�nificance as one of only two remainin� �rand, downtown, vaudeville/movie theaters from the first part of the hventieth century and the sole Seventh Street survivor of the bustlino entertainment district that once centered on Seventh and Wabasha streets. The bui(ding is also sionificant in terms of city planning and development: it is an early mixed-use building combining hotel, theater, and retail spaces; and it is a remnant and marker of old Seventh Street, formerly one of downtown's main commercial thorou�hfares. The New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel building was constructed in 1916 on the site ofthe city- owned Market Hall of 1881, which had been destroyed by fire on April 26, 1915. Herman Benz of George Benz and Sons, real estate developers who owned the Shubert theater/apartment complex at Wabasha and Exchange streets (now the Fitzgerald Theater and Shubert Apartments), purchased the lease on the Market Hall property in August 1915 and entered into an agreement with M. L. Finkelstein, a St. Paul jeweler, and I. H. Reuben, a Des Moines businessman. They had been in partnership in the movie theater business for several years by that time, operating numerous theaters in St. Paul, Minneapofis, and throughout the Midwest. Separately, Benz and Sons p(anned the construction of the St. Francis Hotel to be connected to the theater, commissioning the St. Paul architectural firm of Buechner and Orth to design the entire complex. A building permit for the $500,000 project was issued on December 29, 191� and construciion began shortly thereafrer. Work proceeded slowly at first on account of the bitter winter of 1915-16. The 215-room St. Francis Hotel opened on December 31, 1916. The St. Francis had a first floor lobby and dining room, with hotel rooms on the upper three floors of the building. In 1955 its name changed to the Capri Hotel. A conversion to rentat aparttnents took place in 1977, when the building acquired its present name of Seventh Place Residence. A variety of stores have occupied the ground floor of the hotel. Lona-time tenants have included the St. Paul Drug Co. and, later, Walgreen Co. Drugs, a c]othing store, a jewe(er, a florist, the Virginia Cafe, Floresheim shoes, the Bon Ton Meat Market, Mr. Johnson's Karmel Korn Shop, Brid�eman's Ice Cream, Adam Hats, and a confectioner. The New Palace, a 2,300-seat combined vaudeville and movie theater, opened in 1917. Loca( newspapers heralded the theater as one of the most beautiful between Chica�o and the West Coast. It was leased in May 1922 to the Orpheum theater circuit and became known as the Palace Orpheum. In 1930 the name changed to the RKO Orpheum and thereafrer went back and forth between that name and simply Orpheum. During this period the theater successfully made the transition from split use to a full time showhouse for feature-length movies. By the 1950's and 1960's, however, decreased use of public transit, declining numbers of downtown residents, and the burgeoning of suburban theaters led to a decline in the Orpheum's popularity and its closing in 1977. It reopened in 1981 as a second run movie house and the only regular motion picture theater operating in downtown St. Paul. After providing a temporary home to the live radio show "A Prairie Home Companion" while the ShubertlWoridlFitzgerald theater was being renovated in 1486, the Orpheum closed its doors for good. HPC 4 of 28 New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel Nomination, p. � 9y-3�' The New Palace/St. Francis building is a fine example of Beaux Arts architecture adapted to modem commercial buildin�s. At the turn of the century American cities besan to fi11 �vith elaborate renditions of neoclassical temples and pataces, using them to liouse state and local sovernments, libraries, museums, and train stations. A{I were �rand civic buildin�s distin�uished by monumental scale, symmetry, classical proportions, and a profusion of Italian or French Renaissance-inspired omament. Leadin� St. Paul examples are the State Capitol, the Pub{ic Library/Hill Reference Library, and the St. Paut Cathedral. Alongside of these arose more modest commercial buildings which freely adapted Beaux-Arts-inspired elements to local materials and functional building requirements. It is this latter type of Beaux ARs buildin�s to which the New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel belon�s, with its symmetrical facade, pedimented cornices, monumental pilasters, restrained palate, and profusion of neoclassical ornament. It is a fittin� companion to such architecturally related local landmarks as the St. Paul Hotel, the Lowry Arcade Building (now Lowry Professional Building) and the Shubert (now Fitz�erald) Theater/Shubert Buildin�. AII ware built in 1910. The New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel buildin� is also significant as an example of the work of prominent St. Paul architeMS Charles Buechner (18�9-1924) and Henry Orth. Other extant downtown St. Paul bui(dings they designed include the Shubert Building mentioned above, the Emporium Department Store (1910, now repackaged as a reflective glass box kno�vn as the Metro Square Building), and the Norwegian-Evan�elical Lutheran Church (1913, now known as Christ Lutheran Church) on Capitol Hi1L Chartes Buechner was a well known Midwestem architect who practiced in St. Paul for over forty years. He came to St. Paul in 1874 as a govemment surveyor and later worked as an engineer for the Northern Pacific Railway, rising to the position of superintendent of tracks, bridees and buildings. In 1883, Buechner entered the office of young St. Paul architect Garence H. Johnston, who woutd soon become one of the preeminent architects of the state. He lefr Johnston in 1891 to form a partnership with John Jacobsen that lasted until the latter's death in 1902. Suechner then established a partnership with Henry W. Orth. In addition to those buildings already mentioned, Buechner and Orth designed the Masonic Crippled Children's Hospital (MinneaQolis), the Ramsey County Poor Farm buildings, the St. Paul Arcade at Seventh and Robert, and the Mounds Park Sanitarium. Public buildings which the firm designed include courthouses at Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and Grand Forks and Wahpeton, North Dakota, and hospitals in Bismarck, North Dakota, and Dubuque, Mason City, and Sioux City, Iowa. Theater owner-developers Reuben and Finkelstein commissioned Buechner and Orth to design several of their entertainment palaces in St. Paul and the Midwest, including the New Astor at 449 N. Wabasha Street, where the Children's Museum now stands. All of their work displayed a strong Beaux Art character in plan, general design, and detail. The New PalacelOrpheum Theater is culturally si�nificant as one of only two remaining grand downtown, vaudeville/movie theaters from the first decades of the twentieth century. Many theaters were built in downtown St. Paul during that period, the grandest of them concenirated along Wabasha and Seventh streets. There were at least 17 theaters -- playhouses, vaudeville houses, and motion picture nickelodeons -- in downtown St. Paul by 1916. Prominent among these were the Star on Seventh Street near Jaclson (built 1901), the first Orpheum at Fifrh and St. Peter Streets (1906), the Princess at 21 E. Seventh Street (1910), the Alhambra at 16 E. Seventh Street (191 I), and the Empress at 479 N. Wabasha Street (1911). Even larger and more elaborate movie palaces sprang up across the country during the 1920s. St. Paul's was the 2,500-seat Capitol (later named the Paramount), built across the street from the New Palace Theater in i920 and incorporated into the Hamm Building. All of these have been demolished, with the most elaborate of them, the old Capitol Theatre, being thoroughly gutted and much- reduced to accommodate the present Seventh Place Theater. HPC 10 of 28 yy 3�a Ne�v Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel Nomination, p. 6 Finally, the New Palace TheatrelSt. Francis Hotel building is significant in terms of early city planning- and devetopment. It is amon� the first large scale buildinas in the city designed for multiple uses, combinin� theater, retail, and hotel components in a single complex_ It is also a remnant and marker of old Seventh Street, formerly one of downtown's main commercial thorouahfares. Finally, the Ne�v Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel is among the last survivors from the yeazs when Wabasha Street in downtown St. Paul was the site of a number of plush theaters, hotels and shops patronized by residents of all parts of the city. 7. References Michaud, Matthew, Gary Phelps and Susan Gran�er, National Re�ister of Historic Places Nomination Form for Three Downtown Theaters (New Palace, Shubert and New Astor), 1981. Millet, Larry. Lost Twin Cities. St. Paul: Minnesota Historica! Society Press, ] 992. Saylor, Henry H. Dictionary ofArchitecture. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 19�2. Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture Since ]870: A Guide to Ihe Styles. Cambrid�e, MA: M.I.T Press, 1981. Whiffen, Marcus and Frederick Koeper. American Architecture. Cambridge, MA: M.I.T Press, 1983. Minnesota Historical Society photo collection. City of St. Paul, building permit index cards. Port Authority of the City of St. Paul, blueprints of working drawings for theater, storefront renovation, and Seventh Place Residence renovation. I am indebted to architectural historian Paul Larson for a careful reading of the nomination and many helpful suggestions and additions. 8. Form prepared by: Aaron Rubenstein, Heritage Preservation Planner 15 January 1999 HPC 11 of 28 _i °�: i � !'• • � • 3:� :� �. .':i { w� �C. .- .S -� : �- _ il � 11 :�,�--;�- �.... �.�_ !:a �� . fi� �� + 1je'_' � l:`_F.� �• ��:' i • �;}�t.M � � 1 �� • � _4 E i -- ' �_ .• =_: w �€S� � �k`�� `�'��`� � --._ ---_.� `� `� E �' �' . �� [".a� R.\� F� 1 e`� �" t � i 3 �lr � r.. t . � r . �,�, �'�. r e a��fc` • -_ � c _:�!�� t .� �11 F �-•- 9 � � ° :, - n� `-_i��- `M},e.y �,.r: �i �� .'i � ��\ �. �.-,�... �;k�'. r:� �, � �� 1 �'ti�� 1 �i"� �/��a`�Ra2t -...i .�� -:` � . *..-�,��-�'-�' � . . 1i �, . �.�' -� � �, _ - ' �s,, . _ � ' `� ��..... • '� � M �. y ��, �s.l s. � ^1�� __ ♦ J r. . 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Y j . n� M S �1' Ibi.� � �_37D CITY OF SATNT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION RESOLUTION FILE NUMBER 99-t DATE 21 January 1999 WHEREAS, Chapter 73, Heritage Preservation Commission, of the Saint Paul Legislative Code states as one of its purposes to safeguard the heritage of the city of Saint Paul by preserving sites and structures which reflect elements of the city's cultural, social, economic, political, or architectural history; and WIiEREAS, Chapter 73 of the Legislative Code provides for desigpation as Heritage Preservation Sites buildings which reflect such elements and gives the Heritage Preservation Commission the responsibility of recommending to the Ciry Council the designation of Heritage Preservation Sites and programs for the preservation of such sites; and WHEREAS, the August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal building at 448 St. Peter St. is a three-story, limestone, commercial/residential structure constructed in 1858 and the Ciry Hotel buildina at 444 St. Peter St. is a three-story, brick, commercial/residential building constructed in 1888, both buildings being popularly known as the Coney Island buildings; and WHEREA5, the Heritage Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the proposed designation of the August BotzetlMinnesota State Arsenal building and the City Hotel building on 7anuary 21, 1999 pursuant to Sections 73.05(d) and (e) of the Saint Paul Legislative Code, and notice of the public hearing was published in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press and sent to the property owner and owners of property within 100 feet of the property being considered for designation; and WHEREAS, the Heritage Preservation Commission at its January 21, 1499 public hearing made the following findings: 1. Both buildings have historic and architectural significance to the city of Saint Paul. The August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal building (448 St. Peter) is architecturally significant as a rare surviving example of a distinctive early St. Paul building type: the commercia] block of quarry- faced local Platteville limestone. It is the oldest remaining building in downtown and the oldest commercial building in the city. 2. Jointly the rivo buildings are historically significant as markers of the large German-American community in St. Paul and their involvement in the building and hostelry trades in the early decades of the city. 3. The rivo buildings share significance as two of the few nineteenth-century buildings remaining on what has historicaily been one of the city's main commercial thoroughfares. 4. The 448 St. Peter St. building is historically significant for its use as a state azsenai from the final year of the U. S. Civil War, 1865, to 1880. 5. The August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal building and the City Hotel building aze eligible for locai designation as a Heritage Preservation Site under criteria 1 and 4 of Section 73.05(a) of the Legislative Code. HPC 15 of 28 y9 3�a Heritage Preservation Commission Resolution: File �99-1 Pa�e Two 1tOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul Herita�e Preservation Commission £mds the August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal building at 448 St. Peter St. and the Ciry Hotel building at 444 St. Peter St. eligible for designation as a Herita�e Preservation Site �vith the following preservation program: 448 St. Peter St. The August Botzet Buildin�innesota State Arsenal, constructed in 1858, is one of only two buildings with exposed limestone walls remaining in downtown. The most significant alterations to the building have been the additions of a brick facade in 1897 and, later, wood siding on the storefront. The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent �cith the original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabililation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be used in this regard. The follo�ving are particulazly important to consider in any future work on the building: Masonry: Tuckpointing should match the composition, color, and toolin� of the original mortar, to the extent possible. Brick should be cleaned, if necessary, by the gentlest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Storefront: The current storefront detracts from the architectural integrity of the building. If it is replaced, the design and materials of a restored or new storefront should be compatible with either the 1858 vintage of the building or the 1897 facade or both. Any historic materials under the existing siding should be retained if possible. Signage: Any new signage should be compatible with the historic character of the building; this excludes new neon signage. 444 St. Peter St. The City Hote(, constructed in 1888, is a good examgle of the many small storefronUhotel buildings once found in downtown St. Paul. The most significant alterations to building are ttte addition of stucco to the facade and wood siding to the storefront. The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent with the original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be used in this regard. The follo«'ing are particularly important to consider in any future work on the building: Masonry: Tuckpointing should match the composition, color, and toolin� of the original mortar, to the extent possibie. Brick should be cleaned, if necessary, by ihe gentlest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Storefroat: The current storefront detracts from the azchitectural integrity of the building. If it is replaced, the design and materials of a restored or new storefront should be compatible with the original. Any historic materials under the existing siding should be retained if possible. HPC 16 of 28 99 Heritage Preservation Commission Resolution: File #99-1 Page Three Signage: Any new signage should be compatible with the historic character of the buiiding; this excludes new neon signage. BE IT FURTHER TtESOLVED that the Herita�e Preservation Commission now forwards the proposed designation of the August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal building and the City Hotel buitding to the Saint Paul Ptanning Commission for review and comment in accordance with Section 73.05(b) of the Saint Pau1 Legislative Code and to the Minnesota Historical Society for review and comment in accordance with Section 73.05(c) of the Legislative Code. MOVED BY Buetow SECONDED BY Frame IN FAVOR AGAINST ABSTAIN HPC 17 of 28 99-37a CITY OF SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATIOti' COVIMISSION STAFF REPORT FILE ATAME: August Botzet BuiidingMlinnesota State Arsenal and Ciry Hotel Preservation Site Nomination LOCATION: 448 and 444 St. Peter Street DATE OF HEARING: L21.49 LEGAL DESCRIPTTON: Lot 7, Block 11, Bazil and Guerin's Addition to Saint Paul STAFF INVESTIGATION AND REPORT: AATE: 1.15.99 BY: Aaron Rubenstein A. PURPOSE: To consider local designation of the August Sotzet BuildinglMinnesota State Arsenal at 448 St. Peter St. and the City Hotei at 444 St. Peter St. as a heritage preservation site. B. CODE CITATIONS: Section 73.Q5 of the City's Legislative Code, Designation of heritage preservation sites, states: (a) Criteria. In consiclering the designution of nny urea, place, building, structure ar similar object in the City of Saint Pazd as a heritage preservation site; the commission shall apply the following criteria with respect to szrch designation: (IJ Its character, interest or value as part of the development, heritage or czdtural characteristics of the City of Saint Paul, State of Minnesota, or the United States. (2) Its location as a site of a significant historic event. (3) Its identiftcation with a person or persons who significantly contributed to the culture and development of the City of Saint Paul. (4) Its embodiment of disringuishing characteristics of an architectural or engineering rype or specimen. (.i) I1s identification as the work of an architect, engineer, or master builder whose individual work has ir�zrenced the development of the City of Sadnt Pau1. (6) Its embodiment of elements of architectural or engineering design, detail, materials or craftsmanship which represent a sign fcant architectural or engineering innovation. (7) Its unigue location or singular plrysical characteristic representing an established amd familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community or the Crty of Saint Paul. Section 73.05(d), Hearings,states: Prior to the heritage preservation commission recommending to the city cox+nci/ any building, district or object for designation as a heritage preservation site the commission shall hold a public HPC 18 of 28 qy_3�o HPC Staff Report: Nomination of August Botzet Buildin�innesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p. 2 hearing and seek the recommendation of all concerned citi�ens. Prior to such hearing the heritage presenation contmission shall cause to be pzrblished in a newspaper of general circulation notice of said hearing at least twenty (20) days prior to the date of the hearing, and notice of the hearing shall be sent to all owners of property proposed to be designated a heritage preservation site and to a11 owners ofproperty within one hundred (100) feet of the boundary oj the area to be designated a heritage preservation site. Section 73 AS(e), Finding and recommendations, states: The heritage preservation commission shall determine if the proposed heritage preservation site is eligible for designation as determined by the criteria specifted in paragraph (a) of this section, and if the heritage preservation commission recommends to the city coz�ncil that the site be designated as a heritage preservation site, the commission shall transmit to the city council with its recommendation its proposed program for the preservation of the site. C. FINDINGS: Both buildings have historic and architectural significance to the city of Saint Paul. The August BotzeUMinnesota State Arsenal buiiding (448 St. Peter) is architectura]ly significant as a rare surviving example of a distinctive early St. Paul building type: the commercial block of quarry-faced local Platteville limestone. It is the oldest remaining building in downtown and the oldest commercial building in the city. 2. Jointly the hvo buildings are historically significant as markers of the lar�e German-American community in St. Paul and their involvement in the building and hostelry trades in the early decades of the city. The rivo buildings share significance as two of the few nineteenth-century buildings remaining on what has historically been one of the city's main commercial thoroughfares. 4. The 448 St. Peter St. building is historically significant for its use as a state arsenal from the final year of the U. S. Civil War, 1865, to 1880. D. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Based on the above findings, staff recommends that the August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal and the City Hotel be designated as a Heritage Preservation Site with the fol(owin� preservation program: 448 St. Peter St. The August Botzet BuildinglMinnesota State Arsenal, constructed in 1858, is one of only two buildings with exposed limestone walls remaining in downtown. The most signi�cant alterations to the building have been the additions of a brick facade in 1897 and, Iater, wood siding on the storefront. HPC 19 of 28 q HPC Staff Report: Nomination of August Botzet BuildinaJMinnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p. 3 The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent with the original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidetines for Rehabititating Historic Buildings shall be used in this re�ard. The following are particularly important to consider in any future work on the building: Masonry: Tuckpointing should match the composition, color, and tooling of the original mortar, to the extent possible. Brick should be cieaned, if necessary, by the gentlest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Storefront: The current storefront detracts from the architectural integrity of the building. If it is replaced, the design and materials of a restored or new storefront should be compatibie with either the ] 8�8 vintage of the building or the 1897 facade or both. Any historic materials uader the existing siding should be retained if possible. Signage: Any new signage should be compatible with the historic character of the building; this excludes new neon signage. 444 St. Peter St. The Ciry Hotel, constructed in 1888, is a good example of the many small storefronUhotel buildings once found in downtown St. Paul. The most significant alterations to building are the addition of stucco to the facade and wood siding to the storefront. The exterior of the building should be preserved in a manner consistent with the original design intent. The federal Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be used in this regud. The following are particularly important to consider in any future work on the building: Masonry: Tuckpointing should match the composition, cotor, and tooling of the original mortaz, to the extent possible. Brick should be cleaned, if necessary, by the gentlest means possible and should not be sandblasted. Storefront: The current storefront detracts from the architectural integriry of the building. If it is rep3aced, the design and materials of a restored or new storefront should be compatible with the original. Any historic materials under the existing siding should be retained if possible. Signage: Any new signage should be compatible with the historic character of the building; this excludes new neon signage. HPC 20 of 28 y� 370 HERITAGE PRESERVATION STTE NOMINATION SAINT PAUL HERITAGE PRESERVATION COM�'IISSION 1. Name Historic: August Botzet BuildinglMinnesota State Arsenal (4�8 St. Peter) and City Hotel (444 St. Peter) Common: Coney Island or the Original Coney Island 2. Location Address: 448 and 444 Saint Peter Street Legal Description: I,ot 7, Block 11, Bazil and Guerin's Addition to Saint Paul 3. Present Owner Name: Frances Arvanitis, Loucas Arvanitis, and Hany Arvanitis Address: 444 Saint Peter Street, Saint Paul MN 55 1 02-1 1 07 4. Location Map HPC 21 of 28 August Botzet BuildinJMinnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p2 5. Description Number of contributin� buildin�s on site: 2 Number of noncontributino buildings on site: 0 Sionificantlandscape features: 0 yy-.�D The August Botzet Buildin�/Minnesota State Arsena� and the City Hotel buildins at 448 and 444 St. Peter Street; respectively, are three-story masonry structures with flat roofs and altered ground-floor facades. Unpainted vertical wood sidin� sheathes their street e(evations from side��alk to the second story �vindow si(ls of the 448 St. Peter buitding. Each building has trvo large square windows on either side of a slightly off-center recessed entry. The 444 St. Peter buildin� is the talter of the two and has an additional door near the north end of the fa�ade. The August Botzet BuildinglMinnesota State Arsenal building (448 St. Peter ) is constructed of crudely shaped and coursed ashlars of Platteville limestone. The original limestone walls remain exposed in the rear (east) and north elevations. A red pressed brick and brownstone veneer was applied to the street faqade in 1897. Each of the upper two stories has three evenly-spaced, rectangular, one-over-one double hung windows with brownstone sills and lintels. The fa�ade terminates in a simple corbelled cornice composed of stepped brick and a shallow coping. A story-and-a-half, two-sided, metal-and-neon sion with the legend "LTQUORS" on each face rises above the storefront siding and benveen the first and second window bays. On the north wall the predominantly gray limestone changes to buff near the top of the wall. The first story has four bricked-in openings of various sizes; the second story has one original rectangular, double hung window at the center and a similar but newer window nearer the front; the third story has one original window aligned with that of the second story. The two original windows have two-over-two sash and flat arches of limestone; the newer third window has one-over-one sash. AII have wooden sills. Masonry scars marking the one-time inseRion af roof rafters form a slightly s(oped line beneath the second story windows. They are the only remaining above-ground vestige of a one-story building attached to the north side in 1417. The east or rear elevatiocr has two second-story windows and three third story windows. At least two of these retain early two-over-two sashes. All the windows have thin, buff-colored limestone sills, and those on the second-story windows also have flat arches of limestone. A rectangular one-story concrete-block- and-brick addition juts from the east wall, on top of which rests a small wood shed addition blocking what was probably a third second-story window. The original brick street faFade of the City Hotel building (444 St. Peter) has been veneered with buff= colored stucco. The second story of this building has four evenly spaced, tal( and nanow, one-over-one, double hung windows with cut-stone sills and lintels, each lintel surmounted with a drip cap. A cut-stone belt course runs across the facade just below the lintels, and two small stone consoles are located just below the band on either side of the two middle windows. Perched on the two middle linteis is a shallow sheet metal pediment crowned with an anthemion. A two-sided metal-and-neon sign reading "ORIGINAL CONEY ISLAND." runs from the top center of the storefront siding to the base of this pediment. On the third story, the two center window openings have semicircular arches, while the two outer windows have shallow, segmental azches; all have limestone sills matching those on the second HPC 22 of 28 August Botzet Buildina i innesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p3 � y-3�o story. The windo�v heads of all but the southemmost ccindow openin� have been dropped and the ty'mpana paneled over «ith wood. A small stone patera is centered above the two middle windows. The buildin� is topped by a bracketed sheet metal comice, the center portion of which project; sli�htly beyond the rest, and a shallow parapet. The City Hotel's limestone foundation and ori�inal red brick remain exposed on other elevations. All three brick elevations show evidence of efflorescence and spalling. Some of the «orst areas of the south side were once parged, but only fragments of stucco remain. Six window openings appear on the first floor of the south side; the other two floors have five. The �round-floor windows have limestone sitls, while those above rest on thin brick belt courses that articulate the stories. All the «indows on the south elevation have stone sills and se�nental rowlock arches with brick keystones. The noRh wall is visibte only where it rises above the attached buildin� at 448 St. Peter; it has no openings. The rear elevation has a tall, narrow window and a transomed door on the north end of each of the upper stories; the first story has only a door and a low, bricked-in opening. Ail existing openings have segmental arches. One early two-over-two window remains in the rear; all the others are one-over- one. A wood stairway leads to a wood deck at the rear of the second story, and this in tum canies to a metal stainvay up to an identical third-story wood deck. Both decks are surrounded on three sides with pipe railings. The interior spaces and furnishings of the two buildin�s contain a significant number of early elements. The ground floor of 448, which underwent numerous remodelings during its first eiohty years, retains its art deco bar of the World War II era. While there have also been some alterations to the 1858 floor plan on the upper stories of 448, many oFthe origina] interior features remain intact, including staircases, ne�vel posts, doors, window and door trim, and door hardware. The City Hotel also retains many original details, particularly in the upper floors. To the north and east of the A44 and 448 St. Peter St. buildings are a driveway and surface parking lot used by the Children's Museum. To the south is the stagehouse of the New Palace-Orpheum Theater. The two subject buildings appear to be in reasonably good condition. The exteriors may need some maintenance but the structures and walls appear to be sound. They may be threatened with demolition to make way for a new St. Paul Companies office building. HPC 23 of 28 Ausust Botzet Buildin�/Minnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p.d 6. Significance Areas of SianiFcance: history, architecture Period ofSignificance: 18�8-1897 9y' Thoueh their front e3evations have been altered, the Au�ust Botzet Buildine /ivlinnesota State Arsenal and the City Hotel retain a hi�h degree of significance. The buildine at 448 St. Peter was constructed in 1858 as a store and flats. It is the oldest esistin� commercial buildin� in the city. It is also architecrurally si�ni5cant as a rare surviving examQle of a distinctive early St. Paul buildin� type: the commercial block of quarry-faced local Platteville limestone. Finally, it is historically si�nificant for its prolonged use as the state arsenat during and afrer the Civil War. The buildine at 444 �vas built in 1888 as a hotel and saloon. Jointly the two bui]din�s are historically si�nificant as markers of the large German- American communiry in St. Paul and their involvement in ffie building and hostelry trades in the eazly decades of the city. In addition, they share significance as t�vo of the few nineteenth-century buildings remaining on what has historically been one of the city's main commercial thoroughfares. Even today, St. Peter Street remains the northem gateway to the ciry's downtown. The alterations to their facades clearly degrade their architectural integrity but do not measurably diminish their historic significance. 4�8 St. Peter St. The Au�ust Botzet BuildinglMinnesota State Arsenal was constructed by stone mason August Botzet durin� the summer and fall of 1858. He bought the property for $300 i� 1854, the year in which the City of Saint Paul was incorporated, and constructed the building four years later in 1858, the same year in which Minnesota became a state. Botzet and his wife, Maria Lies Botzet, lived in the upper hvo stories, and the first story probably housed one of St. Peter Street's saloons or groceries. The Botzets were members of nearby Assumption Church and they had five children, the youngest of whom married prominent St. Paul (and German-American) architect Hermann Kretz. In 1865 Botzet rented the building to the State of Minnesota for use as the state arsenal. As soldiers returned home from the Civil War, the arsenal warehoused "prizes of war" as well as weaponry. Munitions used by the state militia were stored in the building, flags and other war trophies were eachibited, and parades often commenced or terminated at its door. Botzet sold the buiiding in 1868 to Lorentz Remetter, who continued to rent it out as the state arsenal until 1880. In that year Carl Hildebrand opened a boarding house and saloon, returning the building to a semblance of its original use. The 1880 federal census lists 14 of its 20 residents as German-born, with such occupations as tailor, laborer, hired help, carpenter, shoemaker, stone mason, locksmith, aod printer, The building was known as the Vater Rhein Hotel from 1882 to 1896. Remetter took over its operation from Hildebrand azound 1895, but died the year afrer. His widow, Emma Remetter, continued to own the building until 1913; but its management passed to others. It became known as the Standard Hotel in 1896, and the following year Matthias Ross, the executor of Remetter's estate, added a brick fa�ade. From 1898 to 1917 the building was called the Market Hotel in reference to the city market around the comer on Seventh Street. By 1929 it was known as the Arcade Hotel. The properties at 444, 448 and 450 St. Peter Street were purchased in 1914 by George Benz and Son, a real estate developer that bought the burned over Market Hall site in 1916 in order to construct the New Palace Theatre and St. Francis Hotel. In 1417, Benz erected a one story storefront building at 450 St. Peter and a one story garage building behind all three buildings at 444-50; these structures have all been razed. HPC 24 of 28 y9-37a August Botzet Building/Minnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p.5 The Arvanitis era at 444-48 St. Peter began in 1923 when brothers Nicholas and Gu>t opened a barber shop in the buildin� at 448 and lived upstairs. Nicholas Arvanitis opened a cafe on the sround floor of 4�0, the Ori�inal Coney Island, in 1923 or soon thereafter. In the ]ate 1930s or earl} 1940s Nicholas bou�ht the buildine at 448 alon� with the adjacent City Hotel. The Ori�inal Cone} Island cafe soon moved to 444, and a doonvay was cut through to an adjoinino bar at 448. Nicholas Arvanitis and his �vife Frances operated the Coney Island bar and restau�ant for five decades, Nicholas d}•in� in 1463 and his wife and children continuing the business until 1994, when she became ill. 444 St. Peter St. The adjacent City Hotel bui(ding at 444 St. Peter Street was designed by loca] architects Moritz Weiser and John F. Fisher and built at a cost of $10,000. The building permit was issued on April 12, 1888 and construction was comp{eted on August 1, 1888. lgnatius Will owned tfie building, as he had the wood frame hotel and saloon that preceded it. Fisher, who had come up through the ranks of carpentry and contracting, was just establishing a career that would establish specialties in small- to mid-scale commercial and instimtional building. From the outset the brick building at 444 served as a hotel and saloon, with Gebhard Eck the first proprietor. By 1895 it had acquired the name City Hotel, which lasted throu�h 19] 0. In 19ll it began a short life as the Charleston Hotel, but the old name came back in 1914 before givine way to Rossi Brothers Saloon and Boarding House in 1915. The building is listed as the Arcade Hotel from 1926 to 1932. The first story of the building went throuah a succession of uses after it ceased to be a saloon around the turn of the century. ]n 1905, it housed a cafe run by the City Hotel. Later occupants included a clothier (c. 1915), the White Bear Buffet (tate 1910s), and a sofr drink dispensary (1921). A tailor, Samuel Hoffman, opened shop in 1923 and occupied the first story until at least 1930 under the slogans "Hoffman Gothes of Distinction" and "The Talk of the Town." Sipnificance Both the August Botzet Building/Minnesota State Arsenal and the City Hotel building are significant for their association with the German-American community in St. Paul. The first concentration of German residenis was in the downtown area around Assumption Church, which was sometimes referred to as the German Cathedral. A half block to the nor[hwest of the two buitdin�s, the church of 1869-74 weazs the same craggy native limestone as the building at 448. The original owners and most of the nineteenth and early twentieth century residents of both buildings were German Americans. When the hotets were at their heyday, Germans were the largest group of foreign-born residents in St. Paul. Both buildings are also significant as examples of small commerciaUresidential buildings from the second half of the nineteenth century in this part of downtown Saint Paul. St. Peter Street and those intersecting it were once full of such small buildings providing food and drink on the ground floor and short and long term housing to immigrants and tradesmen on the upper floors. The August Botzet Building/Minnesota State Arsenal and the City Hotet are two of the three remaining buildings of this age and type west of Robert, the area of downtown that historically constituted its commercial core. The few other pre-1880 buildings which remain in the downtown azea, besides the building at 448 St. Feter Street, are a c.1860 limestone building at 252 E. Seventh (which also received a brick veneer in the 1880's), Assumption School (1864) and Chutch, and the First Baptist Church (1874). HPC 25 of 28 Au�ust Botzet Buildin�/Minnesota State Arsenal and City Hotel, p.6 q�' a The Au�ust Botzet Building/Minnesota State Arsenal is particularly significant for a number of reasons: 1. It is the oldest commercial buildin� in St. Paul. 2. It is the oldest structure in downtown St. Paul. 3. It is the o(dest limestone structure in St. Paul and Minneapolis. 4. Its upper two floors contain the best-preserved antebellum interiors in the Twin Cities. S. It is the only known remaining state arsenal buildin�, having served in that capacity from 18b5 to 1880. 7. References Richter, Bonnie, ed. St. Paul Omnibus: Images o} the Changing City. St. Paul: Old Town Restorations, 1474. Saylor, Henry H. Dictionary ofArchitecture. Ne�v York: John Wiley and Sons, 1952. Sazevich, 3ames. Interview on January 13, 1999. St. Paul historian Jim Sazevich generously provided much of the information regazding the history of the two buildings, basing his findings on city directories, atlases, city and county records, newspaper accounts, and interviews with the Arvanitis family and others. I am grateful for his assistance. I am indebted to architectural historian Pau! Lazson for a careful reading of the nomination and many he(pfu( suggestions and additions. 8. Form prepared by: Aaron Rubenstein, Heritage Preservation Planner I S January 1999 APC 26 of 28 q9.3�o �r. P�rstz S� . HPC 27 of 28 �� - 99�3�° �-� -_' �� - �--- - - � �� RE��- �� i: � . — ,a � �- >�, . �_ � � _ — �. . i £ y -�:;�.�a __ — — -J - .� � � 's :'� • �->: ,,.�`��.`.T �, `t ' — -.-- _. . — i a., ��•� r �. '`+ ��.a:a _� � ..�`Tyi y'� ` 3 � .� 9u ' ,_ "'��: - -" _ ' � =.>,r c3" �I _-- _ �–�`. :.� � � . � —� • � _ " 1 � ;_,�; �� - , �„ ,�_ . I��-� ,� j ( .j �i ;: -,. ° �i� r _1 ` �Y :Q .._ ; - x=�- .� , ��: � � : - z `- •� � � � ' � ,a.?'� � f e ■. , a'�.� . �� __°.-�-�.� � �`•' �� S�r. PtTE�, S-r . xrc zs of 2s ��/ �� HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION CITY OF SAINT PAUL MINUTES: Meeting of 21 January 1999 5:00 p.m. Room 40, Saint Paui City Aall Commissioners Present: Buetow, Frame, Hargens, Heide, Murphy, Paulson, Skrief, Trent Commissioners Absent: Benton, Larson LIEP Staff Present: Lobejko, Rubenstein I. ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Heide started the meeting at 5:10 p.m. He asked Vice Chair Skrief to provide, prior to approval of the agenda, some background on the Orpheum block nominations issue. Commissioner Skrief described the commission's involvement with the issue beginning in September, 1998. He stated the commission invited representatives from the Saint Paul PoR Authority, the Planning and Economic Development Department (PED), the St. Paul Companies, and the Arvanitis famity to the October 8, 1998 commission meeting to discuss the St. Paul Companies' proposed new buildin�. All but the St. Paul Companies attended, he said. The commission sought information to begin a discussion about possible responses to that information, Skrief said. He stated that he said at that meeting that the commission is charged by ordinance to advise the City on matters regarding historic preservation, that the commission takes that charge seriously, and that historic preservation is cited as a Ciry goal not only in the ordinance establishing the commission but also in virtually every planning document the CiTy produces. Skrief co�tinued to review the October 8, 1998 meeting, at which PED said that it took no position regarding commission action and that it had no opinion about designation of the properties, said Skrief. Skrief then said that the commission asked its staff to prepare a preliminary report regazding the historic significance of the subject properties, which report was reviewed at the foilowing HPC meeting on October 22. At the October 22 meeting, the commission decided to proceed with the nomination process, said Skrief, based on three reports: 1) the 1983 survey sponsored by the City and Ramsey County Historical Society, which identified the Orpheum and St. Francis as historically significant; 2) a 1991 letter from the HPC to PED sayinL the Coney Island buildings were "`clearly eligible for designation as heritage preservation sites. Their continued preservation should be among the highest priorities in any plans for the area" ; and 3) the Saint Paul on the �Llississippi Development Framework which describes the Seventh Place Residence and Orpheum Theater as historically important and, on p. 92, calls for their rehabilitation. II. APPROVAL OF TF� AGENDA Chair Heide informed commission members that, shortly before this meeting, the Mayor's Office made a request to the commission to delay making a decision regazding nomination and entertain a request from the St. Paul Companies for continued discussion regarding design consideration for development of the site. Buetow stated there was no reason why a discussion HPC Minutes of Meeting O1/21/99 — 1 of 9 9y.3 HPC Minutes of 21 January ] 999, p. 2 between the various parties involved conld not be held aRer the buildings are designated. Commissioner Buetow moved approval of the agenda; Commissioner Hargens seconded. Motion approved (7 - 0). Chair Heide said he would like to hear first from the St. Paul Companies, then discuss layover, and then possibly proceed with the public hearing. III. PRESENTATION BY KAREN HIMLE AND KEN Karen Himle, representing the St. Paul Companies, said the opportunity to come to the HPC tonight presents a unique opportunity to work together in the best spirit of community. What we are requesting, she said, is development of a process that demonstrates respect for St. Paul's historic past while paving way for a bright future, a process that proves that preservation and progress are not mutually exclusive. Himle stated that the company's workforce had expanded beyond existing company buildings and continues to grow. She said the process they propose is new only to St. Paul but has been used successfully elsewhere. Ken Greenberg, primary author of the St. Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework, mentioned a number of development objectives for downtown and said that they are not mutually exclusive objectives--they cannot be dealt with in isolation. One seeks to optimize a number of different objectives at the same time, he stated. Greenberg said that a growing St. Paul Companies can play a stimulating role in animating the streets of downtown and (ink with existing downtown assets. He suggested expioring techniques and solutions to accommodate growth and change in historic areas--a two to three month process involving representatives of the HPC, the St. Paul Companies, and their architects in a series of steps. A first meeting would examine objectives and expectations, the historic significance of the structures, deve]opment objectives and coniext. At a second session, he continued, architects would bring back a vaziety of conceptual approaches, followed by a second iteration if necessary. The next step would be a public presentation, foilowed by recommendations to the HPC, the St. Paul Companies, and City a�encies. Commissioner Buetow asked how this process wauld be different from those already prescribed. He added that this group could meet to discuss design options afrer the commission nominates the buildings, if it chooses to do so. Mr. Greenberg responded by saying that the proposed process would permit exploration of issues and opportunities in a non-adversarial manner, allowing creative opportunities to emerge. IV. DISCUSSION OF LAYOVER OF NOMINATIONS Mayor Coleman emphasi2ed the importance of having the conversation before the action of govemment. He said that the St. Paul Companies' proposition is a simple one and a fuller discussion is needed before the "wheels of govemmenY' begin to move. The Mayor stressed the City's commitment to the Framework to guide development and said the proposed St. Paul Companies building is a wonderful development opportunity for downtown. He noted that HPC Minutes of Meeting Ol/21/99 — 2 of 9 9 9.3?� HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. 3 St. Paul Companies, the city's largest, oldest, most benevolent employer, proposes to build a new office tower, without a penny of Ciry money, for 3,000 new employees over 10 years and possibly 6,000 over 20 years. Coleman added that the project would not move farward without resolving housing concems. Commissioners Skrief and Frame asked Ms. Himle if the St. Paul Companies had an opinion about the nomination forms. Himle responded that the St. Paul Companies is a� insurance company, has no expertise in this matter, and therefore has no opinion with regard to historic preservation. Commissioner Murphy asked if the buildings would be demolished if the commission voted to delay nominating the buildings. Himle said they would not. Commissioner Hargens stated that the commission is probably a bit "gun shy" about this project because the Salvation Army headquarters building was demolished recently by a good St. Paul corporate citizen. Hargens also said that designation is only recognition of historic significance and does not necessarily imply that the buildings cannot 6e altered. Chair Heide asked commissioners if they wanted to decide now on the St. Paul Companies' request, wait until after the pubtic hearing, or not act at all. Commissioners Frame and Buetow stated they wished to hear from the public. Deputy Mayor Susan Kimberly said she had asked the commission to hear from the St. Paul Companies, conduct the public hearing, and not take action tonight on the nominations for two reasons: to engage in a process before setting the wheels of govemment in motion and to address some procedural problems. Robert Kessler, LIEP Director, stated ihat since this is the first time the commission has proceeded with a nomination with LIEP as staff support, this is a new area for LIEP. Kessler questioned whether or not staff reports and recommendations should be given in cases such as these. Time is needed to determine the appropriate process, he said. Commissioner Paulson moved to open the public hearing portion oS the meeting; Buetow seconded. Motion approved (8 - 0). V. PUBLIC HEARING A. Slides Mr. Rubenstein presented slides of the subject buildings. B. Testimony from Property Owners Mary Ellen Arvanitis said that her family's properry and buildings are not for sale and that she is most appreciative of the commission's efforts to help protect the'u buildings. Louie Arvanitis said "I want our buildings designated, and I have always wanted it that way, but iYs a shame that I have to have it designated in order to protect it." We've been here 75 yeazs, he added. Mr. Arvanitis stated that they aze in the process of restoring the enrire buildings, including the facades; that their mother has been ill and requires constant, 24 hour, care; that they pay roughly $50,000 annually to maintain the buildings; that the St. Paul Companies has property or could HPC Minutes of O1J21/99 - 3 of 9 qy-3? a HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. 4 build to the north; that they are going to reopen; that the St. Paul Companies never talked to his family about selling their property until this week; and that they aze seekin� to have the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places with the help of historian Jim Sazevich. Bill Morin, Director of Real Estate for the Port Authority, said that he presented to the HPC last October the reasons the Port Authoriry is opposed to desia ation, that the Port still takes that position, and that he recommends the process proposed by the St. Pau] Companies. C. Public Testimony Tom Mischke, 789 I�I. A(beR St., said that if the Coney Island buildings are not worthy of designation he doesn't know what is; that they are spending $4 million to move the Shubert Theater in Minneapolis--a city not known for cazing a6out historic buitdings; that the St. Paul Companies can build elsewhere in downtown; that nothing the commission does wi(( matter if the "powers that be" want these buildings down; and that visitors to Saint Paul do not visit insurance company buildings but historic buildings. Paul Gold, 172 E. Sixth St. and former resident historian of the Seventh Place Residence, said he had prepared a history of the building, including the cover story of the winter `97 issue of the Ramsey County Historical Sociery publication. He listed importa�t vaudeville groups and performers who stayed at the St. Francis--Charlie Chapiin, W. C. Fields, Jack Benny, George Burns and Gracie Alten, John and Ethel Barrymore, and Harry Houdini--and big bands including Tommy and 3immy Dorsey, Guy Lombardo, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Paul Whiteman, as well as sports legends--particularly boxers. He stated that ail the great and near-great performers of stage, screen, and sport at one time stayed at the St. Francis Hotel. The building merits designation, he said. Dwayne Radel, V ice President for Law for Minnesota Life, 400 N. Robert St., said that Minnesota Life strongly supports the St. Paul Companies's request, that it is important to preserve history and prospects for a bright future, and that we don't have to choose between history and progress. Rick A�uilar, 602 Smith Av. and Chair-Elect of the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, said we want downtown St. Paul to thrive and be an exciting piace, that it's important to have dialogue and discussion before govemment acts, and that solutions can be found. Brian Leo, Richfieid, said this is an adversarial situation and he explored the meanings of adverse. He urged preservation of the Coney Island buitdings. Sue Kosmalski, 1509 23rd Av. NW, St. Paul, said she is passionate about the Orpheum, one of the last historic structures left in St. Paul. She said a significant number of technical and azchitectural details oFthe building remain from early vaudeville days and she encouraged their documentation. She added that she hopes the Orpheum and St. Francis can be preserved and asked that representatives of the pub]ic be allowed to participate if the process goes forward. HPC Minutes of O1/21/99 — 4 of 9 yg 37a HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. 5 James Crowther, 7�7 E. Sixth St., an architectural historian, referred to a reuse study that found the theater difFcult to reuse but said it's important to save the Coney, the St. Francis Hotel, and at least the facade of the building to maintain the historic streetscape of downtown. Dick Anfang, Executive Secretary of the St. Paul Building Trades Council and a member of the boards of the Riverfront Corporation and the Historic St. Paul Foundation, said that there is an opportunity to divide further the community or to seek a win-win situation. He added that this is a tremendous opportunity to have the Design Center bring people together to find a compromise. Victor Gomez, community liaison for Landmark Personnel at 1414 White Bear Av., said that he was sad ihat so many people are angry at such a good corporate citizen as the St. Paut Companies, that it's important to be fair and even-handed, and that "people do not eat bricks; people need jobs." Chua Yang, 886 Cook Av. E., said that Hmong people understand and appreciate history but also understand chan�e and the necessity for progress. He said the commission is in a difficult position--balancing history and progress--and encouraged listening to St. Paul Companies and their process. Perhaps agreement can be reached, he concluded. Larry Dow, 332 Minnesota St., with the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, asked the commission to not proceed with designation at this time. He said Greenberg's proposal is very reasonable. LeYs try to find a solution to respect the past and promote the future, he added. Dow said he understands and respects that the commission's mission may not include issues of job creation and income but some take this issue very seriously. We can't ignore the possibility of 2,000 new jobs and a$50-100 mitlion investment without a dime of any public subsidy or support, he stated. Dow said that Tom Kingston, an executive committee member and Wilder Foundation President, told him "Make sure we do everything we possibly can do to ensure that the St. Paul Companies project moves forward because iY s in the best interest of all citizens of this community" and we witl deal with the issues of housing and appropriate preservation. Dow urged finding a win-win solution. Brett Smith, Minneapolis, former owner of Scottie's on Seventh, said he was involved in saving the State Theater in Minneapolis in 1985 and had a vision as early as 1975 that if you build and restore theaters the people wiil come. The most significant thing happening in Minneapolis to bring peopte in from the suburbs are its theaters--they don't come to see glass buildings, he continued. People had lots of excuses and reasons and studies why the Orpheum and State theaters wouldn't work and they've been proved wrong, said he. The State is one of the best examples of integrating preservation and development--in fact David Frauenshuh, the LaSalle Place developer, said the project is much better with the theater included, Smith stated. Minneapolis is going to tremendous effort and expense to move the Shubert Theater because tha developer said a hotei had to be located at that comer; the developer ]ater changed its mind. People have slways said about historic buildings that they can't incorporate them, it costs too much, nobody will come--don't believe them. The St. Paul Companies have made widely recognized contributions to the community, Smith HPC Minutes of Meeting O1/21J99 -� of 9 q9_ HPC Minutesof2l January ]999, p. 6 continued, but it's very inappropriate to try to leverage their good will at a hearing on the merits of these historic strucrures. What they have put forward is irrelevant to the historic significance of the buildings. Smith added that he sees nothing site-specific about the St. Paul Companies' project that calls for it to be located at this site. He conduded by saying it is the HPC's responsibility to recommend based on criteria and not to be co-opted by a last minute proposal. Jim Sazevich, 454 N. Smith, said he helped to organize the HPC and he criticized the City and St. Paul Companies for trying to politically influence and take over a commissioa IYs an insult to the public and its rights, he said. The public is here to watch, guard, and shepherd the HPC, he added. He further criticized the City for questioning the HPC and its processes. Sazevich stated that those buildings belonp to us, the people. Richard Wolfgramm, an architect practicing at 336 N. Robert St., said that architecture can provide a solution in situations like this one; that he endorses the St. Paul Companies' process; that architecture and history are additive processes; and that architects are trained to find solutions. He urged the commission to look at, scrutinize, and evaluate solutions that will come before it. Mary Helen Inskeep, 9 W. Seventh Pl., said the focus here shou(d be on the historic significance ofthe buildings and not on political considerations. She said the Orpheum and St. Francis Hotel are beautiful and historic and form an important streetscape with the I-Tamm Building. She then reviewed the historic significance of the Coney Island buildings from the staff report--oldest building in downtown, limestone construction, used as state arsenal during and afrer the Civil War, and markers of the German American community in St. Paul. Annette Blazek, 9 W. Seventh PI., said that she did not understand why the City and St. Paul Companies aze opposed to public discussion and that consideration of the historic significance of the buildings is just the beginning and not the end of the process. She also said that she believes the Seventh Place buildings aze historically significant and that the Framework calls for preserving and renovating buildings for housing for an expanded ra�ge of incomes. George Edwards, Executive Director of the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota (PAM), said that, on behalf of PAM members, he endorses the nominations and believes that the buildings do have significant merit. He said that these buildings are representative of broader issues--the loss of fabric, history and place that define our communities, and that these buildin�s represent an opportunity to preserve the history, texture, and pedestrian feel of this community as well as opportunities for downtown housing, small retail, and a number of uses in these buildings. Edwards encouraged the commission and the City to look carefully at ways to preserve and recycle these buildings. He added that there appear to be other site optio�s, and development will stimulate additional redevelopment of historic buildings--that would be win-win. Rehabilitation, many studies demonstrate, generates more jobs than new construction, enriches the tax base, brings people to central cities, provides housing and incubation of small businesses, and creates pedestrian traf�ic that makes downtown vital and successful, he said. He concluded saying that there is room for compromise but it should be to examine other sites and preserve and recycte these buildings for the success of downtown St. Paul. HPC Minutes of Meeting Ol/21/99 — 6 of 9 9 ��a� HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. � Ed Groves {Gross?} said these bui{dings are historic. He spoke dramatically about his love for the Orpheum and about performances he had seen there during the theater's ear]y years. Let's preserve these buildings, examine your consciences and don't be misled, and let the people also vote on this, he said. Don Ludeman, 1504 Selby Av., encouraged the commission to move swiftly with the nominations, which have merit. He said it seems the process proposed by the St. Paul Companies and Mr. Greenberg should have been presented earlier or perhaps following designation. He said that it is the commission's responsibility, representino the citizens, to move fonvard with the designations and that he is disturbed that the Mayor's Office has cast this in an adversarial light. A vote to nominate is not a vote against the St. Paul Companies, he concluded. Doug Lamb, 435 N. Wabasha St., said thai everyday we hear customers saying there is no history left in downtown, that what happens in five years when the new building is full?, and that he supports the desionations. Patrick Loonen, Development Director for the Capital Ciry Partnership, said that many St. Paul Companies employees are St. Paul residenu and therefore this situation is not one of citizens vs. a large corporatio�; that the building is owned by the Port and not by the public or the people; that for the first time we have a good buyer who is interested in developing the site; that the next purchaser could be a slum (andlord; that we need to look at the whole situation and the development capacity of this building; and that we need to look at the balance of things, including preservation and development. He encouraged choosing the St. Paul Companies' process. Councilmember Chris Coleman said he would not speak to whether the commission should nominate these sites but only to the issue of whether the commission should make a decision tonight. It is clear, he said, you've got to move forward tonight. He said that from the beginning he has requested the kind of public process proposed here tonight, that without power you have no place at the table, and that without designation you have no say or place at the table. The St. Paul Companies, if they wish to participate in a discussion, will do so whether or not these buildin�s are designated, he concluded. Deborah Curtis Smith, Minneapolis, said it takes the HPC to stand up to city government--you have to push forward this designatio�. Tom Peterson, 9 W. Seventh Pl., said that there has been no effort on the part of the Port Authority, the Mayor's Office, and the St. Paul Companies to have a public discussion; that this has happened only because of the Community Stabilization Project, the HPC, and Chris Coleman; and that this last minute proposal is political shenanigans. Heating no further testimony, Chair Heide closed the public hearing. HPC Minutes of Meeting O1/21/99 - 7 of 9 �^� �� J HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. 8 VI. DISCUSSION Mr. Rubenstein explained the nomination process and clarified that the St. Paul Companies had first relayed their process proposal to the Commission two weeks prior. Rubenstein also stated that it was the City Attomey's opinion that the commission could layover this matter if it so desired and enga�e in an alternative process with the St. Paul Companies but that would be a separate issue or question from historic significa�ce and designation. Chair Heide said there aze two issues before the commission: I) a request from the St. Paul Companies to layover the nominations and to engage in a process with them to try to find a design solution and 2) whether the commission should proceed with the nominations. He asked for discussion first about the St. Paul Companies' request. Commissioner Murphy said that he is in favor of designating these structures but, in the interest of all parties having the opportunity to be heard and that this commission arrive at the best possible decision, he suggested entertaining the St. Paul Companies proposal with the codicil that the buildings absolutely not be demolished during that time and that the commission be given access to their full rational for what they want to do, and he so moved. The motion died for iack of a secoad. Commissioner Buetow said that he is stili not convinced that the process will lack creativity, innovation or conciliation if we have already nominated or designated; that he believes in the value of the HPC's public process; that we engage in this process, trying to find where history and preservation fit within the development of downtown St. Paul; and that the HPC is charged to look through the lens of preservation and we nominate with an eye toward that end. The Ciry Council, he continued, an elected body, can then make those political decisions which aze broader, which are economic, which have to do with housing, which have a greater range than our expertise and responsibility. Commissioner Skrief agreed that the two issues before the commission, nominations and the St. Paul Companies process, are not necessazity mutually exc]usive. Commissioner Buetow moved to nominate the August Botzet Bnilding ! Minnesota State Arsenat and the City Hotel as heritage preservation sites. Commissioner Frame seconded the motion. Frame said the commission heard during the public hearing support for the historic significance of the buildings and heard nothing refuting their significance. Motion approved unanimously (8 - 0). Commissioner Frame moved to nominate the Orpheum Theater f Seventh Place Residence as a heritage preservation site. Commissioner Paulson seconded the motion. Motion approved unanimously (8 - 0). Commissioners Sivief and Murphy recommended that Chair Heide appoint a committee to discuss with St. Pau] Companies and others the form and details of a process and report back to HPC Minutes of Meeting O1/21/99 — 8 of 9 y�-3�a HPC Minutes of 21 January 1999, p. 9 the commission. Commissioners Murphy, Haz�ens and Buetow agreed to serve on this committee. VII. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m. Submitted by: l�.`�VL' i`:. 1 1,.{.l.V`(. W�ti � Aaron Rubenstein Preservation Planner Approved by: G � Dudley Yo nkin HPC Secretary ' HPC Minutes of Meeting O1/21/99 — 9 of 9 9y•3za HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSTON CITY OF SA1NT PAUL MINUTES: Meeting of 22 October 1998 5:00 p.m. Commissioners Present: Commissioners Absent: Room 40 Saint Paul City Hall Baker, Benton, Frame, Hargens, Heide, Murphy, Paulson, Skrief, Trent Buetow, Larson City Staff Present: Lobejko, Rubenstein--LIEP I. Chair Skrief opened the meeting by congratulating Commissioner Murphy for bein� recenfly elected president of the Minnesota Historical Society. II. III. IV Benton made a motion to approve the agenda; Murphy seconded the motion. Motion was approved 8- 0. Hargens made a motion to approve the minutes from the September 24,1998 meeting; Baker seconded. Motion was approved 9- 0. BUSINESS A. Consider staff renort reQazdine Orpheum block buildings. Chair Skrief reviewed the historic designation nomination process for members of the audience and made a strong statement about the cunent situation. Fred Kueppers, attorney for the Arvanitis family, stated the Arvantis family prefers that their property not be designated because it is already subject to govemment regulation regarding zoning, building, food and alcohol and designation would be another layer of regulation. Frame stated the importance for people to understand that the HPC is at the beginning of the process of designation. Frame moved for the HPC to begin the designation process with all due haste; Benton seconded the motion based on the downtorvn development framework and the HPC's charge. Louie Arvantis stated that designation should not be needed in order to save his family's property. Pam Wheelock, Director of PED, stated that the City has no position about designation but may have a position about the need for redevelopment. The motion was approved 9- 0. Hargens moved that Chair Skrief appoint a task force composed of commission members to work with PED, the Port Authority and other relevant parties in order for the HPC to be part of the process; Baker seconded the motion. The motion _ passed on a vote of 9- 0. HPC Minutes of Meeting 1OJ22/98 - 1 of 1 �Jy_32a 1II\\F,SOT:1 H[�TORTC�IL SOCIETI 9 February 1999 David Heide, Chair Saint Paul Heritage Preservarion Commission David Heide Design 400 S. A`� St. #710 Mumeapolis, MN 55415 Dear Mr. Heide, RE: Local designation of: c^ �_ 0 :� • New Palace Theatze/St. Francis Hotel, 1-33 W. 7'� Pl., 435-437 N. VJabasha St., MFiS Referral File No. 99-1476 • August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal Building and City Hotel, 448 and 444 St. Peter St., MHS Referral File No. 99-1477 Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the above referenced designations. They have been reviewed pursuant to Minnesota Statutes s471.193. subd. 6, and Section 73.05(b) of the Saint Paul Legislaiive Code. The New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel is architecturally significant as a good example of a Beaux Arts sryle commercial building and as an important work of the Saint Paul architectural firm of Buechner and Orth. The New Palace/St. Francis has cultural significance as one of only two remaining large scale vaudeville/movie theaters in downtown from the eazly twentieth century and as a remnant of ihe lively ente:iai.-i.�ea: disLrict Lhat er.ce ceatezed oa Seventh ar.d �Jabasha s*see?s. Finally, this b»ildin� gairs historical significance as a representative example of an eariy mixed-use building combuung hotel, theater and retail spaces along what was once one of downtown Saint Paui's primary commercial nodes. The New Palace Theatre/St. Francis Hotel is a good candidate for local designation under criteria 1, 4 and 5 of Section 73.05(a) of the Saint Paui Legislative Code. The August Botzet/Minnesota State Arsenal Building is architecturally significant as a raze survivor of a quarry-faced Platteville lunestone cammercial building. Constructed in 1858, it gains historical significance as the oldest remaining building in downtown St. Paul, the oldest commercial building in the city, and for its use as a state arsenal from 1865 to 18&0. The City Hotel Building, constructed in 1888, is historically significant for its association with tfie lazge German-American eommunity in St. Paul, whose members were historically involved in the building and hostelry trades, and as one of the few small scale, nineteenth-cenriuy commercial buildings extant in downtown St. Paul. The August Botzed Minnesota State Arsenal Building and the City Hotel Building are eligibie for local designation under criteria 1 and 4 of Section 73,05(a} of the Legislative Code. 3.43hELLUCGBOI'LF�',\RD��EtlI'/y:\I\'P ['.\CC.1'�I:V�F:SU'R\.iilU_^-l9UG/"(�ELF.PIlOtYE:61_'- MISC 1 ..F 9 . , ,� Mr. David Heide/Page 2 If you have any questions regarding our assessment of these properties, please contact this office. Sincerely, �jt.�aC-c' � �--�. � U Britta L. BIoomberg Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer cc: Aaron Rubenstein, Heritage Preservation Planner, City of Saint Paul MHS 2 of 2