Downtown Saint Paul | |
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.jpg)   View of Downtown Saint Paul | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Ramsey |
| City | Saint Paul |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.010 sq mi (2.62 km2) |
| Population (2023) | |
• Total | 10,000 |
| • Density | 9,900/sq mi (3,800/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 55101 |
| Area code | 651 |
Downtown Saint Paul is the central business district ofSaint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Its boundaries are theMississippi River to the south,University Avenue to the north,US 52 to the east, and Kellogg Boulevard to the west. It is bounded by theDayton's Bluff,Summit-University,West Seventh,Frogtown, West Side, and Payne-Phalen neighborhoods. The West Side neighborhood is on the other side of the river, and can be accessed via theRobert Street Bridge or theWabasha Street Bridge.Interstate 35E andInterstate 94 run through the north side of the neighborhood, providing a separation between theMinnesota State Capitol and other state government buildings with the rest of downtown.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4,410 | — | |
| 2000 | 5,743 | 30.2% | |
| 2010 | 6,604 | 15.0% | |
| 2020 (est.) | 10,000 | 51.4% |
TheMinnesota State Capitol is located on the northern fringe of the downtown neighborhood. Work began on the current capitol in 1896, and construction was completed in 1905. The early 1950s saw the development of the expansive mall that currently surrounds the capitol. This development required the demolition of many homes, apartments, churches, and businesses, and paved the way for the construction of four government agency buildings surrounding the mall: Veteran Services Building, the Transportation Building, the Centennial Office Building, and the National Guard Armory.[2]Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse is also located downtown.
A number of corporations and institutions are located in downtown Saint Paul. Since 1933,Ecolab has maintained its headquarters in downtown.[3] In 1989Twin Cities PBS relocated to its current location in downtown[4] In 1997 theMinnesota State Colleges and Universities System moved its headquartered in theWells Fargo Place.[5]Minnesota Public Radio purchased its current downtown headquarters in 2001 from the Public Housing Agency of St. Paul.[6] In 2005Gander Mountain relocated to downtown.[7]Securian Financial Group is located in the Securian Center and is the largest private employer in downtown with 2,600 employees.[8]Travelers Insurance maintains a large presence downtown, employing 2,000 people.[9] In 2009 supercomputer manufacturerCray Inc. relocated to become the anchor tenant of theCray Plaza in downtown.[10]
The Lowertown Historic District is ahistoric district on the east-side of Downtown Saint Paul. This 16-block warehouse and wholesaling district comprises 37contributing properties built 1870s–1920. It was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1983 for the significance of its river and rail connections, economic impact, architecture, and urban planning.[11] In recent years Lowertown has been undergoing changes from abohemian, artist-community into agentrified neighborhood filled with coffee shops, restaurants, bars, breweries, and market-rate apartments.[12][13]
Lowertown is the home of theSaint Paul Union Depot, a historic railroad station that is still in use as a transportation hub forAmtrak,Greyhound Lines and theMetro Green Line.
Downtown has three city parks, two of which predateMinnesota statehood. The land for bothMears Park andRice Park was donated to the city of Saint Paul in 1849.[14][15] Both parks have gone through numerous renovations and host several festivals throughout the year. Rice Park most notably hosts theSaint Paul Winter Carnival which is the oldest winter carnival in the country, having operated since 1886.[16] Since 1999, Mears Park has hosted theTwin Cities Jazz Festival. The third park in the downtown area is Kellogg Mall Park which features fountains, an arbor, and a paved bike trail along the river.
TheSaint Paul Public Library system operates the Central Library, which has been on theNational Register of Historic Places since 1975.[17]James J. Hill Reference Library is located within the Central Library. TheLandmark Center is located on the north side of Rice Park.
In September 2000 theXcel Energy Center opened in downtown to serve as the home for theMinnesota Wild.[18] Apart from hosting the Wild, the Xcel Energy Center has hosted theU.S. Figure Skating Championships, theNCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship, theMinnesota State High School League Boys' Hockey Tournament, theWNBA'sMinnesota Lynx, and the now defunctNational Lacrosse League teamMinnesota Swarm.
Located in theLowertown District of downtown,CHS Field opened in May 2015 at a cost of $63 million.[19] CHS field serves as home field for theSaint Paul Saints of theAmerican Association of Independent Professional Baseball and despite not having an affiliation with aMajor League Baseball team, an average of 8,438 fans visited CHS Field to watch the Saints, which was the seventh-highest average attendance across minor league baseball.[20]
The Saints' move fromMidway Stadium to CHS Field marks the return of baseball to downtown since theSt. Paul Saints of theAmerican Association played their games at The Pillbox from 1903 to 1909. The Pillbox, or Downtown Stadium, was located on the current site of the Metro Green LineRobert Street station between 12th and 13th Streets.[21]
In January 2018TRIA Rink opened on the top floor of the formerMacy's building since renamedTreasure Island Center. TRIA Rink is the practice facility for the Minnesota Wild and the home arena for theMinnesota Whitecaps of theNational Women's Hockey League andHamline University's hockey program.
Since 2011, downtown has played host for theRed Bull Crashed Ice event. Crashed Ice is awinterextreme sporting event featuringice cross downhill (or downhill ice cross) which involves downhillskating in an urban environment, on a track which includes steep turns and high vertical drops. The event coincides with the Saint Paul Winter Carnival and draws crowds of more than 100,000.[22]
The neighborhood is served by five stops along theMETRO Green Line light rail system.
Similar to its twin city,Minneapolis, Downtown Saint Paul has a skyway system consisting of 40 bridges that link most of the buildings along Kellogg Boulevard with the midcentury office core. The skyway is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., however businesses in the skyway are generally closed at 6 p.m. and on the weekends.[23] Prominent buildings connected to the skyway include:
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)Places adjacent to Downtown Saint Paul | ||||||||||||||||
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44°56′50″N93°5′30″W / 44.94722°N 93.09167°W /44.94722; -93.09167
