The fallout from the closure of the Bank Center Alliance in downtown St. Paul are now embarking on the city’s Skyway system.
At the beginning of March, the owner of the property, Madison Equities, gave a tenant notice to cancel the premises, claiming that the company could no longer afford to pay public services or security. The city intervened and kept the public services to cross on Monday to give companies more time to pack their business.
On Wednesday, the mayor of Saint-Paul, Melvin Carter, announced that, with immediate effect, access to Skyway in the complex will be limited to the parking ramp in front of the main office building.
Access to the parking ramp of the Alliance Bank Center at the southwest corner of Cedar and Sixth Street remains open to visitors and holders of contracts for contracts. Skyways at this ramp will be accessible from the Osborn370 building and the Treasure Island Center.
However, Skyway closings notices at the center of the Alliance Bank are now displayed at the US Bank Center, Vertical Tower, Town Square, The Lowry Building and Victory Ramp, effectively cutting the southwest part of the Skyway St. Paul’s system from the rest of the city center.
“The decision to limit access to Skyway was taken in collaboration with the stakeholders in the city center and the business partners and will allow the city to protect the integrity of the building until future use is determined,” the city said in a press release.
In the meantime, the city has taken control of the building to maintain the abolition of fires and fire alarm systems, in addition to maintaining the mechanical stairs and elevators.
Alliance Bank Center is not the first Madison Actions property which required the intervention of the city.
Last year, Carter denounced the real estate company for allowing the Lowry apartments of 134 units to fall into ruins while the property had been forced. The city finally condemned the building after it has not managed to pass security inspections and the residents were left without heat.
