Alliance Bank Center won’t be totally unsecured after tenants are gone, officials say

Alliance Bank Center will be almost completely vacant on Tuesday, but not completely unpatrolled.

St. Paul officials said in a statement the building will have some kind of security after tenants leave early next week. As of Friday afternoon, they said they weren’t yet able to provide details about what kind of security the building will have and whether building utilities are still scheduled to shut off.

“At no point will the Alliance Bank Building be unsecured come April 1,” mayor’s office representative Jennifer Lor said in an email. “The city will be in touch as soon as a decision has been made within the next couple of days.”

City officials said they intended to meet with affected property owners Friday afternoon to formalize a plan for the building and its important skyway connection. Angie Wiese, St. Paul director of safety & inspections, said during a Skyway Governance Advisory Committee meeting Friday morning the skyway will be open for shorter hours and closed over the weekend until Tuesday. 

What happens after that is still undetermined. 

A posted notice from the city said skyway users can use alternative routes to walk from RiverCentre to Lowertown without passing through Alliance Bank Center.

Madison Equities, the property owner, abruptly asked tenants to leave in mid-March. They had stopped paying utility bills and the electricity was scheduled to be shut off in two days. St. Paul negotiated with Xcel Energy to keep the lights on until Tuesday, buying tenants time to leave. 

It’s not clear what utilities will be operational in Alliance Bank Center next week.

Madison Equities is not providing security for the building. St. Paul police have been patrolling in its absence. At the committee meeting Friday morning, Wiese said two businesses, Jackey’s Watchbar and Lounge, formerly known as Jackey’s Peg Leg, and Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, have hired their own security.

Wiese said because of limited resources, police aren’t able to provide as much security as the building needs. Alliance Bank Center has numerous entrances. Multiple doors have been locked or barred, and then pried open. There has been at least one recent instance of someone dumping trash in the building.

“People are entering the building not because they’re trying to gain services of some kind, they’re entering the building for nefarious reasons,” Wiese said. “This is really the scope of the challenge in trying to keep the skyway open but also keep the rest of the building secure from folks just trying to do damage.”

Wiese and other officials have said the majority of their focus has been on helping the tenants. The St. Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority is offering up to $5,000 to tenants planning to stay in the city to help them with moving costs. Many tenants have found places to move, but some have not.

Pino’s Pizzeria, Paul A. Hartquist Jewelers, the Skyway Mart and Greenwolf Hemp and Organics are all moving to the skyway in Town Square. Pino’s Pizzeria was packing up to leave on Friday. Hartquist has already moved. 

Madison Equities is downtown St. Paul’s largest property owner and is facing massive debts. Its downtown portfolio was placed on the market last year.

The company has relinquished multiple buildings to lenders.

In its notice to Alliance Bank Center tenants, the company blamed its financial hardships on the “deteriorating conditions of downtown St. Paul” and its proximity to Central Station on the Green Line.

Madison Equities has not responded to repeated requests for comment.

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