Union Depot Lofts

UNION DEPOT LOFTS 214 E. 4th Street St. Paul Union Depot was built in 1917-1920. Its monumental Beaux Arts character reflects that St. Paul then enjoyed a peak of national prominence and regional dominance. St. Paul's Union Depot was especially galling to Minneapolis, because that rival city had two separate depots, spaced inconveniently far apart, an embarrassment for a pretentious city, since the civic gold standard of the time required that a city of any consequence would have a union depot. Naturally, James J. Hill had long used his considerable influence to block a union depot in Minneapolis, thus giving St. Paul a leg up in the endless intercity rivalry between the "twins." As a immense transportation facility, Union Depot has been problematic as a reuse, and a number of proposals for museums and other tenants have come and gone, though over the past quarter-century, the main lobby space has hosted several excellent restaurants, as now, with Christos Greek restaurant. These condominiums are an imaginative reuse of part of this monumental structure. Forty-four two-story lofts have been fashioned in a variety of floor plans, ranging from 640 to 1900 square feet of floor area. Exposed ducts were apparently considered requisite for lofts, but otherwise the interiors are first-rank in every way, notably the European kitchen casework of dark-stained maple. Amenities include a rooftop deck with barbecue and a fitness center. If the Minneapolis-to-St. Paul light-rail line is constructed, a station will be provided within the depot.