The troubled downtown St. Paul Lowry Apartments are sparking calls for action on the local and state level.

Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega (DFL-St. Paul) explained that elected officials need to take preventive measures to avoid situations like this in the future.

The Lowry Apartments that were once a vibrant hub in St. Paul is now a condemned building.

“The Lowry even had jazz nights and live music in the lobby area,” Pérez-Vega said.

Pérez-Vega said she’s been receiving calls from people who live in her district for months about the Lowry Apartments.

In August, a court-ordered receivership of the property turned management over to two companies, Frauenshuh and Halverson Blasier Group.

In September, the building failed another safety inspection. In October, tenants told us the heat stopped working.

Fast forward to December, the city condemned the building after finding heating, electrical and fire suppression system issues. 

“You can’t just blame one side. We need to work accountability into action,” she said.

Pérez-Vega said she’s exploring options at the state level hoping to collaborate with local leaders to find solutions.

“I have over 70 constituents that are now placed in a hotel. Thank you for the immediate action to make sure that they’re not out on the streets, but these folks only have 30 days to know what the next steps are,” Pérez-Vega said. “Is that building going to be habitable again?”

For over a week, 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has been asking the city of St. Paul for an interview. On Friday, city spokesperson Jennifer Lor said there is still no media availability.

We reached out to the two companies, Frauenshuh and Halverson Blasier Group, several times for the past week and are still waiting for a response.