St. Paul cuts off skyway access through Alliance Bank Center

The fallout of Alliance Bank Center’s closure in downtown St. Paul is now rippling through the city’s skyway system.

In early March, the property owner, Madison Equities, gave tenants two days’ notice to vacate the premises, saying the company could no longer afford to pay for utilities or security. The city stepped in and kept utilities running through Monday to give businesses more time to pack their things.

On Wednesday, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter announced that, effective immediately, skyway access through the complex will be restricted to the parking ramp across the street from the main office building.

Access to the Alliance Bank Center parking ramp at the southwest corner of Cedar and Sixth Street remains open to visitors and contract parking pass holders. Skyways to that ramp will be accessible from the Osborn370 building and the Treasure Island Center.

However, notices of skyway closures to the Alliance Bank Center are now posted at U.S. Bank Center, Vertical Tower, Town Square, the Lowry Building and Victory Ramp, effectively cutting off the southwest portion of St. Paul’s skyway system from the rest of downtown.

“The decision to limit skyway access was made in collaboration with downtown stakeholders and business partners and will allow the city to protect the integrity of the building until a future use has been determined,” the city said in a statement.

In the meantime, the city has assumed control of the building to keep the fire suppression and fire alarm systems up and running, in addition to maintaining escalators and elevators.

Alliance Bank Center is not the first Madison Equities property that has required the city’s intervention.

Last year, Carter denounced the real estate company for allowing the 134-unit Lowry Apartments to fall into disrepair as the property had gone into foreclosure. The city eventually condemned the building after it repeatedly failed to pass safety inspections and residents were left without heat.