‘Some of the most disgusting conditions I’ve ever seen’: St. Paul mayor condemns owner of Lowry Apartments

St. Paul’s mayor condemned a real estate company on Monday evening for extremely poor living conditions in a downtown apartment building.

Mayor Melvin Carter stood in front of the 134-unit Lowry Apartments building and blamed Madison Equities for “disgusting” living conditions.

The building went into foreclosure earlier this year, but tenants say Madison Equities failed to inform them.

“The living conditions that Madison Equities has their tenants living in is one of the most disgusting things I’ve seen in my entire life,” Carter said.

Mayor Carter said when he walked through the building on Monday, he saw trash, flies, insect infestations, rodents and feces on the floor.

“Madison Equities has just turned their backs on 100-plus residents who live here — for money. To be clear, for money,” Carter said.

The mayor also said Madison Equities has continued to collect rent checks from current tenants every month despite being in foreclosure and has not used that money toward fixing the building.

One tenant who has lived in the building since fall 2023 said her kids often find needles and pipes on the floor inside. She also said no one told her or her neighbors about the building foreclosure.

Carter said he is in the process of contacting Madison Equities and is asking for a plan by the end of the day on Tuesday to relocate tenants and bring the property up to code.

Additionally, Carter said the city attorney will file papers in court on Tuesday to immediately transfer the building into new, temporary ownership.

“Every option is on the table for us,” the mayor said.

The sheriff’s sale of the Lowry Apartments is set for Sept. 10.

A spokesperson from Lowry Building LLC sent the following statement on Tuesday.

“Lowry is working to the best of its ability to provide a safe environment for the tenants. Lowry has invested millions of dollars over the years to maintain and improve the building. Lowry has also evicted countless tenants from the property over the years who were causing damages. These efforts were made to provide a safe place for residents to call home.

Unfortunately, crime is out of control in downtown St. Paul where the Lowry Building is located. By way of one example, on Sunday, August 25, 2024, criminals ransacked the building causing all sorts of damage, and even stole master keys that the fire inspectors use for the building, among other things. The police have been notified and surveilance video is being provided to the police. Lowry is also working to clean up the latest mess left behind by the criminals, just as it has done for many years to clean up messes constantly left behind by vandals. Hopefully St. Paul will find and prosecute the parties responsible for the latest theft and vandalism.

Simply put, Lowry is yet another casualty of increased crime and empty buildings in downtown St. Paul. The Ramsey County Attorney Office (“RCAO”) previously occupied significant space in the Lowry Building but recently vacated all of its leased space. No new tenants have been located as the demand for office space in St. Paul is weak at best. Indeed, longtime tenants of St. Paul continue to leave for the suburbs where employees of the businesses feel safe and secure. 

With the loss of the RCAO, the lender (Colliers Funding f/k/a Dougherty Funding) put Lowry in default and initiated foreclosure proceedings. The lender attempted to hold a sheriff’s sale of the Lowry Building on August 22, 2024. However, the lender published notice of the sale with the wrong address and the sale had to be postponed. The sheriff’s sale is now scheduled for September 4, 2024.

Additionally, the lender is moving to have a receiver appointed by the Court to take control of the property. Lowry is not contesting the appointment of a receiver by the Court. The receiver will most likely struggle mightily to maintain the building and stop the crime that persists. This is a problem of the city’s creation and only they can solve it. In the meantime and even with the looming foreclosure, two maintenance technicians remain onsite to respond to issues that may arise, along with security guards who are at the property seven days a week. Lowry will continue to cooperate with its lender and authorities.”