Commercial Development

The Federation strives to leverage relationships with the public sector and area businesses and nonprofits, with community input to promote economic development in our community.
Schmidt Brewery
After two decades of seeking a suitable new use for St. Paul's vacant Schmidt Brewery by the Federation and city officials, Dominium, a Plymouth-based developer purchased the complex's iconic structures and converted them into the Schmidt Artist Lofts. The historic keg house is now the Keg and Case West 7th Market, a lively, unique place to enjoy local food and wares. The Rathskeller building is currently being rehabbed, expected to open in the winter of 2018-19.
Schmidt Artist Lofts Wins 2016 Affordable Housing Design Award
AIA Minnesota and The McKnight Foundation announced that Dominium Development’s Schmidt Artist Lofts is the winner of the 2016 Affordable Housing Design Award. Located in St. Paul, this long-vacant landmark was transformed into a dynamic, affordable live-work location for local artists, while simultaneously maintaining the historically intrinsic features of the brewery.
Recognized for the award is Dominium Development; BKV Group; Weis Builders; Peer Engineering; MacRostie Historic Advisors; MacDonald & Mack Architects; Loucks Associates; Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates; Pfister Associates; The Weidt Group; US Bank; Alliant Capital; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors; St. Paul PED; Ramsey County; and Metropolitan Council; and MN DEED. Read the press release, go to the AIA award website page and watch the video below for more information.
AIA Minnesota and The McKnight Foundation announced that Dominium Development’s Schmidt Artist Lofts is the winner of the 2016 Affordable Housing Design Award. Located in St. Paul, this long-vacant landmark was transformed into a dynamic, affordable live-work location for local artists, while simultaneously maintaining the historically intrinsic features of the brewery.
Recognized for the award is Dominium Development; BKV Group; Weis Builders; Peer Engineering; MacRostie Historic Advisors; MacDonald & Mack Architects; Loucks Associates; Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates; Pfister Associates; The Weidt Group; US Bank; Alliant Capital; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors; St. Paul PED; Ramsey County; and Metropolitan Council; and MN DEED. Read the press release, go to the AIA award website page and watch the video below for more information.
Finance & Commerce: Post November 5, 2015
Schmidt Brewery projects may get TIF boost
Two shuttered Schmidt brewery buildings along West Seventh Street in St. Paul may soon be eligible for tax increment financing. The St. Paul Planning Commission last week recommended approving the city’s request to expand the TIF-eligible Koch-Mobil redevelopment project area – once used by Koch and Exxon Mobil as a tank yard – to include an area around the Schmidt Brewery complex. More...
Schmidt Brewery projects may get TIF boost
Two shuttered Schmidt brewery buildings along West Seventh Street in St. Paul may soon be eligible for tax increment financing. The St. Paul Planning Commission last week recommended approving the city’s request to expand the TIF-eligible Koch-Mobil redevelopment project area – once used by Koch and Exxon Mobil as a tank yard – to include an area around the Schmidt Brewery complex. More...
Star Tribune: Posted July 27, 2015
Schmidt brewery's keg house may become nexus for foodies, farmers
A structure known as the “keg house” on the Schmidt Brewery campus in St. Paul will be renovated into a year-round indoor farmers market, restaurant and gathering space, a missing component on the Twin Cities food scene.
Craig Cohen — a landlord familiar to shop owners along St. Paul’s burgeoning W. 7th Street commercial strip — purchased the site in October for $550,000. Since then, he secured several cleanup grants and applied for federal and state historic tax credits for the adaptive reuse project. Cleanup is expected to begin in the next few months, turning the derelict building into a destination venue that would open by next summer. More...
Schmidt brewery's keg house may become nexus for foodies, farmers
A structure known as the “keg house” on the Schmidt Brewery campus in St. Paul will be renovated into a year-round indoor farmers market, restaurant and gathering space, a missing component on the Twin Cities food scene.
Craig Cohen — a landlord familiar to shop owners along St. Paul’s burgeoning W. 7th Street commercial strip — purchased the site in October for $550,000. Since then, he secured several cleanup grants and applied for federal and state historic tax credits for the adaptive reuse project. Cleanup is expected to begin in the next few months, turning the derelict building into a destination venue that would open by next summer. More...
Star Tribune: Posted February 17, 2015
Urban Fish Farm Expanding in Saint Paul A St. Paul company that is pioneering a new way to raise fish and grow vegetables year-round is expanding, with a second location to meet demand from local restaurants and grocers. Urban Organics signed a purchase agreement last month for a building on the old Schmidt Brewery site in St. Paul, where it will add a second farm operation. The company will keep its facility at the historic Hamm’s Brewery building in St. Paul, where it has created an indoor aquaponics system — a process that relies on urban fish to nourish and grow organic vegetables. More... |
St Paul Pioneer Press: Posted June 18, 2014
Schmidt Brewery hosting St. Paul's first GermanFest this weekend There is beer, polka and a whole lot more at what organizers are billing as St. Paul's first annual GermanFest this weekend. More... |