Closed skyways in downtown St. Paul set to reopen before winter, revitalization underway

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Skyways in the heart of downtown St. Paul are on track to reopen before winter, as new building owners and city leaders push to bring life back to a struggling urban core.

Reviving downtown St. Paul

The area around Wabasha and Fifth Streets has seen visible signs of revitalization, with a new plaza under construction near buildings that have sat empty since the pandemic. But some of the most important work, advocates say, is happening inside.

What we know:

The skyways near the Alliance Bank building have been closed for more than a year, according to Bill Hanley, co-founder of Friends of the Skyway. The city condemned the building last spring after a previous owner left it abandoned and structurally unsound. Since then, the St. Paul Downtown Development Corporation and Downtown Alliance bought the building and began stabilizing it.

"This is one of the worst ones to have closed because it is such a crux," said Hanley, who says he used to walk through the skyways daily.

The group is now redeveloping four blighted buildings downtown and says it is ready to reopen the skyways near Alliance Bank. "We're ready to go," said Joe Spencer, President of the Downtown St. Paul Alliance and Board Chairman of the Development Corporation.

City Council President Rebecca Noecker said there are two other building owners besides the Development Corporation involved in the closed sections of the downtown core. Still, she says the city has allocated money towards reopening and the area should be back open to foot traffic before winter.

"My target is within the next two months. Absolutely before it gets cold," Noecker said.

The closed sections are shown in red on the city’s skyway map.

Why you should care:

Hanley says the skyways aren't just a convenience — they're a lifeline for people living and spending time downtown. 

"In a situation where you're working from home or retired or whatever, that social isolation is a really big problem. You're not going to solve that by walking through the snow," he said.

Spencer says the vision for downtown goes beyond just getting workers back. 

"We have a vision for a downtown that's no longer just about workers. It's about a mix of people who work and who visit and who live in downtown St. Paul," he said. "I think the exciting part is yet to come."

What's next:

The Downtown Development Corporation says it is not yet ready to share what will become of the Alliance Bank building itself. Broadly, there is a push for mixed-use residential development across downtown. Noecker did not give a specific reopening date for the skyways but confirmed they would be back open before winter.