Retrofit Atlas

Malls · Minnesota

Bandana Square

Imported, unreviewedReinhabitedOperatingSaint Paul, MN

Opened 1984. Closed 2006. Reinhabited in 2006.

Status nowOperatingextracted, unreviewed
What it becameoffice, hotelextracted, unreviewed
Retrofit year2006extracted, unreviewed
Walkability17.5 of 20 · 15-minute 5 of 6EPA, OpenStreetMap
Rail within 800 mNoOpenStreetMap, HUD
Ask who owns this Download dossier (PDF) · early access Download record (JSON) API Share LinkedIn Correct this record

Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from.

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Site profile13 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Finance and pipeline
On FacebookThis site: …https://www.facebook.com/1732582450308302 overture · all sites with this
Ownership
Public bodyThis site: Port Authority county-parcels · all sites with this
Place
100k+ jobs within 45 min by transitThis site: 261,587 epa-walkability · all sites with this
15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)This site: 5/6 openstreetmap · all sites with this
3+ other atlas sites within 10 kmThis site: 12 within 10 km computed · all sites with this
Bike network nearbyThis site: 103 ways openstreetmap · all sites with this
County lost 10%+ of retail establishments since 2012This site: -14% census-cbp · all sites with this
Grocery within 800 mThis site: 1 stores openstreetmap · all sites with this
Renter-majority tractThis site: 88% census-acs · all sites with this
Walkable block group (EPA ≥ 12)This site: …index 17.5 epa-walkability · all sites with this
Strategy
ReinhabitedThis site: …office center extraction · all sites with this
New use
HotelThis site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with this
OfficeThis site: …office center extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusOperatingextracted, unreviewed
StrategyReinhabitedextracted, unreviewed
New usesoffice, hotelextracted, unreviewed
What is there nowoffice centerextracted, unreviewed
Retrofit year2006extracted, unreviewed
RedeveloperWellington Managementextracted, unreviewed

Site context

FEMA flood zoneX · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL
EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m24: ABV TECHNOLOGY INC.; ADVANCED CONCRETE SAWING INC; ADVOCATE GRAPHICS INC; AHW CORP; ALLINA HEALTH BANDANA SQUARE CLINICEPA FRS
Census tract 271230302021,994 people, 2,223 per sq mi; median household income $71,533; median gross rent $1,676; 88% renters; 11.0% vacant units; 6.7% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year
Walkability (EPA, block group)index 17.5 of 20; 145 intersections per sq mi; nearest transit stop 362 m; land-use mix 0.79; 248,605 jobs within 45 min by car, 261,587 by transit; 6% of households without a carEPA Smart Location
Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m)5 of 6 daily needs: 1 grocers, 7 schools, 37 parks or playgrounds, 1 health, 0 civic, 2 food and drink; 103 cycleway segments, 163 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap
Opportunity ZonenoHUD
Housing permits, Ramsey County (MN), 2024802 units in 5+ unit buildings, 80 in 2–4, 202 single-family; 2023: 1,581 in 5+Census BPS
Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract)overall percentile 0.32; socioeconomic 0.47; housing and transport 0.64; 22% below 150% of poverty; 7% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR
Other atlas sites nearby12 within 10 km, 29 within 25 km: Hmongtown Marketplace (3.6 km); Former Sears store on Rice Street (4.2 km); Dayton's-Schuneman building (5.3 km); Kmart store site (8.8 km); Hotel Dyckman (8.8 km)computed
Overture Mapsplace Bandana square (hospital, confidence 0.97, from Overture, meta); building footprint 3,208 m²Overture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0)
Website and socialno website listed · social: facebookOverture / Internet Archive
Attention: Wikipedia page views41,705 since 2015; 3,434 in the last 12 months (-10% vs the prior 12); peak 2016-01 with 598Wikimedia
Tract change 2013–2023population -5% (2,095 → 1,994); median income +49% ($47,902 → $71,533); renters 88% → 88%; median home value +11% ($200,000 → $221,400)Census ACS 5-year
Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract)very low overall (score 16.7); expected annual loss $842,931; community resilience very highFEMA NRI
Tax-credit housing within 1 kmnoneHUD LIHTC
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 20231,431 establishments (-14%); 26,110 jobs (-1%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $334,747 (+2% 1 yr, +9% 5 yr); typical rent $1,543/mo (+3% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
House price index, tract, 2021144 (2000 = 100); +0.8% 1 yr, +43% 10 yrFHFA
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)18,391 vehicles a day on Lesington Pkwy S (minor arterial, 4 lanes); 9 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

Bandana Square opened in 1984 as a festival marketplace and hotel complex in Saint Paul’s Energy Park neighborhood. Ownership shifted from the Wilder Foundation to the Port Authority, then to private investors, before Wellington Management acquired it in 2003 and completed a full conversion to office use by 2006. The site now operates as an office center and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Why. not stated in the record

Where it stands. The site is currently operating as an office center under the ownership of Wellington Management, which has held the property since 2003.

For a planner

  • Reinhabit strategy with adaptive reuse to office/hotel uses
  • Historic designation (National Register) may influence reuse approvals
  • Open questions: current zoning, any pending planning initiatives, or community impact assessments

For a developer

  • Site size: not provided in the record
  • Control: sole owner Wellington Management since 2003
  • Entitlement stage: retrofit completed 2006, status operating
  • Constraints from context layers (flood, transit, environment): not provided
  • Market signals from tract data: not provided

What we do not know yet

  • Site size unknown
  • Context layer data (flood risk, transit access, environmental conditions) missing
  • Tract-level market data (demographics, income, retail demand) absent
  • Details on anchor tenant losses, competition, or debt leading to 2006 closure not stated
  • Current occupancy, lease terms, and any pending litigation unverified (record marked draft)
  • Extraction-based fields lack independent review

Generated by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b on NVIDIA API via Hermes CT from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

Similar sites

Elsewhere on the web

Retail history: Bandana Square on DeadMalls.com photos, field notes and visitor memories since 2000; matched by name and state only, check the city; nothing copied here

Pages with photos

Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar

Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • public owner

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

Opened1984extracted, unreviewed
Closed2006extracted, unreviewed
CountyRamsey County
Census division4 · West North Central
NotesWikipedia categories: Defunct shopping malls in the United States

Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, original developer. Know it? Tell us.

Background

Bandana Square, formerly the Como Shop of the Northern Pacific Railway, is currently an office center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. However, it was initially designed to be a shopping mall in the Energy Park neighborhood. The site is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.

Timeline

  1. 1983 Wilder Foundation purchases Bandana Square for $17 million
  2. 1984 Complex opens as festival marketplace and hotel complex
  3. 1989 Port Authority takes over Bandana Square
  4. 1989 Port Authority sells Bandana Square to investors for $3 million
  5. 2003 Wellington Management purchases Bandana Square for $6.1 million
  6. 2006 Center converted entirely to offices

Sources

  • Wikipedia: Bandana Square · supports: after notes, status, strategy, year closed, year opened
    11 quoted sentences
    The complex opened in 1984 after the former Northern Pacific Railway's Como Shops were converted into what was to be a large festival marketplace and hotel complex.
    The center was converted entirely to offices in 2006.
    Bandana Square, formerly the Como Shop of the Northern Pacific Railway, is currently an office center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
    Bandana Square, formerly the Como Shop of the Northern Pacific Railway, is currently an office center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

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