VANDALIA TOWER [SAINT PAUL, MN]

Located at the corner of Wabash and Vandalia, this 200,000 sf former mattress factory and warehouse complex was constructed in 1918, with successive additions into the 1950s. It continued to function as a mattress factory as recently as the 1990s. The site then evolved into a space for artists and craftspeople. In 2014, a partial redevelopment attracted office and retail tenants until the building was sold in 2018.

Over the years, the complex has maintained much of its historic integrity and character. Seeing an opportunity to rehabilitate it, the new owners along with NewStudio worked with the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service to list Vandalia Tower on the National Register of Historic Places.

Focusing on the L-shaped factory structure in the northeast portion of the site, the design team incorporated modern architectural elements within the vestigial industrial shell, emphasizing materiality and natural light. Layers of natural steel, raw timber, concrete, and brick blur the lines between old and new.

Improvements to the building include carefully restoring a leak-prone brick façade; replacing and refurbishing over one hundred windows in disrepair; reestablishing historically scaled entries at bricked-in openings; reintroducing exterior circulation along a historic rail line; and reactivating a formerly vacant and structurally unsound portion of the building with a steel frame, expansive skylights, and a grand staircase. Interior finishes and amenities were updated, including adding a lobby coffee bar that creates a landing place for tenants and visitors to engage and connect.

Photo credit: Peter Vondelinde