Troubled St. Paul Lowry Apartments condemned after water leak
ST. PAUL, Minn. — More than 70 Minnesotans were forced out of their homes on Monday after officials condemned a downtown St. Paul apartment complex.
The city says a weekend water leak combined with an exposed electrical system from copper wire thefts made the Lowry Apartments too dangerous for people to live in.
Families will be staying in hotels for up to 30 days as the management company works to fix the problems so it is safe to live in again.
A judge put the Lowry Apartments into emergency receivership in late August over deteriorating conditions inside the building. WCCO cameras have come across needles and feces in common areas. Residents described issues with mold, rodent and roach infestations and non-functional elevators.
The city had previously condemned seven individual apartments within the building as "unfit for human habitation."
Inspectors also revoked the building's fire certificate of occupancy in August due to dozens of code violations.
An attorney for the owner of the Lowry Apartments, Madison Equities, placed blame for the building's deterioration squarely on Mayor Melvin Carter and the city, saying unchecked crime, homelessness and drug use have led to the "decay" of downtown.
Halverson Blaiser Group has since taken over as the management company for the Lowry Apartments. The city says while they have been working on getting the building repaired over the last few months and have made progress, the leak is a setback.
Note: The video above originally aired on Aug. 28, 2024.
