Commerce West side researches the historic district of Lowertown St. Paul.

Lowertown grew up at the Lower Landing on the Mississippi River, beginning in the 1840s. As Saint Paul grew, Lowertown evolved into a major warehouse and distribution center serving the entire Upper Midwest. Lowertown’s railroad, manufacturing, and wholesaling companies expressed their pride and permanence in the structures they erected, beginning in the 1880s. A significant concentration of these buildings survive, unified by similar architectural styles and construction materials Many were designed by the city’s most prestigious architects, including Cass Gilbert and Clarence Johnston. Gilbert and Johnston had worked together in the offices of A. M. Radcliffe between 1876 and 1878 and then had gone on to study architecture at M.I.T.

The Lowertown Redevelopment Corporation was established in the late 1970s to encourage adaptive use and compatible new development in the area. The Lowertown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and designated as a Saint Paul Heritage Preservation District in 1984. Through a combination of restoration and adaptive use, Lowertown enjoys an exciting mix of residential and commercial activities in one of the city’s most historic areas. 

Today, Lowertown is a vibrant and culturally rich Urban Village and with one of the largest concentrations of artists in the country. Hundreds of working artists live in the area and host monthly first Friday open studios along with two yearly Art Crawls. Combined with several theaters, musical performance spaces, festivals, the farmers market, public parks, and so much more. Lowertown is the place to be when it comes to Arts, Culture, and Urban life.

The future of the Lowertown Historic District looks bright. With the much anticipated addition of the light rail, plans for the Rush Line Corridor, as well as the possibility of a high speed rail line between Saint Paul and Chicago, the area will again be the transport hub it once was. This coupled with the emergence of new bars and restaurants, as well as a strong sense of community that one feels when living or simply visiting the area will all contribute to what has become the re-emergence of Saint Paul's Lowertown historic district.