Coleman highlights Ecolab HQ move, growth in State of the City

Ecolab will move its headquarters across downtown St. Paul in a real estate deal that should close in late summer. The move was among the downtown developments highlighted in St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman's State of the City address Thursday night.

"I'm excited to confirm the oft-rumored plans that Ecolab will purchase Traveler's North tower, bringing their downtown employees together in a new world headquarters for this fast-growing Fortune 500 company," he said.

Travelers spokesperson Matt Bordonaro said the two companies negotiated the sale of the 17-story tower over several months. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The plan is to move all of Travelers' 2,000 St. Paul employees into the company's South building.

Ecolab will shift 1,500 employees currently working out of a few downtown buildings into the new global headquarters.

Ecolab spokesperson Roman Blahoski said that of the three buildings along Wabasha Street, only one is actually owned by the company. He said it will be three years before it moves to the Travelers building.

"The Ecolab Corporate Center, it's a 19-story building, is leased through June 30, 2018. The Ecolab University Center that is a 15-story building is leased through 2019," he said.

Other changes highlighted by Coleman in the city included the Saints baseball park and the new Ordway concert hall for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Coleman said growth is happening in other places as well.

"In 2014, the city's Department of Safety and Inspections issued building permits representing $715 million of activity — nearly double what we saw just five years earlier," he said. "That translates into a lot of women and men working and providing for their families."

Coleman acknowledged that long-vacant sites need attention, too.

"In downtown, Macy's, the West Publishing Building, the Gateway parcel and other opportunities must be seized. The West Side Flats, Victoria Park, Beacon Bluff, Whirlpool, Hafner's and other sites across the city must be developed," he said.

Jenna Ward, who moved to St. Paul four years ago, said that she's enjoyed the parks, the arts scene and the neighborhoods, but that downtown is kind of dead.

"There's really just no reason to be in large pockets of downtown after dark. There's just nothing happening — nothing good happening," said Ward, who was at the address. "There may be things happening, but definitely ghost-towny."

St. Paul Port Authority head Louis Jambois expects once the empty Macy's building is filled it will bring new life to downtown.

The Port Authority bought the building last year for $3 million.

"We could've sold the building a dozen times by now, but we weren't satisified that the uses were going to be the kind of uses that would make us all proud and would help St. Paul to grow and flourish and generate excitement," he said.

Jambois said getting the right mix into the building is the key to more redevelopment.

"We have some serious retail interest. We have some office interest, we've got some recreational/entertainment hospitality type interest in the property," he said. "And if we can bring those all together it will transform that part of downtown St. Paul."

Among those showing interest in the site is the Minnesota Wild. Officials with the hockey club confirmed in February they're considering the site for a practice facility.