Wall Cos. moving ahead with Ramsey Hill condo project

The Wall Companies are moving forward with plans to build a new condominium project in St. Paul's leafy Ramsey Hill neighborhood.

The Western Row Condominiums are slated to rise at 80 Western Avenue North, a site that since the 1970s has contained a nursing home. It's located directly across the street from the historic Commodore Hotel and within waking distance of shopping along Grand Avenue.

Developer John Wall says the 39-unit project is quickly approaching the 50 percent presales mark, and is expecting to begin demolition of the now-vacant nursing home in October, followed quickly by excavation work on the 55,000 square foot new building. The average price of the upscale units will be about $450,000, he says.

"We've got a great team on this project and a great neighborhood," Wall says. "We have more work to do with the plans, and the contractor has more work to do, but we expect to be included in the Fall Parade of Homes."

Wall Companies completed the purchase of the parcel in February, five years after it had first proposed a transaction to the nursing home owner.

"We really liked the site, and we asked them if they were interested in selling, and as usually happens with these kinds of inquiries, the owners said they weren't thinking about it," Wall says. "Then, five years later, we got a call back asking if we were still interested. Of course we said we were, so you never know."

Wall says he intends to donate the leftover medical equipment to other nursing homes. He adds the project has been warmly received by neighborhood residents and the city's Historic Preservation Commission, which regarded the nursing home as a blight and out of character with Ramsey Hill, a neighborhood that features some of the St. Paul's oldest and best-kept Victorian-era mansions.

It's also an area that hasn't seen very much new condominium construction despite its desirability. Western Row joins The Aberdeen at Western and Marshall avenues and the Oxford Hill Condominiums at Grand Avenue and Oxford Street on the short list of area projects.

Bor-Son Construction is the project's general contractor; BKV Group are serving as architects; and Jim Seabold of Coldwell Banker is handling sales and marketing.