Skyline Tower fire and aftermath

Many Skyline Tower residents are back at home after an early morning fire in October forced them into hotels and private homes. Others are still waiting to return, and are being assisted by the City of St. Paul and property owner CommonBond Communities.
Generous help came from Lexington-Hamline Community Council, which made a $10,000 donation just before Thanksgiving.
Hamline Midway Coalition and Union Park District Council helped get the word out about the need for donations. Donation information for residents can be found at commonbond.org/skylinetower.
Support is still sought for those who were displaced. In-kind donations of gift cards, bottled water and K-12 school supplies can be dropped off at the CommonBond offices, 1080 Montreal Ave, St. Paul during business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cards from local grocery stores are welcomed as are Walmart and Target gift cards, gas gift cards and cards/voucher for Metro Transit and rideshare providers.
Members of 141 households in the high-rise’s east tower were able to return home on Halloween. That was after the city’s Fire Safety Division of the Department of Safety and Inspections gave them the go-ahead.
Work continued so more residents could return. But some apartments need extensive restoration. About 100 apartments sustained water damage.
Skyline Tower is at 1247 St. Anthony Ave. At 24 stories and 504 apartments, it is the largest affordable housing property in the city. About 490 apartments were occupied as of Oct. 26.
Building owner CommonBond Communities, Mayor Melvin Carter and city officials outlined the situation at a news conference earlier this fall.
At 12:23 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, the St. Paul Fire Department responded to a fire call to the buildings’ 12th floor. That fire is under investigation, said A.J. Neis, supervisor for fire inspections in the city’s West District.
Firefighters left but were quickly called back by building management. An electrical system failed and power was knocked out to the entire building. Sprinklers went off on three floors.
Neis said the building was last inspected in 2023 and got a Class A ranking. The next full inspection isn’t scheduled until 2029. The building didn’t have known electrical system problems.
Deidre Schmidt, CommonBond’s president and CEO, described what happened as “kind of a chain reaction.” The heat, water system, fire alarms and elevators were knocked out of commission. City staff then decided that the building was uninhabitable.
Residents had to be evacuated. That included about 100 elderly and disabled residents, who were helped out by first responders, city staff and in some cases, their neighbors.
Carter said that about 150 city staff members helped with the evacuation overnight Sunday into Monday. “It was a major undertaking... a crisis in this building created a crisis for the whole community,” he said.
Metro Transit provided buses for people to stay in before they went to interim shelters. About 500 people were dispersed between 10 hotels. The remaining residents opted to stay with family members elsewhere.
One of many people the mayor singled out for praise is Rep. Samakab Hussein, for his help in translating and in working with disabled residents. For him, helping out was personal as Hussein lived in Skyline Tower as a young man about 30 years ago.
Hussein was contacted by Skyline Tower residents, asking him if they would be homeless. He said state officials would help in whatever way they can.
Others have also stepped in including the Red Cross, Ramsey County and Salvation Army. St. Paul Public Schools has connected with students to make sure their education isn’t disrupted
Skyline Tower, also known in its early years as St. Anthony Tower, was built in 1971. It has always been a home for immigrant families. Its last major renovation was more than 20 years ago.
It has had its struggles in the past under past ownership and management. Stepped-up enforcement of rental policies in the 1990s improved conditions. By 2000 the building’s exterior finish was in poor shape. The building owner, Sentinel Management, agreed to sell the property to affordable housing non-profit.
CommonBond Communities raised $31.3 million in 2000 to buy and renovate the building. One large addition is an advantage center, which offers a variety of services.