Residents fight back against Lowry Building foreclosure after months of poor living conditions

After a hundred police calls, frozen cockroaches, and a sudden foreclosure, residents at the Lowry Apartments have had enough and are organizing with the help of a state representative.

The foreclosure of the 134-unit building was announced on August 9, with a sheriff's sale due to be held on Thursday only for it to be delayed by the City of St. Paul at the last minute.

It comes as the building's owner, Madison Equities, is selling the bulk of its downtown portfolio, sparking concern from city mayor Melvin Carter who says it could have a "chilling effect" on property prices downtown.

While rumors had been circulating among Lowry Building apartment tenants for months since the Grey Duck Tavern's sudden closure earlier this year, none of them were informed of the official closure until they had to read it in the news themselves, which tenants say goes against the mandatory 30-day notice.

"I was scared but relieved. It felt like this might actually get the attention of officials," Megan Thomas, a former tenant, said when she first found out about the foreclosure after reading it in the Pioneer Press. "Then I was angry when told that the management had deliberately hidden the information."

She confronted someone in management at the building and claims she was told that the foreclosure had been in process for months, but that management chose to hide the information and not tell the tenants.

"This is an emergency housing crisis that we already have, But what's the plan of action?" said Maria Isa Pérez-Vega, DFL House representative for District 65B. "It's tragic, and I'm incredibly frustrated that my constituents, who live across City Hall, did not have people address these services, they're acting like this is new. This is absurd."

Rep. Pérez-Vega sponsored a bill that passed in February that would protect tenants' rights to organize without fear of retaliation by their landlords. She immediately took action after learning about the issues with the Lowry Apartments building.

Thomas helped organize a meeting last Wednesday with Rep. Pérez-Vega, and about 50 residents attended despite alleged intimidation by building staff.

Bring Me The News contacted Mike Larson, and while he said he could not speak on the current legal issues surrounding the building, he said the tenants' leases would be honored no matter who buys the property.

Before learning about the foreclosure, Thomas was already in a legal battle with Madison Equities, filing a rent escrow.

"It's a legal way not to pay your rent until repairs are made," Thomas said. "Instead of paying my rent to my landlord, I got a clearance cut and paid it to the District Court, and they hold it in ethical law until the case is resolved."

Cockroaches and police calls

According to Thomas, the issues have persisted for over a year. After Grey Duck Tavern closed last month, empty liquor bottles were left in the now-abandoned bar, leading to a cockroach infestation.

Not only were they found in their hallways but in multiple apartment buildings, with Thomas even finding one in an ice cube.

The City of St. Paul filed a revocation of the building's Fire Certificate of Occupancy on August 16, ordering the property be vacated by April 1, 2025.

The document states that the city has condemned multiple apartment units and that the third floor "cannot be occupied." A re-inspection will be conducted on August 30.

Sanitary issues are not the only concerns, either. Multiple elevators that need repair, loose wiring, and doors that don't close have caused safety concerns among residents, and claim management has refused to address them.

Documentation shows multiple complaints filed to the City of St. Paul concerning the building in recent months.

"It's become too dangerous to live here," Thomas said. "I feared for my safety." She recently moved out last week into emergency housing due to the looming foreclosure and unsafe living conditions.

The safety concerns seem to be warranted, with police calls showing that since April, around 113 calls have been made to the building, roughly one call per day. While some calls were basic disturbances, at least three were about non-residents trying to break into the building.

A report made on June 3 showed that a community room on the 11 ^th floor had damage inside.

According to the police report, officers found holes in the sheetrock, a broken thermostat, broken pool cues, damaged couches, and a pipe for the fire suppression pulled from the ceiling and bent. The suspect, identified as living in a unit in the building, was arrested.

Rep. Pérez-Vegas has stated she will be filing legal action against Madison Equities for its handling of the building's foreclosure, and has sent information to Minnesota's Attorney General, Keith Ellison. But she is asking the city to address the tenants' concerns.

"There was no notice posted anywhere in that building. So right there, that's a violation of state law to be addressed to our attorney general's office," Pérez-Vegas said. "My goal as the state is to find resources to work collaboratively so that there is a positive, productive outcome in addressing an emergency housing crisis."

Bring Me The News reached out to representatives of Madison Equities but they have not responded at this time.

Related: Gray Duck Tavern in downtown St. Paul closes suddenly