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Former Ecolab Tower Reopens as 176 Apartments in Major Test of Downtown Saint Paul’s Recovery Strategy
SAINT PAUL, MN (September 25, 2026). A vacant 17-story office building in downtown Saint Paul has reopened as the Stella Residences, adding 176 apartments in one of the city’s most significant office-to-housing conversions.
Developer Carl Kaeding said the transformation of the former Ecolab building on Wabasha Street took three years and cost approximately $70 million.
The project is important beyond the number of apartments it created. Approximately 35 percent of the downtown central business district’s office space is vacant, according to commercial real-estate data cited by FOX 9. Remote work, expired leases and reduced office demand have left city officials searching for economically feasible new uses for older commercial buildings.
The Stella began leasing roughly two months before Thursday’s formal opening and was about 20 percent occupied, according to the developer. Its long-term target is approximately 94 to 95 percent occupancy.
Downtown’s first Aldi grocery store has also opened about half a mile away, restoring a full-service grocery option after nearly two years without one. Business leaders see the two projects as connected pieces of a residential recovery strategy. More downtown residents create demand for groceries, restaurants and services, while those amenities make downtown housing more practical.
The Stella is not a complete solution to Saint Paul’s vacancy problem. Converting offices into apartments can be prohibitively expensive because of building depth, plumbing, window placement and other structural limitations. The project nevertheless gives city officials a completed example of how an obsolete office property can be returned to productive use.
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