F&C Top Projects: Lexington Landing Senior Living

Tuesday, May 4th, 2021

Lexington Landing Senior Living was selected as one of Finance & Commerce’s Top Projects of 2020, recognizing Minnesota’s top design and construction projects for the year.

Projects are judged for their degree of difficulty, creativity in design, innovative construction techniques, cooperation among contractors and management, and sustainability efforts.

Lexington Landing Senior Living
Location: 900 Old Lexington Avenue S, St. Paul

In 2017, Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) sold a unique 5.5-acre site bound by Lexington Parkway South, Albion Avenue and West 7th Street, to the J.A. Wedum Foundation, a local non-profit. The triangular shaped property housed the 90+ year old vacant Riverside Elementary School, and SPPS was supportive of finding a new and better use for the property.

Wedum retained Essential Decisions Inc. (EDI) to work with them as its consultant to lead the development of the site. They recognized an unmet need for senior housing in the Highland/West 7th neighborhood and wanted to meet that demand with an active senior lifestyle community at this prominent site.

Early in the purchase negotiations, the team was notified of the City of St. Paul and Ramsey County’s plans to realign Lexington Parkway. This required splitting the property into two parcels which drastically changed the initial development plans. This could have easily derailed the project but instead the team got creative, working collaboratively with the City and County on re-routing the road and developing a two-phased community called Lexington Landing. The realignment of Lexington Parkway not only solves the long-standing safety and traffic flow issues at this intersection, but also provides future access to the Mississippi Riverfront, trails, and parks.

Designed by Pope Architects and built by Anderson Companies, the first phase, Lexington Landing, started construction in January 2019 and welcomed its first residents on December 18, 2020. It is a five-story 154-unit senior living community managed by Presbyterian Homes & Services (PHS) that blends independent living, assisted living and memory care services. It is the new gateway to the Highland neighborhood and establishes an active senior lifestyle community that fits the urban streetscape.

PROJECT TEAM

  • Owner: J.A. Wedum Foundation
  • Development Consultant: EDI
  • Contractor: Anderson Companies
  • Architect & Interior Designer: Pope Architects
  • Manager: Presbyterian Homes & Services
  • Civil & Landscape: Sambatek
  • Structural: IMEG
  • FF&E & Procurement: Banko Design
  • Photographer: Nate Johnson Studio

See the rest of this year’s honorees on the Finance & Commerce’s announcement.

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