The city of St. Paul has condemned the downtown Capital City Plaza parking ramp near the Alliance Bank Center, shuttering another Madison Equities property and its skyway connection.

A notice of immediate condemnation was posted following an inspection on April 2. The notice orders all drivers and vehicles to vacate the premises, located a block south of Alliance Bank Center.

The mayor’s office publicly announced the condemnation and closure of the ramp at 50 E. Fourth St. in a statement on Monday, noting a lack of maintenance and long-term non-compliance with code enforcement “threaten the public health and safety of guests and neighboring properties.”

Among areas of concern, city inspectors found blocked exits, exposed electrical circuits, inoperable equipment and water leaks. The city also noted that Madison Equities failed to routinely test its fire-suppression systems, the structural integrity of the ramp and the water backflow prevention system, which separates contaminated water from clean water. The lack of testing, according to the city, poses a risk to the shared potable water supply for all nearby properties.

The 950-stall parking ramp was built in 2000 for $14 million and was never successful. It became a financial drag on the St. Paul Port Authority, the city’s property development agency, and eventually defaulted. The ramp was purchased at a foreclosure sale in 2022 for $7 million by a limited liability corporation owned by St. Paul developer Jim Crockarell and his Madison Equities.

The figure-8-shaped ramp wraps around the Minnesota Building at Fourth and Cedar streets. The closure will shutter the ramp’s skyway across Cedar Street to the InterContinental Hotel; the ramp’s skyway across Fourth Street to the St. Paul Athletic Club and the already-shuttered Alliance Bank Center; and the skyway across Cedar to the Press House apartments and a Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office station.

Mayor Melvin Carter noted in the statement that Madison Equities, previously considered downtown’s largest property owner, has lost or neglected a number of properties in the wake of the pandemic, and “their chronic neglect has caused serious harm that will impact our city for years.”

Crockarell died last year, leaving Madison Equities rudderless. The company continues to own Alliance Bank Center but stopped maintaining it last month. Without a property owner paying for maintenance, utilities and security, all tenants have relocated and the city has stepped in to cover essential services and maintain limited skyway access on weekdays.

Angie Wiese, director of the city’s Department of Safety and Inspections, said in the statement that her office is working with “impacted community groups to ensure our community remains safe and welcoming.”

Madison Equities and its lender have also been ordered to get the parking ramp up to code, according to the city.