ST. PAUL, MINN. — Dominium has completed the final phase of Upper Post Flats, a 192-unit affordable housing development that repurposed buildings at the historic Fort Snelling site in St. Paul. Minneapolis-based BKV Group served as the architect. Preference is given to residents who are military members, veterans, first responders and their families. The 42-acre site included 26 buildings, including barracks, an administration building, gymnasium, morgue and hospital, all of which have been transformed into a residential community. Floor plans range from 285 to 2,676 square feet. The individual buildings were in poor condition, as some had stood vacant since the 1970s. But the project team was able to salvage original walls, doors and windows, entryways and staircases in many of them. Buildings requiring a more extensive structural overhaul were rebuilt to historical standards. Getting the project off the ground took years and the combined efforts of a public-private partnership that included the site’s owner, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the National Park Service, Hennepin County, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the Minnesota Historical Society, which operated the historic fort. Low-Income Housing Tax Credits contributed $70 million of the project’s $160 million total cost, making the below-market-rate rents …
