The historic Justus Ramsey House will be dismantled and put into storage with the long-term goal of rebuilding the 1852 stone cottage on a vacant lot elsewhere on West Seventh Street.
After much debate on January 25, the Saint Paul City Council acting as the Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) approved $84,000 in emergency business assistance. The money will be used to stabilize, disassemble, move and store the two-room limestone structure, which is located on Burger Moe’s patio at 252 W. Seventh St. Then on February 8 it dropped the amount to $34,000. The funding is to be structured as a forgivable loan and handled by the West Seventh/Fort Road Federation.
Attorney offers new site for stone cottage
Attorney Don Kohler offered to have the cottage rebuilt on a lot that he owns at 1072 W. Seventh St. He and partner Rita Dalbec would live in the house after it is rebuilt, and Kohler said he would relocate his law office there. The structured is believed to be the oldest surviving house in Saint Paul.
The vote ended a tense 44 hours that started just after 6 p.m. January 23 when Mayor Melvin Carter ordered the cottage to be demolished. The announcement came two days before the council was expected to hear an appeal by property owner Mojtaba Sharifkhani, aka Moe Sharif. He planned to appeal a Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) decision denying the demolition.
Preservationists and representatives of West End neighborhood groups stood vigil over the cottage during the evening of January 23-24. They confronted police and watched Burger Moe’s staff start removing pieces of the building. The group made signs stating “Plow our streets, not our history” and “Shame on Moe and Melvin.”
Judge issues restraining order
Federation board members and members of the Little Bohemia Neighborhood Association, the Historic Irvine Park Association and Historic Saint Paul convinced Ramsey County District Court Judge Laura Nelson to sign a temporary restraining order halting the demolition at about 7 a.m. January 24. Nelson urged the sides to come together to find a resolution.
A request for city assistance during the January 25 council meeting was whittled down from $115,00. That came after resistance from council members Amy Brendmoen, Chris Tolbert and Nelsie Yang. The vote was eventually 6-0 to approve the $84,000, with Mitra Jalali absent.
The HRA then chopped another $50,000 off the amount on February 8, after apparently getting updated cost figures.
Ward 2 council member Rebecca Noecker, whose ward includes the Justus Ramsey House, spoke for the funding on January 25. She described the situation as a “win-win.”
“Moe is pleased that there is an outcome that addresses the current challenge while also making sure history is preserved and a better future for this building is now viable,” Zipko wrote. “The key challenge was that the building is badly deteriorated and has been ruled a safety risk.”
Council members want more details
Council members who raised objections noted they had not received a written staff report on the request for business assistance dollars. Tolbert said he was frustrated by a lack of details and said the request “didn’t pass the smell test.” Brendmoen said it may be more appropriate for the city funds to be sought and allocated through a competitive process. She criticized the request for lack of transparency.
Noecker responded that the project could not wait. “The urgency here is the condition of the building,” she said.
City Planning and Economic Development director Nicolle Goodman agreed. “There’s a real risk that this could just collapse,” she said.
Tom Schroeder has led efforts to save the structure. He said the $84,000 would cover the costs of shoring up, then safely dismantling and storing the cottage. New footings and foundation would have to be prepared before it could be rebuilt on its new site. That could not happen until after frost is out of the ground.
Burger Moe’s owner is on board
Sharifkhani spokesperson Mike Zipko said in a statement that the veteran restaurateur is on board with the proposal approved on January 25.
“Moe is pleased that there is an outcome that addresses the current challenge while also making sure history is preserved and a better future for this building is now viable,” Zipko wrote. “The key challenge was that the building is badly deteriorated and has been ruled a safety risk.”
Elyse Jensen, who is active in the Historic Irvine Park Association, said she was frustrated that the city was subsidizing a deal for a building that Sharifkhani did not want. Other neighborhood activists said saving the building and moving it was better than losing it entirely.
— Jane McClure
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