page_title: Skyline Tower
section_title: Renovation and new residents
hierarchical_section_title: Skyline Tower / Renovation and new residents
caption_attribution_description: English: w:Skyline Towers in Saint Paul, Minnesota
context_page_description: Skyline Tower is a large low-income high rise apartment complex in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. The building is also often called St. Anthony Tower, or 1247 St. Anthony. At 240 feet it is the largest single HUD-subsidized building in Minnesota, and the 22nd-tallest building in Saint Paul. With over 500 units it is the largest single-building subsidized housing complex in the U.S. west of Chicago. The building is run by CommonBond Communities, the largest developer or owner of affordable rental housing in Minnesota. The nonprofit bought the building in 2000 with the help of U.S. Bank. The building was previously owned by Skyline Towers Co and managed by Sentinel Management Co.
context_section_description: In 2000, $31.3 million was raised by CommonBond Communities to buy and renovate the building. The money came from a variety of sources including the City of Saint Paul, HUD, Ramsey County, U.S. Bancorp, CommonBond Communities, Sentinel Management Co and the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. $15.2 million was used for renovation and the rest to purchase the building. Ramsey County contributed $10 million in tax-exempt bonds, the first time the county contributed to a project of this type  The rehabilitation repaired the crumbling exterior, added sprinkler systems and replaced outdated appliances and plumbing. It also added on a service center which is run and funded by CommonBond and designed to improve the skills and earning capacity of residents.
  The change of ownership and structural renovation is credited with improving the building. Since then the building has seen an influx of Somali residents. As a results of its large new immigrant population, Skyline Tower's nickname has also changed to United Nations of the Sky. A history of the tower, Skyline Tower, 'Ghetto in the Sky': Race, Class, and Housing in the Twin Cities was written by Michael D. Galvin and published in 2009.
caption: Skyline Tower from the sidewalk
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