# Bandana Square

Saint Paul, MN · mall · tier: draft · Retrofit Atlas record `m-809ba46488` · release 2026-10-21

Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/mn/saint-paul-bandana-square/  
JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-809ba46488.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-809ba46488.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/m-809ba46488

## Facts

| Field | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Status | operating | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Strategy | reinhabit | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| New use | office, hotel | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| What is there now | office center | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Opened | 1984 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Closed | 2006 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 2006 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Redeveloper | Wellington Management | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |

## Quoted support

- **year_opened**: “The complex opened in 1984 after the former Northern Pacific Railway's Como Shops were converted into what was to be a large festival marketplace and hotel complex.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandana_Square
- **year_closed**: “The center was converted entirely to offices in 2006.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandana_Square
- **after_notes**: “Bandana Square, formerly the Como Shop of the Northern Pacific Railway, is currently an office center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandana_Square
- **status**: “Bandana Square, formerly the Como Shop of the Northern Pacific Railway, is currently an office center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandana_Square
- **strategy**: “Bandana Square, formerly the Como Shop of the Northern Pacific Railway, is currently an office center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandana_Square

## Parties

- Wilder Foundation — owner (from text) (1983–1989)
- Port Authority — owner (from text) (1989–1989)
- Investors — owner (from text) (1989–2003)
- Wellington Management — owner (from text) (2003–)

## Timeline

- 1983: Wilder Foundation purchases Bandana Square for $17 million
- 1984: Complex opens as festival marketplace and hotel complex
- 1989: Port Authority takes over Bandana Square
- 1989: Port Authority sells Bandana Square to investors for $3 million
- 2003: Wellington Management purchases Bandana Square for $6.1 million
- 2006: Center converted entirely to offices

## Background (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened)

Bandana Square, formerly the Como Shop of the Northern Pacific Railway, is currently an office center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. However, it was initially designed to be a shopping mall in the Energy Park neighborhood. The site is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandana_Square

## Sources

- Quoted support for year_opened — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandana_Square

## Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "Bandana Square, Saint Paul, MN." Record m-809ba46488, release 2026-10-21, tier draft. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/mn/saint-paul-bandana-square/ (accessed 2026-10-21).

```bibtex
@misc{retrofitatlas_saintpaulbandanasquare,
  title = {Bandana Square, Saint Paul, MN},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/mn/saint-paul-bandana-square/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-809ba46488, release 2026-10-21, tier: draft. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-21}
}
```

Licence: research use only; terms undecided with the authors (https://retrofitatlas.org/licence/). Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0. Tiers: curated = from the authors' public map, not reviewed by them; draft = imported or model-extracted, unreviewed.