City of Saint Paul / Palace Theatre

Project Overview

NTH served as owner’s representative to the City of Saint Paul and its Housing and Redevelopment Authority on the $15.6 million revival of the Palace Theatre, a 1916 vaudeville house that had sat dark for more than three decades. The project stabilized the century-old building and converted it into a general-admission concert venue with a standing-room main floor, a refurbished balcony, new bar areas, code-compliant restrooms, and new backstage and front-of-house spaces. Now operated in partnership with First Avenue and JAM Productions, the Palace anchors the continued cultural and economic revitalization of downtown Saint Paul.

The Challenge

The Palace had been vacant since 1984, and decades of neglect left it with a leaking roof, a deteriorating facade, and building systems that required complete replacement. The design objective added difficulty: the City wanted preservation through stabilization rather than a full historical restoration, so the team had to bring mechanical, electrical, and life-safety systems up to current code while deliberately retaining worn plaster, exposed structure, and layered historic finishes. Traditional municipal procurement methods were poorly suited to work of this complexity, where scope could not be fully defined until walls were opened. The project also carried significant public visibility and City Council scrutiny, with sustained pressure on both budget and schedule.

How We Made It Happen

NTH represented the City’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority as owner’s representative, leading project governance from pre-design through closeout. Recognizing that standard municipal procurement would not accommodate a renovation of this complexity, NTH worked with the project team to develop an alternative procurement approach that satisfied the City’s compliance obligations while giving the team flexibility to respond to unforeseen conditions. NTH assembled and coordinated the project team – McGough Construction, Oertel Architects, Schuler Shook, and the City’s consultants – and ran the decision-making process that kept design intent, code compliance, and budget aligned. NTH administered the monthly draw and budget process, coordinated financing across the City’s funding sources, and served as the day-to-day point of contact among the City, preservation reviewers, and the venue’s future operators.

The Outcome

The Palace Theatre reopened as an approximately 2,800-capacity live music venue at a final project cost of $15.6 million. The renovation earned the AIA St. Paul Heritage Award for its preservation-through-stabilization approach. A building that had been near condemnation is now one of the region’s most distinctive concert venues, drawing national touring acts back to downtown Saint Paul.