A rooftop practice facility in downtown St. Paul could soon become a reality for the Minnesota Wild.
Wild owner Craig Leipold told a Business Journal sporting roundtable on Wednesday that he is hoping to get the green light on plans to open a facility at the former Macy’s building within the next month.
It could see the roof of the building, which has been empty since Macy’s closed its store in March 2013, transformed into a “glassed-in ice rink” with views over St. Paul, though no designs have been revealed yet.
“We’re hoping within two to four weeks we’re going to get the signal that this project’s a go, and we’re going to start moving forward as quickly as we can,” he said, according to the Business Journal.
Leipold says Macy's building for practice facility would add vibrancy to downtown @cityofsaintpaul and leverage proximity to @XcelEnergyCtr
— Matt Kramer (@Vision_Kramer) June 10, 2015
Talks between the Wild and the St. Paul Port Authority, which owns the building, have been ongoing for several months, after the NHL team’s interest in the 363,000 square foot property became apparent in February.
A spectacular practice rink on the roof could kickstart a renaissance for the building, which is already attracting interest from other possible tenants.
In April, it was revealed that the Port Authority had come to a “tentative deal” to sell a unit in the southwest corner of the building for $2.5 million to a company intending to lease the space to an as yet unconfirmed retailer.
