Frauenshuh Returns in a Big Way to St. Paul

Lawson Commons is the headquarters of Lawson Software and recently reached 98% occupancy.

ST. PAUL— Frauenshuh Commercial Real Estate Group has just re-acquired Lawson Commons in downtown St. Paul. The Bloomington, MN-based company developed the property in 2000, sold it in 2005, and has since been a very active buyer in the suburbs of the Twin Cities. But like many urban core areas in the US, the St. Paul CBD is seeing robust activity, and it seemed like an ideal time to return. “St. Paul has had its troubles,” Dean Freeman , senior vice president, Frauenshuh, tells GlobeSt.com. “But it now feels like it is going in the right direction.” Several big office users have come to town, including Hartford, CT-based Travelers Cos. , which leased about 63,000 square feet in Lawson Commons in September, and furthermore, a lot of older properties downtown have been renovated into residences. “And this is justly considered the top building in the St. Paul CBD,” he adds. “We also were very familiar with the asset and had a great deal of comfort with the quality of the tenants. We see it as a steady investment.” Frauenshuh has provided property management and leasing services at the 13-story, 436,000 square foot class A tower since it was purchased by Dallas-based TIER REIT , formerly known as Behringer Harvard . It helped broker the deal with Travelers, and brought the building’s occupancy rate up to 98%. “That changed the profile of the building,” he says, and more than anything, gave Frauenshuh the confidence to bring the building back into its portfolio. “We are secure for many years.”