A $17 million remodel has added two floors to the 1950s-era Woolworth’s building at 428 Minnesota St. in downtown St. Paul and transformed it into a glassy, modern office and co-working facility tailored to a healthy work environment. (Frederick Melo / Pioneer Press)

Commercial Realtor Pat Wolf shows a Wellworth workspace in the former Woolworth's in downtown St. Paul. (Frederick Melo / Pioneer Press)

Business organizer Joe Spencer, a tenant of the rooftop co-working space, walks across a remnant of the original Woolworth’s wall art, now preserved in the building’s front lobby. (Frederick Melo / Pioneer Press)

Tenants of The 428 have access to the building's rooftop patio and sofas. (Frederick Melo / Pioneer Press)

The Wellworth co-working spaces are designed to have ample natural light. (Frederick Melo / Pioneer Press)



The glass cube onto the patio rooftop has a programmable LED-band that changes colors, including with a disco theme. (Frederick Melo / Pioneer Press)

On the rooftop patio of St. Paul’s newest co-working space, commercial Realtor Pat Wolf points to the LED lighting embedded in the glass-cube-style entrance.

With the touch of a button on her smartphone, multi-colored light displays could usher tenants into dusk. There’s even a disco setting.

In downtown St. Paul, the three-story Woolworth’s department store is gone. It hasn’t been demolished — far from it. But its transformation into The 428 office building is so fundamental, even regular passers-by could be forgiven for assuming an entirely new building had taken its place, complete with two glassy new stories and an entirely new purpose.

Welcome to Wellworth, the glass-enclosed fifth floor and co-working level of what had been one of downtown’s oldest department stores.

The “Well” in “Wellworth” refers to the painstaking efforts that Wolf’s company, Commercial Real Estate Services, and HFS Properties took to convert 428 Minnesota St. (The428.com) into a showcase of one of the most underrated perks in industry: a healthy work environment.

The International Well Building Institute has given The 428 building its gold certification, a recognition that the freshly remodeled structure promotes clean air, water, light, fitness, comfort, peace of mind and even nutrition.

It’s the first building in Minnesota and 17th in the country to achieve the rating. LEED certification, another environmental standard, is still in progress.

That’s no small undertaking for a vacant 1950s-era five-and-dime — a former discount department store that has sat almost entirely unused for more than 20 years. In fact, the $17 million remodel, designed by HDR Architects, relied on a robot demolition worker and the latest understanding of sustainable building practices. McGough Construction began the year-long project in June 2017.

“The number one amenity that employees want right now is natural light,” says Jamie Rissi, operations manager for Wellworth co-working, 5th floor of #The428. pic.twitter.com/tYApA8CesG — FredMelo, Reporter (@FrederickMelo) September 6, 2018

“When we looked to re-purpose it, we were not just going to make it another office building,” said Wolf, who has been managing downtown St. Paul real estate — including the adjoining Golden Rule building — since the late 1970s. “We looked at the market, and the things that stood out were things that made tenants feel good — making it a healthy space.”

What does Well certification mean in practice?

Outer walls have been converted into large glass bay windows designed to minimize glare. Indoor lighting automatically adjusts with changes in daylight exposure. Filtered water is available at all water fountains, kitchenettes and showers.

There’s indoor bicycle storage and a bike-repair area, hydronic heating and cooling — essentially, heat transferred by water through tubes — and state-of-the-art air filters that measure 16 on the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers’ 16-point MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) scale.

“There’s a designated (return on investment) to businesses that office in buildings that are ‘Well’-certified,” Wolf said. “If your employees are healthier, you’re going to see that in your bottom line. Who doesn’t want a workforce that’s more productive? They feel better.”

There’s also some quirk factor in the building’s history and practice. Inspirational quotes from Minnesota icons like Bob Dylan, Charles Schulz and Prince greet visitors at each stairwell.

Glass cube onto patio rooftop has a programmable LED-band that changes colors… there’s even a disco 💃 feature. For real. #Wellworth #FormerWoolworths #The428 pic.twitter.com/bqk84VpYy0 — FredMelo, Reporter (@FrederickMelo) September 6, 2018

The evolution of The 428 included destroying outer walls with the help of a remote-controlled robot, the Husqvarna DXR-140, which was renamed Fenric (after the Norse wolf-god of destruction) in a naming contest.

Despite its health-conscious design, The 428 has yet to sign any leases — the fifth-floor Wellworth co-working space is partially owned by building management. It’s a testament to downtown St. Paul’s struggles to attract and retain office tenants. That could soon change. A coffee cafe is interested in using The 428’s salvaged Woolworth’s lunch counter on the ground level.

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“We’re in talks with tenants — a variety of them,” Wolf said.