On This Page

Hamm's Brewery Drone Shot with City Skyline

A New Chapter for an East Side Anchor

This transit-oriented redevelopment will bring affordable housing, community gathering spaces, and connections to parks and trails to the former brewery complex.

The City of Saint Paul HRA unanimously approved JB Vang Partners Inc. as the tentative developer for the HRA-owned parcels on January 11, 2023.

Historic Hamm's Brewery Designated Heritage Preservation Site

The Saint Paul City Council voted November 5, 2025, to designate the Historic Hamm's Brewery space as a Heritage Preservation Site. This is an important next step for development that will protect the historic brewery complex and make project financing possible.

The Saint Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority and project developer are continuing to refine the site’s final design, engineering, and financing. Learn more about the project process.

About the Redevelopment

The Hamm's redevelopment project will add 180 new affordable housing units, along with outdoor public green space, indoor community space, and connections to Swede Hollow Park and Bruce Vento Trail. The project no longer includes a commercial marketplace; instead, it will incorporate public-facing programming and activations, such as pop-up markets and entertainment, to engage residents and the community. JB Vang's proposal aligns with a list of priorities put forth by the City of Saint Paul during the request for proposals (RFP) process as well as community values shared by nine East Side organizations including the East Side Neighborhood Development Company (ESNDC), East Side Business Association (ESABA), Payne-Arcade Business Association (PABA), Payne-Phalen Community Council, Dayton's Bluff Community Council, Railroad Island Neighborhood Group, Friends of Swede Hollow, Historic Saint Paul, and the East Side Freedom Library.

Transforming vacant land into affordable housing

The redevelopment will transform vacant land and abandoned buildings into much-needed affordable housing, with a stronger focus on providing larger, family-friendly configurations to address the current housing deficit. The plans call for 110 apartments in a new building on the east end of the site and 70 units in the renovated historic brewery buildings:

● The East End apartments (new construction) will feature 1, 2, and 3-bedroom units, designated for households earning between 30-60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), including underground parking for all tenants.

● The historic brewery rehabilitation (West End) will create affordable 1, 2, 3, and 4-bedroom units, along with amenities for tenants.

Expanding multi-modal accessibility for patrons and residents

Another goal of this development is to build on the existing multi-modal amenities and create a more connected and accessible community. Once the project is complete, the site will be well served by transit and pedestrian infrastructure:

● Access to regional trails and the regional bikeway system, including a direct link to the Bruce Vento Trail (which runs 8.3 miles between the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary and White Bear Lake) and connections to the Gateway State Trail, the Lake Phalen Trail, the Johnson Parkway Regional Trail, and the Indian Mounds Trail

● Highly walkable to and from adjacent neighborhoods including businesses along Payne Avenue

● Multiple mass transit options nearby, with stops on Minnehaha at both Payne and Arcade and the future Bronze Line BRT

Preserving public parking

The developer has redesigned the project to maximize surface parking for visitors to the site. Additionally, removing the commercial marketplace from the plans ensures that competition for customer parking will be minimized. Given these robust transportation options and thoughtful refinements, the Hamm’s Brewery complex is well-positioned to become a premier destination for both residents and visitors.

Virtual Tour

The oldest remaining buildings south of Minnehaha Avenue have been vacant since the closure of the brewery. Explore the virtual tour of the site to see the current state of the HRA-owned buildings on the Hamm's complex.

Redevelopment Timeline

Community Engagement | 2024–

Hamm's Community Meeting - February 11, 2025

The City of Saint Paul HRA and the development team are committed to engaging and involving the community in all steps of the redevelopment process.

The JB Vang team listened to the neighborhood and reflected the multicultural community and its values and aspirations in their proposal. Additional engagement and outreach will continue as development plans are finalized.

Visit JB Vang's Hamm's Brewery redevelopment website to share your feedback and learn about future engagement opportunities.

February 2025

On February 11, Councilmember Cheniqua Johnson hosted a community update on the Hamm's Brewery development with JB Vang and the City of Saint Paul's Department of Planning and Economic Development. View the slides.

May 2024

JB Vang Partners and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Twin Cities released the Summary Report and Final Recommendations from the recent community feedback workshops.

January - March 2024

JB Vang Partners invited the community to participate in important conversations to guide the future redevelopment of the Hamm’s Brewery complex. The four workshops built on previous work by the community that identified 52 value statements, and provided recommendations to the developer, JB Vang Partners, and City of Saint Paul.

All workshops were held on Wednesdays from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. at HOPE Community Academy (720 Payne Avenue).

  • January 24, 2024: Workshop I - Gathering ideas for the Reuse of the Hamm's Brewery Complex
    • During this workshop, there was small group discussion on the following questions/themes:
      • What is important and unique about the Hamm’s Brewery complex site and surrounding area?
      • What types of commercial uses would improve/enhance the area?
      • What concerns for the area do you have as future development occurs?
      • Are there specific types of amenities that these sites could accommodate?
      • What additional information would you like to have to better address the commercial development opportunities for the Hamm's Brewery complex?
    • View the full meeting slide deck, just the slides from JB Vang, discussion responses, and feedback evaluation.
       
  • February 7, 2024: Workshop II - Block Exercise: Explore Commercial Uses for the Hamm's Brewery Complex
  • February 21, 2024: Workshop III - Panel Discussion - Exploring Commercial Use Options
  • March 13, 2024: Workshop IV - Create Final Recommendations
    • During this session, the community contributed to the creation of development recommendations for the redevelopment of the Hamm’s Brewery complex, which were submitted to JB Vang Partners and the City of Saint Paul.
    • View the final recommendations and feedback evaluation.

Tentative Developer Status | 2022–

Hamm's Redevelopment Rendering of the Market Hall from JB Vang

The Housing and Redevelopment Authority officially awarded tentative developer status (TDS) to JB Vang Partners, Inc. on January 11, 2023 following an extensive request for proposals (RFP) and review process.

The JB Vang redevelopment proposal includes 89 affordable apartments and a commercial marketplace in the historic brewery buildings (West End) and new construction of 120 affordable family-sized apartments (East End).

During the TDS period, the developer and the HRA are working to complete items required for development, such as design, engineering, and financing.

Request for Proposals | 2021–2022

The request for proposals (RFP) was released on October 18, 2021 and submissions were due by April 29, 2022.

The HRA received five proposals, from teams led by Clapp Investments, LLC, The HOPE Program, JB Vang Partners, Kingdom Realty, and Trellis Co.

Pursuant to Minnesota Statute § 13.591, only the names of the proposers are public data at this time. The content of all submissions is considered non-public information throughout the tentative developer phase until a development agreement is approved by the HRA.

Planning | 2004–2021

Since acquiring the former brewery complex, the HRA and City staff have worked actively to plan for the site’s future.

The HRA built upon the community engagement and recommendations from the Hamm’s Brewery Reuse Study and Vision Plan (2004), the Dayton’s Bluff District Plan (2009), the Near East Side Roadmap (2012), the Swede Hollow Master Plan (2019), and Saint Paul’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan to create the redevelopment vision for the site.

HRA Acquisition | 2004

Hamm's image

In 2004, the HRA acquired the southern portion of the brewery to protect and expand Swede Hollow Park as well as provide new jobs and housing opportunities on the East Side in a reinvigorated brewery complex.

Located just one mile from downtown Saint Paul and close to multiple transit lines, the site was perfectly positioned to take full advantage of Saint Paul’s growth, while simultaneously reflecting and preserving an important piece of its history. 

To date, the HRA has completed the sale and redevelopment of three parcels within the Hamm’s Brewery complex:

  • 688 Minnehaha Avenue, redeveloped as Saint Paul Brewing (formerly known as Flat Earth Brewing);
  • 704 Minnehaha Avenue, redeveloped as 11 Wells Distillery; and
  • 700 Minnehaha Avenue, previously redeveloped as an aquaponics operation; this property was since purchased by a private property owner

History

The Theodore Hamm Brewing Company was established in 1865 by German immigrant Theodore Hamm. The brewery grew through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, becoming an iconic East Side employer and influencing the development of the surrounding Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood.

Hamm’s expanded to be the fifth largest brewery in the nation by the 1950s, with the Saint Paul location as its flagship. In the latter half of the century, the brewery was sold multiple times before operating as Stroh’s from 1983 until the brewery’s closure in 1997. 

Hamm's historical collage
Historical photos courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society and Ramsey County Historical Society.