Real estate mogul Jim Crockarell, who expanded his St. Paul holdings through the decades to become the capital city’s largest downtown property owner, died Thursday at age 79.
With his real estate development company Madison Equities, Crockarell grew his portfolio to include at least 32 buildings, including some of the most recognizable ones in the St. Paul skyline. In addition to prominent downtown office and apartment buildings — such as the First National Bank Building, U.S. Bank Center and Alliance Bank Center — his firm had a stake in multiple metro-area strip malls and downtown restaurants such as Handsome Hog, Ox Cart Ale House and Gray Duck Tavern.
“He enjoyed the art of the deal, and he enjoyed doing things to improve the city of St. Paul,” said Carol March, Crockarell’s daughter. “He spent a lot of time and energy trying to make downtown St. Paul a better place to live and work.”
Crockarell, of North Oaks, died of sepsis, March said.
A Tennessee native, Crockarell moved to St. Paul in the 1970s to become vice president of planning at Ellerbe Becket Companies. His real estate acquisitions began in the 1980s, first with rental homes, then with strip malls. He bought his first downtown building in 1999.
“As someone who owns more than thirty buildings in our downtown core, Jim Crockarell played a visible role in our downtown landscape for more than 40 years and his passing most certainly will mark a pivotal change in that landscape,” said B Kyle, president and CEO of the St. Paul Area Chamber, in a statement. “Our sincere condolences are extended to his family and friends.”
Crockarell was a complicated figure in the downtown ecosystem, at times embroiled in conflicts with the city, labor unions, the nonprofit St. Paul Downtown Alliance and other property owners. In recent years, Crockarell refused to join St. Paul’s downtown improvement district, which assesses property owners to pay for street teams and other personnel who remove graffiti, pick up litter and boost security downtown. John Manillo, a longtime St. Paul developer, said Crockarell’s lack of participation was disappointing, as “he could have helped himself and helped the city in general more than he did.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit against Madison Equities last summer, alleging the company deprived security officers of pay and retaliated against a whistleblower. A Ramsey County District judge granted Madison Equities’ motion to dismiss the lawsuit in November, and Ellison’s office appealed that decision, according to Brian Evans, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office. Because the lawsuit is against Madison Equities, not its owner, Crockarell’s death will not affect it, Evans said.
