South St. Paul city council votes
to move historic Armour Gates

Council votes to move historic Armour Gates
By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | August 2025

After years of contentious debate among councilmembers and residents, the South St. Paul city council recently decided that the city’s two historic Armour Gatehouse structures will be preserved and kept within the city rather than demolished. The gates are all that remain of what was once among the largest livestock operations in the world.

They will be moved to Grand Avenue, likely to the long vacant EDA-owned lot immediately east of Burger King where they could serve as entry points to a new “pocket park.”

The Council deliberated much in recent months about the best location for the gates, first saying their preferred option was Kaposia Landing and later indicating a desire for Hardman Triangle. Ultimately, the council chose this site so the gates won’t impede future development at Hardman Triangle and because it’s a viable location that can be used for public gatherings and other events that spur economic activity. Kaposia Landing was ruled out due to its distance from the former Armour plant and other relocation challenges.

Restoring the gates prior to their relocation would include replacing limestone and bricks, joint repair, and cleaning, and is expected to cost about $190,000 if approved. Moving the 117-year-old structures – a risk even after restoration – will be upwards of $300,000. City staff are working to formalize funding options and a timeline. Demolition of both gates – estimated at $25,000 – had been an option until this July, despite a petition with more than 2,000 signatures submitted in late 2023 calling to preserve them and make a park around where they currently stand.

Trying to strike a balance between economic development and historic preservation caused the council to be split on the decision to relocate the monuments. Councilmember Lori Hansen first issued a motion calling for them to be restored and remain where they are, but it failed, with all in opposition other than councilmember Joe Kaliszewski. Councilmember Todd Podgorski then proceeded with a motion to move the gates to Grand Avenue, which passed 5-2, with councilmember Hansen and mayor Jimmy Francis opposing. While the primary site being proposed is 136 Grand Ave. E., other options may still be considered.

The gates currently reside on a 4-acre triangular lot at Armour Avenue and Hardman Avenue South, owned by the Economic Development Authority since 1989. The industrial nature of the surrounding area has kept the city from pursuing the creation of a park around the structures after that option was proposed in the petition. Overall, the position of the gates within the site and potential backlash for a company that demolishes them has hindered a handful of redevelopment proposals at the property over the years. The land is valued at nearly a half-million dollars – about the cost to restore and relocate the gates – and it’s estimated that a 45,000-square-foot building there could generate $132,000 in taxes annually, a third of which would go to the city and the rest to the school district and Dakota County.

The gates are some of the last vestiges of the Armour & Co. and Swift & Co. stockyards meatpacking plants, which employed thousands of people – including a large population of immigrants – and fueled the city’s growth from 1920-1950. The Armour plant was reported to be the most modern meatpacking plant in the world and the largest industrial plant in the Twin Cities when it opened in 1919. At its peak it processed 1,900 head of livestock per hour and operated around the clock to support war efforts during World War II.

Some residents have voiced their desire to keep the gates where they are to preserve the city’s history, claiming the monuments lose their value if not located at the actual site where thousands of Armour & Co. laborers passed through to get to work. Others say fiscal responsibility is more important, and that relocating them is ultimately better than demolishing them. Likewise, some claim that Armour & Co. hurt the city when it closed the South St. Paul plant and sold its buildings in 1979, therefore the actual location of the gates is not important. One option that also surfaced was deconstructing the gates and incorporating their bricks and other components into a new monument elsewhere in the city.

The investment required to save the gates comes when the city is already juggling finances to fund several other costly projects, including a new public works facility and aquatics center. The city is also working to find a future use for the former city library building, which served the city for more than a century until Kaposia Library was completed last year. A recent study found that significant work would be required for its commercial reuse and outlined several steps the city could take to encourage more developers to consider purchasing it. The Concord Exchange building was also recently put up for sale, marking yet another historic building in the city that is struggling to find purpose in a society and world so different from the days when it was built.

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