Elite Level Fire Damage Restoration in Saint Paul, TX
Fire damage to your home is one of the most traumatizing, frightening tragedies a person can experience. This is especially true in apartment buildings and multifamily homes, where dozens if not hundreds of families are affected by fire and smoke damage. When a fire rips through an apartment building, the property damage can be catastrophic. But the damage caused by fires doesn't end once the flames have been extinguished. Victims are left wondering what happens next now that their belongings are destroyed. When will they have a roof over their again?
In these circumstances, prompt, purpose-driven fire damage restoration is key to reducing victims' financial and emotional strain.
The National Fire Protection Association states that a structure fire is reported every 65 seconds. When the fire alarm sounds, emergency responders answer the call for help with decisive action. But once the smoke clears, Atlas National Renovations' team of fire restoration experts step in to give hope to property managers, apartment tenants, and commercial property owners.
With decades of combined experience in disaster recovery, ANR understands the complexities associated with commercial and apartment building fires. We have helped the top multifamily groups in Texas recover their tenants' homes and belongings with care and compassion. If you're a property manager and you're still reeling from a fire disaster, know that we're here to help you too.
At Atlas National Renovations, our expert project managers and technicians play key roles in complicated fire restoration projects. We specialize in restoring Class A, B, and C properties like apartment complexes, high-rise buildings, multifamily buildings, mixed-use developments, large commercial properties, and more.
Restoration Services
- Elite Level Fire Damage Restoration in Saint Paul, TX
- Fire Damage Restoration for Apartment Buildings in Saint Paul, TX
- Our Fire Damage Restoration Process
- Tips for Preventing Apartment Fires
- Trustworthy Fire Damage Restoration for Businesses in Saint Paul, TX
- Discover the Atlas DifferenceDiscover the Top Restoration in Saint Paul, TX
Service Areas
If you're looking for a top-tier fire damage restoration company in Saint Paul, look no further than ANR. We're the top pick when it comes to large, detailed fire restoration projects because we:
- Are a Trusted Partner in Restoration and Disaster Recovery
- Adhere to OSHA Standards and State & Federal Regulations
- Use the Latest Equipment & Remediation Techniques
- Offer Innovative Solutions to Detailed Problems
- Provide Seasoned Project Managers for Each Fire Restoration Project
- Give Clients Clear and Consistent Communication
- Work with Insurance Companies
- Have a Knowledgeable & Courteous Leadership Team
Fire Damage Restoration for Apartment Buildings in Saint Paul, TX
Owners and managers of apartment complexes know that the safety of their tenants is a major responsibility. Unfortunately, nobody can completely control when apartment fires occur. Fires in apartments and multifamily buildings may start small, but they spread quickly, often destroying several living spaces. These frightening fires destroy prized heirlooms, important documents, and can even be fatal. However, the work is only beginning once the fire is put out and lives are saved.
In the aftermath of a disaster, figuring out the next steps is hard. During this difficult time, it's important to be prepared. As a property manager or owner, having a fire damage restoration company on your checklist of resources is crucial.
Unlike residential fires, apartment and multifamily building fires add several more layers of complexity and stress. In these situations, you deserve a restoration partner that you can trust without question, and that company is Atlas National Renovations.

With years of experience guiding our technicians and project managers, the ANS team responds quickly to your fire damage emergency. Using advanced protocols and state-of-the-art restoration equipment, we get to work quickly to repair and restore your commercial property to its pre-loss condition. While restoring your property, we always keep your tenant's care and comfort in mind.
Our fire restoration services in Saint Paul are comprehensive and include the following:
- Rapid Mobilization and Response
- Overall Catastrophe Management
- Emergency Board-Up Services
- Debris Removal and Disposal
- Apartment Content Inventory and Cleaning
- Soot and Smoke Removal Services
- Water Extraction
- Deodorization
- HVAC Cleaning and Decontamination
- Shoring Installment to Secure Buildings
- Interior & Exterior Renovations
Our Fire Damage Restoration Process
It's imperative to have someone with knowledge and experience on your side during a fire crisis.
When you call ANS, our fire restoration experts can help walk you through the steps you need to take once a fire occurs. This allows us to quickly gain control of the restoration project on your behalf. Once we have inspected your property, we'll provide a detailed report and scope of work for your fire damage restoration project.
ANS repairs all property damage caused by soot, smoke, and fire. Our IICRC-certified fire restoration teams construct the best plan to quickly get your building back to its pre-loss condition.

Because every property is different, each fire restoration project for apartment buildings is too. However, every fire disaster will have a similar process and will often include:
Contact ANS
Your fire restoration process begins when you call our headquarters. Our specialist will ask you a series of questions about the fire event that occurred. That way, we can arrive on-site with the proper resources and equipment.
Fire Damage Assessment
and Inspection
Our fire damage restoration team will carefully inspect the entirety of your apartment complex, from building to building and room to room. We do so to determine the extent of your apartment's fire, smoke, and soot damage. This step is crucial to developing a comprehensive restoration plan.
Board-Up Services
First responders like firefighters must break windows and cut holes in roofs to slow fire growth and save lives. Once the fire is out, our team can get to work, boarding up holes and constructing temporary fencing around the property.
Water Removal
If there is water damage associated with your apartment fire, we'll remove most of the water immediately. From there, we use air movers and dehumidifiers to help complete the drying process.
Smoke and Soot Removal
Within minutes of a fire, walls, electronics, and other surfaces are covered in soot. Smoke and ash continue to cause damage to every inch of your apartment building. That's why ANS uses specialized equipment to remediate smoke damage and remove odors. This process is often labor-intensive and can take time, especially for large fire damage restoration needs.
Cleaning and Sanitizing
Using a variety of restoration and cleaning techniques, our team will help clean restorable items and sanitize units for safety.
Restoration
Getting your apartment buildings to their pre-fire conditions is our ultimate goal. Depending on the size and scope of the fire restoration job, minor repairs like painting, drywall replacement, and new carpet installation might be needed. You might also need major structural renovations like re-siding, re-roofing, new window installation, floor replacement, and more.
Tips for Preventing Apartment Fires
If you're a property manager or own multifamily residential buildings, the thought of an apartment fire is terrifying. What starts as a small fire can quickly turn into a catastrophic event, with your entire complex up in flames. However, one of the best ways of preventing these fires is to know more about them.
Share these tips with tenants to help prevent deadly apartment fires:
Turn Off Heat Sources

Data shows that a large number of apartment fires begin with cooking. Often, these fires are caused by the ignition of common items like rags, curtains, wallpapers, and bags. Encourage tenants to keep their kitchens and cooking areas clear of combustibles. Never leave a stove unattended for long, and don't leave burners on by themselves. Unintentional mishaps like leaving heat sources on are common causes of fires that can be prevented with a little forethought.
Electrical Safety

Like heat sources, electrical malfunctions are also common causes of fires in apartment complexes. It's hard to prevent all electrical malfunctions, but you can tell tenants to avoid bad habits. Tips include never using extension cords as permanent solutions and never using a cable if the third prong is missing.
Appliance Safety

Appliances are a part of everyone's lives. They're also standard equipment in most apartment units. But if tenants don't take proper precautions, these useful tools can spark deadly fires.
Tips for Preventing Apartment Fires
No matter how large or small, fires are nightmare scenarios for entrepreneurs with commercial properties. Fire damage can completely ruin storefronts and offices, leaving charred remains and burned-up files before firefighters arrive. To make matters worse, soot and smoke damage ruin your businesses' furniture, HVAC system, carpet, walls, and windows.
To eliminate health hazards and restore your business to its pre-fire condition, you need to bring in a team of professionals with years of experience in fire damage remediation. At ANR, we use commercial-grade equipment and cutting-edge tools to clean up the aftermath of your fire and rebuild your property. That way, you can get back to running your business and providing for your family.

Share these tips with tenants to help prevent deadly apartment fires:
Remove Smoke and Fire Damage

One of the most common causes of large commercial loss stems from smoke and fire damage. Of course, these disasters cause injuries and fatalities. But they also generate tremendous amounts of damage, rot, mold, and harm to structures. Not to mention the devastation that fire damage has to the appearance and livability of the facility. Fire damage restoration companies restore - and also prevent - the root cause of the fire. Electrical outlets, wires, and other fire-prone items will all be addressed to prevent a subsequent disaster.
Highly Skilled

The best fire damage restoration professionals are highly-trained, exceptionally skilled, and properly equipped to deal with every aspect of a commercial fire. From handling major renovations to taking care of the lingering effects of smoke damage, pro fire restoration companies take care of it for you. Hiring ANR means you'll be working with technicians who have the knowledge, tools, and materials to get the job done right the first time.
Insurance Claims

When you start the claim process with your businesses' insurance company, they'll ask whether you've hired a fire damage restoration company. That's because companies like Atlas prevent further damage from occurring and calculate an estimate of your total loss. You can submit this estimate to your insurance company, which may then provide you with resources to complete your company's disaster recovery mt-md-1
Discover the
Atlas Difference
Fire damage restoration is a crucial, complex process that professionals must perform. With decades of expertise, unmatched restoration quality, and the scalability for any job, Atlas National Renovations is well-equipped to be your single source for commercial fire damage restoration in Saint Paul, TX. We are specially equipped to make difficult restoration projects easy for owners.
When a fire disaster strikes, you need a timely response from a trustworthy team of experts. Don't settle for a mediocre fire restoration partner. Choose ANR to get the job done right the first time. Contact our office today to learn more about our fire restoration services in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

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Latest News in Saint Paul, TX
No. 9 Lady Buffs Take on No. 3 Concordia-St. Paul in National Championship Match
West Texas A&M University Athleticshttps://gobuffsgo.com/news/2022/12/3/volleyball-no-9-lady-buffs-take-on-no-3-concordia-st-paul-in-national-championship-match.aspx
CANYON, Texas – The No. 9 Lady Buffs West Texas A&M (32-4, 16-0 LSC) will make their first trip to the NCAA DII National Championship since 2009 and fifth overall when they face No. 3 Concordia-St. Paul (31-5, 17-3 NSIC) on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 5 p.m. CT at the Royal Brougham Pavilion. The NCAA Division II Volleyball National Championships and DII Festival will be held in Seattle, Wash., hosted by the NCAA and Seattle Pacific.WATCH PARTY WT will host a watch party at the First United Bank Cen...
CANYON, Texas – The No. 9 Lady Buffs West Texas A&M (32-4, 16-0 LSC) will make their first trip to the NCAA DII National Championship since 2009 and fifth overall when they face No. 3 Concordia-St. Paul (31-5, 17-3 NSIC) on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 5 p.m. CT at the Royal Brougham Pavilion. The NCAA Division II Volleyball National Championships and DII Festival will be held in Seattle, Wash., hosted by the NCAA and Seattle Pacific.
WATCH PARTY WT will host a watch party at the First United Bank Center following the conclusion of the men's basketball game.
LIVE COVERAGE Live stats will be available for all seven national matches provided by the NCAA and Seattle Pacific Communications department while will be broadcasted on NCAA.com.
THE SEEDINGS The Lady Buffs earned the No. 3 seed after capturing the program's 15th NCAA DII South Central Regional title where WT swept No. 1 MSU Denver. The Barry Bucs earned the No. 2 seed with the Midwest Region Champion Missouri-St. Louis earning the No. 7 seed.
On the other side of the bracket, Concordia-St. Paul earned the top seed and will face No. 8 seed Southern New Hampshire while Cal State LA was named the four seed and will take on No. 5 seed Gannon.
Match Times/Schedule Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022 Quarterfinal 1: No. 3 West Texas A&M 3, No. 6 Wingate 2 Quarterfinal 2: No. 7 Missouri-St. Louis 3, No. 2 Barry 1 Quarterfinal 3: No. 4 Cal State LA 3, No. 5 Gannon 0 Quarterfinal 4: No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul 3, No. 8 Southern New Hampshire 0
Friday, Dec. 2, 2022 Semifinal 1: No. 3 West Texas A&M 3, No. 7 Missouri-St. Louis 1 Semifinal 2: No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul 3, No. 4 Cal State LA 0
Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022 Championship Match: No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul v. No. 3 West Texas A&M – 5 p.m. CT
SCOUTING #3 GOLDEN BEARS No. 1 seed and nationally-ranked third Concordia-St. Paul swept their way to the National Championship match after defeating Southern New Hampshire and No. 19 Cal State LA. The Golden Bears defeated CSLA in the semifinals with scores of 25-16, 25-21, and 25-14 to improve to 31-5 overall under head coach 20th-year head coach Brady Starkey.
Starkey is no stranger to the national finale as he has guided the Golden Bears to nine national titles which is the most by any DII school, including seven consecutive titles between 2009-2013. The Golden Bears last title came in 2017 with a 3-0 victory over Florida Southern. Under the three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, CSP is 345-51 overall with 12 30-plus win seasons as the all-time winningest NCAA volleyball coach in any division (minimum 10 seasons).
The Golden Bears entered to the NCAA Tournament for the 19th consecutive season as the second seed in the Central Region. CSP earned the at-large bid for the tournament after falling in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference finals against St. Cloud State before defeating Huskies in the regional championship match in a five-set thriller.
Four players received AVCA All-American recognition with First Team honorees Jasmine Mulvihill and Teagan Starkey, and Katie Mattson and Emma Schmidt who earned Honorable Mention honors. Mulvihill has led the team with 498 kills (3.83/set) on 1,165 attempts with 171 errors to hit .281 on the season along with a team-high 50 aces.
Starkey, daughter of head coach Brady Starkey, has been credited 1,505 assists this season and leads the nation with 12.65 per frame to go along with 28 aces. Ellie Sieling leads the back row with 437 digs (3.34/set) for a .934 reception percentage while Mattson leads at the net with 129.0 total blocks, including 19 solo stops.
THE SERIES Concordia-St. Paul leads the all-time series 3-0 with the Lady Buffs just claiming one set victory since the series start in 2007. Saturday's match marks the second National Championship matchup between the two programs with the Golden Bears claiming the 2009 national title, 3-0, with score of 25-18, 25-18, 25-16.
HOW WE GOT HERE WT punched its ticket to the NCAA Division II National Championship match after defeating Missouri-St. Louis in four sets (25-23, 25-21, 23-25, 25-23) on Friday night. WT hit .229 overall in the semifinal match with 68 kills on 192 swings with 24 errors to go along with 62 assists, a season-high 98 digs, 14 blocks and three aces. Missouri-St. Louis ended the season hitting .158 with 56 kills on 196 swings with 25 errors, 90 digs, 52 assists, 11 blocks and five aces.
Torrey Miller led the night with a match-high 22 kills on 54 swings with six error to hit .296 to go along with 13 digs for her 12th double-double of the season. Blair Moreland paced the offense with 29 assists while Bryli Contreras had two aces with a career-high 37 digs. LSC Defensive Player of the Year Taytum Stow had a career-high 11 blocks in the victory.
THE SEMI HIGHLIGHTS
WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE The Lady Buffs are making the program's 29th NCAA Tournament appearance after securing the Lone Star Conference's automatic bid as the league's tournament champion. WT has recorded 15 regional tournament titles, producing a 57-25 overall record during the tournament and is now 5-5 in the national semifinals.
THE LADY BUFFS IN THE SHIP Saturday's match marks the Lady Buffs fifth trip to the Division II National Championship with WT posting a 3-1 record in the DII finale. Kendra Potts becomes the fifth head coach to lead WT to the national championship joining Kim Hudson, Jim Giacomazzi, Debbie Hendricks, and Jason Skoch
1990 – W, 3-0 – v. Cal State Bakersfield 1991 – W, 3-0 – v. Portland State 1997 – W, 3-2 – v. Barry 2009 – L, 0-3 – v. Concordia-St. Paul
THAT'S OUR COACH In just four seasons, Potts has returned Lady Buff volleyball to one of the nation's elite programs, leading her alma mater to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Elite Eight. Potts has guided the WT squad to a 32-4 overall record with a perfect 16-0 league record and brings a 24-match win streak into the NCAA quarterfinals. The Amarillo native has an 90-10 career record for an incredible 90.0 win percentage.
MAKE IT A DOUBLE-DOUBLE Four players have recorded double-doubles this season with Abi Nash, Torrey Miller, Ainsley Malis, and Blair Moreland totaling 25. Torrey Miller leads the category with 12 on the season which includes 202 kills and 153 digs. Malis is second with eight followed by Nash with four and Blair Moreland with one. Miller, Nash and Malis each registered a double-double in the national quarterfinals marking the first time this season three players had one in a single match.
ALL-AMERICAN West Texas A&M's Torrey Miller and Taytum Stow were recognized in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) 41st Annual Division II All-American Teams on Wednesday morning following the association's announcement. Miller earned First Team All-American honors while Stow received Honorable Mention recognition.
COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR For just the second time in AVCA history, one program was rewarded the Division II National Coach and Assistant Coach of the Year with head coach Kendra Potts and associate head coach Casey Shingler. Potts becomes just the second coach in WT history to earn the head coaching honors, joining Debbie Hendricks while Casey becomes the first to ever earn the award since its establishment in 2009.
IN THE POLLS RMAC Champions MSU Denver sits atop the national rankings with a 28-1 overall record followed by Wayne State (29-2), Concordia-St. Paul (26-5), Alaska Anchorage (27-2), and Tampa (27-3). Additional programs from the South Central Region represented in the standings include WT (9th), Regis (14th), Colorado Mesa (18th) and Colorado School of Mines (22nd).
REGIONAL CHAMPS The No. 9 Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M punched their ticket to the NCAA Division II Volleyball Elite Eight for the second consecutive season after defeating the nation's top ranked team MSU Denver in straight sets on Saturday night to capture the program's 15th regional title.
WT outhit the nation's top team .336-.207 with 49 kills on 107 attempts with 13 errors while the Roadrunners collected 43 kills on 116 swings and 19 errors. The Lady Buffs had 48 digs in the victory along with 47 assists, three aces and six blocks. MSUD had 38 digs, 42 assists, six blocks and one ace from Amela Qershia.
Two Lady Buffs reached double-figure kills with Torrey Miller (14) and Abi Nash (13) while Nash hit for an outstanding .600 to go along with a match-high 13 digs for the double-double. Sophomore Blair Moreland paced the regional champions with 21 assists while Miller and Taytum Stow each had three blocks at the net.
FOLLOW THE LADY BUFFS Fans can follow and stay up to date on all the Lady Buff action on online and on social media. Follow the Lady Buffs on Twitter (@WTVolleyball), Instagram (@ladybuffvolleyball), Facebook (@WTVolleyball) and now Tik Tok (@WestTexasAMVB).
St. Paul Normal and Industrial College: Mexia's forgotten Historically Black College
kcentv.comhttps://www.kcentv.com/article/news/community/forgotten-black-college-in-mexia/500-c779036b-b5b5-485e-8f7d-6871727b22d5
St. Paul opened its doors in 1929 but closed due to financial struggles.MEXIA, Texas — When you think of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Texas, the first that may come to mind may be Wiley College, Prairie View A&M University or Texas Southern University.But there was a small Black college built in the middle of Mexia, TX named Saint Paul Normal and Industrial Col...
St. Paul opened its doors in 1929 but closed due to financial struggles.
MEXIA, Texas — When you think of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Texas, the first that may come to mind may be Wiley College, Prairie View A&M University or Texas Southern University.
But there was a small Black college built in the middle of Mexia, TX named Saint Paul Normal and Industrial College and it impacted many lives for the short amount of time it was open.
The story of St. Paul began with Reverend Lee Wilder Thomas, a Limestone County native born in 1873.
Before helping found St. Paul, Thomas himself graduated from Wiley College, another HBCU in Marshall, TX.
He met his wife, Clementine “Clemmie” Estella Ross, in Limestone County and they had 13 children.
Today's descendants of Rev. Thomas weren't even aware that he founded a Black college in Mexia.
It came to a surprise to Schuyler Carter, a great-grandchild of Thomas, and her family when she found out the history of her great-grandfather. But with his history of always giving back to the community, she says it wasn't far from the man he was.
"It is so vital for the next generation to know what these people did to invest in the Black community. While there's no building where the school was, I don't believe it's purpose diminished at all and people need to know that," Carter explained.
The idea for St. Paul arose in 1906 with members of the Primitive Baptist Church.
Then in 1912, Thomas found oil on the land he owned and struck big financially. With so many Black people residing in Mexia at the time, Mexia native and historian Dan Keeling says a lot of Black people struck big too.
“When you get to the hill in Mexia where the college is, it's more dry, more airy, with more mesquite trees. That's where the majority of Black people lived. So when they found the oil, the majority of people who got money from the oil boom were Black families.”
With his newly found fortune, Thomas wanted to invest in education and the progression of the Black community. So he invested $9,000 of his oil earnings (over $150,000 in today's U.S. dollar) to build St. Paul Normal and Industrial College for the Mexia community.
Many other Black locals also pitched in however they could to make this college happen.
“Field slaves and sharecroppers who didn't have much money, not much means, took their earned means to build this college,” Primitive Baptist Crunch minister John Richardson shared.
Construction was completed in February 1929 and the school was then opened in September 1929.
The school opened with 35 students and had a prime focus on education while also providing trade courses. While it was open, the Black community thrived and the school even hosted local events.
But due to the Great Depression, teachers were sometimes not compensated in full, bills were paid late, and the school’s debt grew.
“Our obligations continued to increase” and “...for years we were unable to keep up on the interest on the principal of the main debt," Rev. Thomas explained in the Mexia Newspaper.
In an article written by Carter, she explained how the property was foreclosed upon in 1940. Thankfully, Rev. Thomas saved it again, arranging (along with two other pastors) for new financing. Things looked up. Members of many Primitive Baptist churches in the area fervently raised money and paid off the new debt faster than expected.
"Rev. Thomas was able to sign a note with the estate of a local banker and actually got to college back. They had a ten year note and they got it back in three years,” Keeling said.
Things were looking up for the school for a while but it still wasn't enough to keep the doors open.
The school eventually closed for good in 1953.
While all that can be seen of St. Paul are broken pillars and carved in bricks, the families of people who taught at or attended the school are still in Mexia today.
Mexia local Bill Proctor said my father was a teacher here at the college for quite a while.
Primitive Baptist Church minister Henry V. Chambers Jr said his father received a certificate from St. Paul and this school will forever be in his heart.
The Primitive Baptist Church is the last building standing. They now own the 31 acres of land the college was built on.
The church ministers have now made it their mission to finish what reverend L.W. Thomas started over 70 years ago.
"We are now here to resurrect that, and to make it what it should be which is a recognized, legitimate higher education college for young people who are trying to better themselves educationally so that they can better themselves economically,”
After Keeling spent two years submitting proposals to the Texas Historical Commission to recognize St. Paul as an historical marker, it was approved to have a historical marker put in front of where the school once stood.
The unveiling of the marker is expected to happen sometime in the summer. The hope for the future of St. Paul is that it will be open and available for the Black community in Central Texas again within the next few years.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! No. 9 Lady Buffs Down #3 Concordia-St. Paul in Four
West Texas A&M University Athleticshttps://gobuffsgo.com/news/2022/12/3/volleyball-national-champions-no-9-lady-buffs-down-3-concordia-st-paul-in-four.aspx
SEATTLE, Wash. – For the first time in 25 years, the No. 9 West Texas A&M Lady Buffs are crowned the NCAA Division II National Champions after defeating No. 3 Concordia-St. Paul in four sets on Saturday night. WT finished the 2022 season with 26-match win streak with Bryli Contreras, A...
SEATTLE, Wash. – For the first time in 25 years, the No. 9 West Texas A&M Lady Buffs are crowned the NCAA Division II National Champions after defeating No. 3 Concordia-St. Paul in four sets on Saturday night. WT finished the 2022 season with 26-match win streak with Bryli Contreras, Abi Nash, Kayla Elliott and Torrey Miller earning All-Tournament honors while Miller was named the National Tournament Most Valuable Player.
THE MATCH #9 West Texas A&M 3, #3 Concordia-St. Paul 1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-20, 28-26)
THE RECORDS
BY THE SET Set 1 The opening set saw seven lead changes with 15 ties as the Golden Bears breaking away with 25-23 set win to grab hold of the match lead. Both programs hit well over .300 in the first set with CSP hitting .333 and WT at .343. The Lady Buffs had 17 kills on 35 swings with five errors to go along with 16 assists, 12 digs and two blocks while the Golden Bears had 18 kills on 39 attempts and five errors with 18 assists, 11 digs and three blocks.
SET 2 The battle continued for the national title with a different tune as the Lady Buffs secured the second set victory, 25-23. WT hit .278 in the second set with 14 kills on 36 attempts with four errors out-blocking the Golden Bears 3-1. CSP hit over .300 for the second consecutive set at .325 with 18 kills on 40 swings with five errors and four service errors.
SET 3 WT grabbed the match lead in the third set after defeating the Golden Bears, 25-20, led by six kills from senior Kayla Elliott. WT hit .273 in the third with 14 kills on 33 swings with five errors and four blocks while limiting CSP to hit just .154, their lowest of the weekend. The Golden Bears had 13 kills on 39 attempts with seven errors, two blocks and three service errors.
SET 4 The fourth set was back and forth seeing multiple lead changes until the Golden Bears collected a 4-0 run to grab a 17-16 lead. CSP jumped out to a 23-20 lead before WT leveld the score 24-all. With momentum on their side, the Lady Buffs strung together two straight points to capture the title.
THE NUMBERS WT hit .307 overall in the championship match with 62 kills on 150 swings with 16 errors to go along with 56 assists, 56 digs, 12 blocks and five aces. CSP ended the season hitting .261 with 67 kills on 165 swings with 24 errors, 63 digs, 65 assists, seven blocks and six aces.
Senior Kayla Elliot led the night, matching a career-high 17 kills followed by senior Abi Nash with 15 and Torrey Miller with 14 while Nash had three aces. Blair Moreland and Ainsley Malis combined for 48 assists to pace the offense while Bryli Contreras collected 17 digs with Camy Jones leading at the net with eight blocks.
THE MILESTONES
St. Paul could learn a thing or two from this city deep in the heart of Texas
William M. Gurstellehttps://www.twincities.com/2016/12/18/st-paul-could-learn-a-thing-or-two-from-this-city-deep-in-the-heart-of-texas/
“Bubba” — A dialectical term used in the rural southern United States as an affectionate form of address to an older brother.After spending several days exploring the city of San Antonio, Texas, I started to feel that San Antonio reminds me a fair bit of St. Paul. It didn’t strike me so right away, but over time, the feeling established itself and then grew.St. Paul’s history began with the establishment of a military fort on a river. So did San Antonio’s. San Antonio and St. Paul bo...
“Bubba” — A dialectical term used in the rural southern United States as an affectionate form of address to an older brother.
After spending several days exploring the city of San Antonio, Texas, I started to feel that San Antonio reminds me a fair bit of St. Paul. It didn’t strike me so right away, but over time, the feeling established itself and then grew.
St. Paul’s history began with the establishment of a military fort on a river. So did San Antonio’s. San Antonio and St. Paul both have historic riverfronts as well as beautiful botanical conservatories and repurposed historic breweries. San Antonio feels like St. Paul’s “Bubba”; the bigger, older brother that lives down South, that kind of friendly guy that you go visit when you want a change of scenery.
As in all families, there are differences among siblings, but there are plenty of connections as well. St. Paul history buffs know that in 1841, Father Lucien Galtier renamed the scruffy river port then known as Pig’s Eye Landing to the more genteel sounding St. Paul after his favorite saint. San Antonio was also named by a priest, and as far as I can tell, these are the two largest American cities named by Catholic priests.
Of course, Antonio is a fair bit older than Paul (136 years to be exact) as the first Spanish explorers arrived in the area in 1691. Domingo Teran de los Rios, the leader of a Spanish expedition, came upon a small river and called it San Antonio because it was discovered on June 13, the feast day of Saint Anthony of Padua. The town of San Antonio itself was not founded until 1718, when Franciscan missionary Antonio Olivares established a mission and the first presidio, or military base, on the river’s banks.
THE RIVER WALK
One of the best ways to see the city is to follow the trace of the San Antonio River, the watery line that connects many of the major downtown tourist attractions. By Minnesota standards, the river is miniscule, spanning a few dozen feet at most as it courses slowly through the city. But size isn’t everything. Unlike St. Paul’s focus on the river as a transportation corridor, Bubba’s river generates huge commercial revenues solely as an entertainment venue.
The area most visited by tourists in San Antonio is the slightly below-grade downtown area along the banks of the river. Known as the River Walk, it’s a beautifully landscaped public park known worldwide for its bucolic beauty by day and engaging energy at night. The walk itself hides among the tall hotels concentrated in this section of downtown. Indeed, it sometimes takes a bit of looking to find the path down. But once you’re there, about five miles of winding and twisting trails stretch out, lined with restaurants, museums, galleries, bars and shops.
Could St. Paul learn a bit from Bubba about making our own waterfront attractive? At St. Paul City Hall, city planners have a project called the River Balcony on the drawing table. Perhaps someday, St. Paul’s riverfront will have its own new brand of beauty and history and be a place of bustling tourism and entertainment. Toward that end, we could do well to consider San Antonio as a model.
MUSEUM REACH
San Antonio officials knew a good thing when they saw the river, and over time, the River Walk has expanded. The Museum Reach district now follows the San Antonio River north from the center city. Completed about seven years ago, this mile-plus extension has a far different character from the core from which it sprang: It’s more cultured and more serene. This newer section features works of art, landscapes terraformed with native Texas plants and access to a district full of world-class attractions.
Many cities have defunct old breweries they can’t bear to tear down because they are too important, architecturally and historically, to the city’s identity. In St. Paul, we’ve got Schmidt and Hamm’s. In Minneapolis, there’s Grain Belt. And in San Antonio, they’ve got Pearl.
The resurrection of the Pearl Brewery along the Museum Reach is an example of a brewery revitalization that has gone well. Once derelict, it’s now a hip and on-the-rise area, teeming with restaurants, shops, bars and other entertainments. On the day I visited, the place was buzzing with a food festival devoted to a simple but much beloved local specialty: the tamal.
TEXAS TAMALES
Many Americans love Mexican foods, but the tamal is an often overlooked treat that has become my new favorite. It’s generally not on the menu at fast-food chain restaurants because it’s hard to make good tamales. Freshness is important, and tamales take time and expertise to prepare properly.
Tamales are likely the most beloved food in all of San Antonio. Sure, they are a humble sort of foodstuff, merely a mixture of corn dough (called masa) and lard folded over refried beans or pork and steamed. But when a tamal is made correctly, there is no comfort food as satisfying. By the way, San Antonians may gently let you know that the singular form of tamales is “tamal.” If you want just one, “tamale” is incorrect.
Bubba’s residents love tamales year-round, but it’s during Christmas season that they take center stage. The timing of my visit in early December was perfect. The city was gearing up for its annual tamales eating season. Tamales are to the Hispanic people of San Antonio at Christmas what latkes are to Jewish people on Hannukah. Families often get together for a tamales-making party known as a tamalada in early December and crank out hundreds and hundreds of tamales to give as gifts to family and friends.
I visited the Tamales Holiday Festival, which is held each year in December in the Pearl District. When the weather is good, tens of thousands of tamales lovers show up. And who wouldn’t enjoy a celebration of such delicious southern comfort food? For just $5 you can get six chicken, pork or bean tamales, the masa shell steamed to perfection in corn husks, the filling redolent with garlic, cumin and other spices. For foodies seeking something more adventurous and less traditional, the tamale makers offer specialties such as banana leaf-wrapped tamales filled with chicken and mole sauce, or sweet dessert-style tamales filled with cinnamon, fruit and pecans.
A TEXAS-SIZED GARDEN
A few hundred yards up and downriver from the Pearl brewery, the paved and landscaped banks of the San Antonio River border numerous interesting visitor spots. From the Alamo to the San Antonio Zoo to the Witte Natural History museum, there are more places to visit in this area alone than a short vacation would allow. Two stood out as being particularly noteworthy: the city Botanical Gardens and the San Antonio Museum of Art.
The 38-acre Botanical Garden features formal plantings, a children’s garden, water features and a trail planted with native Texas flora. All of those gardens are interesting, but the thing that sets this place apart is its futuristic conservatory building. The architecture is much different from that of the McNeely Conservatory at Como Park or any other conservatory in the United States for that matter.
The building’s designer, Emilio Ambasz of Argentina, was once the curator of design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the conservatory’s architecture evokes a number of modernistic influences. Ambasz took full advantage of San Antonio’s mild climate by eschewing the typical hallway connections between conservatory rooms. Instead, he connected the conservatory’s five pavilions together using a verdant outdoor courtyard filled with green arcades that protect visitors from sun and to a lesser extent, rain.
This arrangement provides the conservatory an opportunity to use its vertical space in unique ways. Some of the plant areas, such as the fern room, are subterranean, cut 20 feet down into the earth, while others, such as the palm pavilion, soar six stories up. The whole idea, said the New York Times when the building opened, is that this place is meant to be a poetic essay on the relationship between manmade and natural structures.
WORLD CLASS ART
San Antonio’s warm climate means that most visitor attractions are built with fair weather in mind. But what does one do when the weather is lousy? One excellent option is the San Antonio Museum of Art. It is often overlooked because of competition with SeaWorld, Six Flags, the River Walk and other well-advertised outdoor venues. Encountering a day full of rain, I happened upon one of the most underrated art museums in the country.
It’s a large, bright place, and unlike most art museums, there’s nary a guard around, at least that can be readily seen. While I’m certain they don’t allow any touching of the artworks, it’s a far more laid-back place than any other museum I’ve walked through.
The museum has a fine assembly of American paintings and sculptures, including works by Gilbert Stuart, Albert Bierstadt and John Singer Sargent. But the place hangs its hat upon its outstanding ancient Mediterranean art collection as well as a world-class display of Latin American works.
The collection from Egypt, Greece and Rome is vast and attractively displayed. There’s more ancient and well interpreted Greek amphorae and Roman statuary than you can shake an Egyptian mummy’s hand at. When Classical world fatigue sets in, you can move on to something completely different, an expansive display of Latin American art divided into pre-Columbian, Spanish Colonial, Contemporary and Folk Art galleries. The four galleries include works that span 4,000 years and contain paintings, sculpture, works on paper, and other objects from Mexico, Central America and South America.
No matter what the weather is, or what time of year it is, San Antonio is a good bet for an active vacation. It’s easy to get to by air with many direct and connecting flights from the Twin Cities. If you go, say “hey” to Bubba and dream a little about St. Paul’s future riverfront.
Saint Paul Place Sells to Quadrant Investment Properties
Christine Perezhttps://www.dmagazine.com/commercial-real-estate/2016/02/saint-paul-place-sells-to-quadrant-investment-properties/
Quadrant Investment Properties is adding to its portfolio. The company, led by Chad Cook, has acquired Saint Paul Place, a 22-story, 273,217-square-foot tower at St. Paul Street and Ross Avenue in the Dallas Arts District. The seller was Goddard Investment Group, which owns another Ross Avenue asset—Fountain Place.Built in 1983, Saint Paul Place is the home of D Magazine Partners, which occupies more than two floors in the building. Most of the tenants, though, are smaller, with an average space of about 5,000 square feet. And t...
Quadrant Investment Properties is adding to its portfolio. The company, led by Chad Cook, has acquired Saint Paul Place, a 22-story, 273,217-square-foot tower at St. Paul Street and Ross Avenue in the Dallas Arts District. The seller was Goddard Investment Group, which owns another Ross Avenue asset—Fountain Place.
Built in 1983, Saint Paul Place is the home of D Magazine Partners, which occupies more than two floors in the building. Most of the tenants, though, are smaller, with an average space of about 5,000 square feet. And that was part of the appeal, Cook said: “We like being able to control our own destiny.”
Cook first approached Goddard about buying Saint Paul Place two years ago, but there was too much of a differential between the ask and the bid. Since then, market conditions have changed, with an urban renewal sparked in part by the opening of the nearby Klyde Warren Park.
“Saint Paul Place has always been one of our favorite buildings,” Cook said. “We could not be more excited to have the opportunity to own it, especially at a time when the Arts District is experiencing so much momentum. … It’s hard to find buildings with this much character and such a strong, diverse tenant base.”
This is this seventh acquisition for Cook, who founded QIP in 2012 after serving as vice president of acquisitions for Hillwood. Other local assets include Preston Trail Atrium, 2811 McKinney, 3400 Carlisle, Hillcrest Oaks, and The Centrum, a nearly 400,000-square-foot icon that’s getting a big makeover. Improvements are also planned for Saint Paul Place, which is about 78 percent occupied. They include lobby upgrades, a tenant conference center, and a lounge with a balcony overlooking the Dallas Museum of Art’s sculpture garden. A building-wide spec-suite program also will be implemented.
“Saint Paul Place is a trophy asset located in the middle of Dallas’ urban markets—the CBD and Upton,” said QIP Vice President Nick Cassavechia, who joined the company from HFF in 2014. ““The young talent moving to and living in this area is an important factor in current and prospective tenant’s site selection, and we feel Saint Paul Place is positioned well for this demand.”
HFF represented Goddard in the sale. JLL put together the financing. Going forward, Saint Paul Place will be leased by the CBRE team of Celeste Fowden, Seth Thatcher, and Ben Davis.
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