It is a strange thing to watch a century of prestige get sold off piece by piece. Walking through the halls of the historic clubhouse at 340 Cedar Street recently, you could almost smell the ghosts of old Minnesota power brokers and the faint, lingering scent of expensive cigars. But the reality is much louder than nostalgia. The St Paul Athletic Club auction isn't just a clearance sale; it is the physical dismantling of a social institution that once defined the downtown landscape.
The building itself is a masterpiece of English Renaissance architecture. Designed by Reed and Stem—the same geniuses who gave us Grand Central Terminal—it opened its doors in 1917. For decades, membership was the ultimate "you’ve arrived" signal. If you weren't hitting the squash courts or lunching in the grand dining room, were you even doing business in the Twin Cities? Probably not.
But times change. Trends shift. People want Peloton bikes in their basements instead of wood-paneled locker rooms.
The Reality Behind the St Paul Athletic Club Auction
When news hit that the contents of this legendary space were headed to the auction block, it sparked a mix of sadness and opportunism. This wasn't some fly-by-night gym closing down. We are talking about the liquidation of a facility that survived the Great Depression, multiple world wars, and the slow exodus of retail from downtown St. Paul.
The auction itself handled everything from the mundane to the magnificent. You had heavy-duty commercial kitchen equipment that had probably cooked ten thousand steaks, sitting right next to ornate chandeliers that looked like they belonged in a palace.
It’s honestly kind of jarring to see a $5,000 leather armchair listed with a starting bid that wouldn't buy you a decent steak dinner.
Local auctioneers like Grafe Auction have been the ones tasked with managing these types of massive liquidations. They don't just sell stuff; they manage the logistics of a building's death. It’s a brutal process. One day you have a cohesive, historic interior. The next, people are showing up with hex keys and dollies to rip out the fixtures.
What Actually Went Up for Sale?
People assumed it would just be old dumbbells. It wasn't.
Sure, there were plenty of Life Fitness treadmills and Cybex machines. That’s the standard "gym closure" fare. But the St Paul Athletic Club auction was unique because of the hospitality side. The club operated as a boutique hotel and event space too.
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- Custom Furniture: High-end mahogany tables, tufted sofas, and bar stools that saw decades of gossip.
- Art and Decor: Framed historical photos of St. Paul, decorative mirrors, and those iconic brass fixtures.
- Event Infrastructure: Thousands of pieces of silverware, linens, and banquet chairs.
- The Fitness Core: Olympic plates, racks, and cardio equipment that, while used, represented top-tier commercial quality.
You’ve got to realize that buying from an auction like this is a gamble. There are no returns. If you buy a commercial refrigerator and it leaks coolant the moment you plug it in at your restaurant, that’s on you. But for local small business owners, the risk was worth the reward. It was a chance to own a piece of St. Paul history for pennies on the dollar.
Why This Liquidation Happened Now
The elephant in the room is the changing nature of downtowns. St. Paul isn't alone in this. Whether it’s Minneapolis, Chicago, or San Francisco, the "private club" model is struggling.
The pandemic was the final blow.
When offices emptied out, the customer base for a downtown athletic club vanished. If you aren't going into the office, you aren't stopping by the club for a 5:00 PM workout or a 12:00 PM power lunch. The math just stopped working. The owners, who had poured significant money into restoring the space over the years, finally had to face the reality of the balance sheet.
It’s expensive to heat a building that large. It’s even more expensive to maintain 100-year-old plumbing.
Interestingly, the auction doesn't mean the building is being demolished. Far from it. The shell remains a historic landmark. But the "St Paul Athletic Club" as a functioning, members-only fitness and social hub? That chapter is basically closed. The auction was the final period at the end of a very long, very storied sentence.
The Collector’s Perspective
I talked to one guy who spent three hours bidding on a set of vintage lockers. Why? Because his grandfather used them in the 1950s. That’s the emotional side of the St Paul Athletic Club auction that doesn't show up in the spreadsheets.
For some, it was a scavenge. For others, it was a wake.
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There is a specific kind of "St. Paul-ness" to this story. We tend to hold onto things here. We like our history preserved in amber. Seeing the interior stripped bare feels like a betrayal of that local ethos. But you can't pay the property taxes with nostalgia.
Technical Details for Future Bidders
If you are looking at similar liquidations in the Twin Cities, you need to understand the "Buyer’s Premium." In the St Paul Athletic Club auction, as with most Grafe sales, there’s usually a 15% to 18% fee added to your winning bid.
Plus tax.
If you bid $100, you are actually paying closer to $120. Don't get caught off guard by the math when the adrenaline of the bidding war kicks in.
Also, "Removal is the responsibility of the buyer."
That is the phrase that kills. Imagine winning a massive, 400-pound oak sideboard and then realizing you brought a Toyota Corolla to pick it up. The logistics of these auctions are a nightmare. You need tools, you need muscle, and you need a plan.
Common Misconceptions About the Club's Closure
- Myth: The building is being torn down. Fact: The building is protected; only the contents were auctioned.
- Myth: Everything was junk. Fact: Much of the fitness equipment was less than five years old and high-spec.
- Myth: You can still use the pool. Fact: Without the club's operational staff and insurance, the iconic pool is essentially a very beautiful, very empty basin for now.
The hotel rooms upstairs—formerly the "Hotel 340"—also saw their furnishings hit the block. It’s a weird feeling to think about someone sleeping on a bed frame that used to live in a historic club, now sitting in a random apartment in the suburbs.
Actionable Insights for Navigating Professional Liquidations
If you missed this specific event but are keeping an eye on the shifting commercial landscape in St. Paul, here is how you handle the next one.
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Monitor Local Portals Constantly Don't wait for the news. Sites like Grafe Auction, K-BID, and even Hibid are where these things pop up first. Set alerts for "St. Paul" and "Athletic" or "Restaurant." By the time it’s in the paper, the best lots already have high bids.
Inspect in Person Most auctions have a preview day. Go. Touch the leather. Check the cords on the treadmills. In the St Paul Athletic Club auction, some items looked pristine in photos but had the "patina" (read: wear and tear) of a century of use. You need to know what you are buying.
Budget for the "Exit" If you win a lot, you often only have a 48-hour window to get it out. If you don't, you lose the item and your money. Hire a moving crew ahead of time if you're going for the big stuff.
Think About Resale Value A lot of people buy these items hoping to flip them on Facebook Marketplace. Word of advice: the market for used commercial gym equipment is saturated. Only buy what you actually need or what has genuine historical value.
The legacy of the St Paul Athletic Club will live on in the memories of the people who exercised, networked, and celebrated there. But the physical pieces are now scattered across the state, tucked away in garages, new restaurants, and private homes. It’s a decentralized museum of St. Paul’s golden age.
Moving forward, the focus shifts to what happens to 340 Cedar Street next. While the contents are gone, the architecture remains a cornerstone of the city's skyline. The next time you walk past that grand entrance, remember that for over a hundred years, it was the heartbeat of the city—even if that heart is now being redistributed one bid at a time.
Keep an eye on the Ramsey County property records and local development news. The transition from a private athletic club to whatever comes next—be it apartments, a different hotel brand, or creative office space—will be the next big story in the evolution of downtown St. Paul. The auction was just the clearing of the canvas for the next artist.