A growing segment of downtown residents are empty nesters

Published Monday, December 23, 1996

A growing segment of downtown residents are empty nesters

After Sheila and Stuart Dansinger bought their riverfront condo overlooking St. Anthony Falls last year, the next thing they bought was a pair of binoculars.

They haven't yet spotted the eagles that sometimes fish the falls, but they have been able to spot fish from their 16th-floor perch. That has prompted Stuart to grab his fishing gear, head down the elevator, cross SE. Main St. and wet a line. They've also used the binoculars to scope out concerts on nearby Nicollet Island.

Sheila and Stewart Dansinger

The Dansingers, who lived in St. Louis Park for 28 years, have four grown children. They represent a segment of downtown residents expected to become increasingly important in driving demand for downtown housing as the baby boomers pass age 50 and become empty nesters.

She's 53; he's 58 and a psychologist for St. Louis Park schools who knows retirement won't be too many years ahead. So they looked for housing that would see them into retirement and the potential impaired mobility of old age, Sheila said.

"Nothing felt quite right," she said. "Finally a Realtor said to me, 'Where would you live in Minnesota if there were no barriers?' I said: 'On the Mississippi!' "

Sheila delights in getting to know shopkeepers of the historic St. Anthony district. Stuart canceled his membership in a suburban health club and plays at a racquetball court two blocks away. They rarely go to the suburbs anymore. "Everything is just out the door. It's also a healthier way of living because we walk everywhere instead of driving," Sheila said. She has switched to downtown doctors and walks there; one of her favorite circuits is up Washington Av. S. to the West Bank for a bagel, across the river to visit the Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota and back on University Av. SE.

Their condo, which they share with a puppy, is book-lined and brightened by a daughter's oil paintings. It has two balconies. For a dinner party last summer, they dined on one balcony overlooking the 139-year-old Our Lady of Lourdes Church and were treated to one of its thrice-daily bell concerts. Then they switched to the riverside balcony for pyrotechnics. "It's like being at the top of the fireworks. It's so magical," Sheila said.

The building, La Rive ("the bank"), which is connected to Riverplace, opened in 1986 and contains 118 units ranging in market value from $87,200 to $561,800, according to the county assessor's estimate.

The Dansingers say the building has a private feel, noting that they've seen one neighbor on their floor only twice since she moved in last summer. "Sometimes, I'm stunned when I see someone else on the elevator," Sheila said.

-- Steve Brandt