DULUTH (AP) - It's not the first place you might imagine calling home, but a Duluth developer wants to turn the city's former St. Louis County Jail into apartments.

Developer Grant Carlson says he originally planned to market the property as commercial/office space, but after researching the local market realized the need for rental units in the city's downtown area.

Carlson and his father bought the building for $54,000 in 2009. Since then they replaced the roof and made other upgrades, some with financial help from the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grant program.

The jail was built in 1924 and has sat empty since 1995. It escaped the wrecking ball after the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota identified it as one of the state's 10 most endangered historic places.

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