RIP CVS Pharmacy on University

On March 18, under the watchful eye of the loon statue across the street, the CVS Pharmacy located at the corner of Snelling and University in St. Paul was at last laid to rest. After shuttering its doors in 2022, the former pharmacy stood vacant for years, accumulating moth balls and a bad reputation.

While United Village (located kitty-corner to the CVS) has seen new development and improvements over the past few years (see giant loon statue), the late CVS became an infamous eye sore. Situated at the northwest corner of a fairly busy intersection and adjacent to a light rail transit (LRT) stop, the CVS was in a spectacularly visible location.

Constructed in 2005, it had all the markings of early-aughts suburban design: a large parking lot, fake windows (who did they think they were fooling?), a chunky parapet, etc. There was nothing particularly wrong with it, but there was nothing particularly right about it either. It was perhaps just a little out-of-place.

The CVS, despite its awkwardness, served an important purpose – it was an oasis (albeit, an ugly one) in an otherwise barren food and pharmacy desert. The Target on University (nearly a mile from the Snelling/University intersection) is the next closest option for anyone looking to buy milk or pick up a prescription.

Development is well under-way for United Village, which is anticipated to include a new 42,000SF grocery store. This, when it is eventually completed, will help to fill the gap left behind by the CVS.

As for the actual, physical gap where the CVS once stood? There are currently no plans to develop the site. For now, it will just be a reminder of what was – and how sometimes things need to break before they get better.