The Latest News on a Crime-Infested Billings Apartment Building

The Colonial Apartments are one step closer to being gone.

The old, three-story building has a total of 28 units (including in the basement) according to a paywalled 2002 Billings Gazette story. It's been a well-known hub of shady activities for literally decades. The city of Billings filed a citation in federal court in 2023, demanding that the owner tear the building down, alleging numerous code violations.

The lawsuit has been slowly plugging along in the justice system, and now the saga of the Colonial Apartments has taken an interesting twist. The owner, 81-year-old John Skauge, passed away earlier this year. His heirs have begun boarding up broken windows and are in the process of emptying the structure of tenants and/or squatters.

Read More: What’s Next For The Vacant 3Gs Gas Station In Billings?

A group of non-profits is helping relocate its residents.

According to a Q2 story, a coalition of 14 local agencies is helping current Colonial tenants find alternate housing, and RiverStone Health is interested in purchasing the property. Perhaps RiverStone will renovate the old building for new uses, but I suspect they'll opt to demolish it instead and rebuild. It's in rough shape. Surely, the costs to bring the building up to modern standards aren't feasible.

Opinion: I understand that affordable housing is expensive and continues to become more unattainable. For some of Billings' most destitute, the Colonial might be all they can afford. It's probably better than sleeping on the street or at a shelter.

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That said... tear it down.

I've been in the Colonial, and it's shocking. I have never felt more unsafe anywhere in Billings than I did during the 5 minutes I was in that building. It's crime-ridden, a huge health safety issue, and a massive drain on public resources with hundreds of police calls per year. Not to mention an eyesore on one of the busiest streets in and out of downtown Billings.