Kent Brun supported historic Graeser Park for years by clearing brush, pulling weeds and raising public awareness. He was the Cleanup Day Organizer. Graeser Park has been under the proud volunteer stewardship of the Robbinsdale Lions Club since 2008. As a Lion, Kent organized Graeser Park cleanup events from 2010-2018. His keen focus on saving…
Graeser Park’s Preservation Celebration was just perfect. This event showcased the completion of MnDOT’s recent major preservation and restoration project. Andrea Weber, Manager of MnDOT’s Historic Roadside Properties Program, spoke of the park’s history and its importance in the community. This wonderful event featured a concert by the Robbinsdale City Band under the direction of…
Join us to celebrate the completed restoration of Graeser Park! Free, open to all with a concert by the Robbinsdale City Band. Now that MnDOT’s Historic Roadside Properties Program has completed almost three years and $500,000 of detailed work, the community is ready to celebrate. Where: Graeser Park, West Broadway & Lakeland Avenue North, Robbinsdale,…
A summer 2023 Lilac Way tour is the perfect escape, and it’s free! Stop in at restored Graeser Park, Rock Island and renewed Lilac Park—all located on an 8-mile stretch of Highway 100. Bring a lunch, family and friends, and see the heroic preservation efforts of dedicated volunteers and MnDOT. These three Insta-worthy historic Depression-era…
We’ve made history! St. Louis Park has voted to accept Rock Island Park’s south parcel from MnDOT for no fee, and to buy the park’s north parcel for $187,000. On May 1, 2023 the St. Louis Park City Council voted on the much-anticipated resolution to save Lilac Way’s historic Rock Island Park on 28th and…
MnDOT has brought treasured Lilac Way park back to life. In 2021, Program Manager Andrea Weber at MnDOT’s Historic Roadside Properties Program thoughtfully planned a three-phase project to preserve and restore Lilac Way’s Graeser Park in Robbinsdale, MN. With a keen attention to detail and adherence to the National Park’s Service’s Historic Preservation Standards and…
Read long-awaited Rock Island Park updates in City of St. Louis Park’s December 2022 Executive Summary. Council Member Margaret Rog commented “After a years-long wait, MNDOT has finally, officially, offered to convey to the City two land parcels in Ward 1 they consider excess right-of-way, in the 2800 block of Toledo along Hwy. 100. Many…
May 1, 2022. Graeser Park’s preservation project, launched by MnDOT in fall of 2020, will continue when spring arrives. It was a drizzly 43° when I visited on May Day. The average temperature is 64°, so we are quite a bit behind schedule. Already completed is initial preservation of the historic beehive fireplace and reconstruction…
MnDOT believes that Rock Island Park’s lilacs are original from the 1930s. This long stretch of lilacs is located on the north end of the park, along 28th St. and Toledo in St. Louis Park, MN. Lilacs were part of the original 1930s landscaping of the Lilac Way, the showcase section of Highway 100. According…
New St. Louis Park Sun Sailor column profiles housing threat to historic Rock Island Park. We were thrilled to read Important St. Louis Park history hangs in the balance in the April 11, 2022 Sun Sailor. SLP resident, retired newspaper editor and freelance writer Bruce Lindquist profiled the threat of housing development to historic Rock…