PHOTO ALBUMS
Take a drive down Lilac Way.
Browse photos—old and new—of beehive fireplaces and wayside rest parks.
See how Highway 100 was built in 1939, and follow today’s restoration efforts.
QUICK LINKS
In 1939, there were seven parks built by MnDOT and the WPA along a 12.5 mile stretch of Highway 100 known as Lilac Way. Learn more
Hand-built by unemployed stonemasons during the Great Depression, these beehive-shaped fireplaces were along Highway 100 in roadside parks. The National Park Service and MnDOT can document only these two “beehive” fireplaces remaining in the U.S. Learn more
FEATURED BEEHIVE ALBUMS
Designed by German engineer Carl Graeser and built by the Minnesota Highway Department, unemployed men from Minneapolis’ Gateway District helped build Lilac Way by hand. Learn more
FEATURED ALBUMS OF BUILDING LILAC WAY
One Lilac Way park has been restored, and there are community projects to save and restore two more. Learn more
Inspired by a TPT show. Created by Laukkonen Design as a pro bono civic project to document the history and support restoration efforts. Learn more
FEATURED BRANDING ALBUMS
In the 1930s, a group of amazing women sold lilacs for 15 cents each, raising money to plant lilacs on Highway 100. Then they had a parade. Learn more