PHOTO ALBUMS

Take an online drive down Lilac Way.

Browse photos—old and new—of beehive fireplaces and wayside rest parks.

See the dramatic before/after photos of preservation, restoration and renewal efforts of three parks. Follow the construction of Highway 100 in the 1930s.

QUICK LINKS

Graeser Park, Robbinsdale, MN

Lilac Park renewed, St. Louis Park, MN

Rock Island Park at risk, St. Louis Park, MN

Seven Roadside Parks built in the 1930s

Beehive Fireplace Design and Construction

Construction of Highway 100 & Lilac Way

Preservation and Restoration of remaining Lilac Way Parks

Tour Lilac Way’s seven roadside parks.

In 1939, the Minnesota Highway Department created seven roadside parks along a 12.5 mile stretch of Highway 100 known as Lilac Way. It was part of the Belt Line, a road that circled around the Twin Cities.

The Belt Line highway was one of the largest Works Progress Administration Projects in Minnesota, providing jobs during the Great Depression.

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GRAESER PARK  |  RESTORED, 2021-2023   Robbinsdale, MN

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LILAC PARK  |  RENEWED, 2008-2009   Formerly Roadside Park, St. Louis Park, MN

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ROCK ISLAND PARK  |  SAVED FROM DEMOLITION   All that remains of the old Lilac Park is on the north end, St. Louis Park, MN. The City of SLP voted YES! on May 1, 2023, and the city now owns the rock garden area of the park. They purchased the north meadow, with usage TBD.

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BLAZER PARK  |  LOST, 1999   Golden Valley, MN

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EXCELSIOR BOULEVARD PARK  |  LOST, 1969   St. Louis Park, MN

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GLENWOOD AVENUE PARK  |  LOST, 1959   Golden Valley, MN

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GRAESER PARK SOUTH  |  LOST, 1999   Robbinsdale, MN

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LILAC PARK (OLD)  |  LOST, 1999   South end only, St. Louis Park, MN

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Historic photos of seven Lilac Way Parks, 1939-41

See the original drawings for the beehive-shaped fireplaces, up close and personal.

Hand-built by unemployed stonemasons during the Great Depression, Lilac Way’s beehive fireplaces were located roadside parks along Highway 100. The National Park Service and MnDOT can document only two “beehive” fireplaces remaining in the U.S. Learn more

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Beehive fireplace design, 1937

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Graeser Park’s restored beehive fireplace, 2022

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Lilac Park’s revived beehive fireplace, saved from road demolition

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Moving a historic beehive fireplace

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MnDOT’s former Beehive Graveyard, 2008

Meet the men who built Highway 100 and Lilac Way.

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

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Construction during the Great Depression

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First cloverleaf interchange in MN

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Road workers from Minneapolis’ Gateway District, 1937-39

Follow the restoration, preservation and renewal of three parks.

One Lilac Way park has been restored, and there are community projects to save and restore two more. Learn more

See the branding and design for the Restore Lilac Way project by Karen Laukkonen.

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

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Lilac Way branding

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WPA poster inspiration

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Lilac Way signage

The Golden Valley Garden Club raised money and had Lilac Festivals.

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

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The Golden Valley Garden Club

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Lilac Way display, Golden Valley Historical Society Museum

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Lilac Festivals