MnDOT restored Graeser Park to Secretary of Interior Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties.
Their extensive project included
- repairing and repointing the rare beehive fireplace,
- rebuilding 10 picnic tables for picnic area,
- repointing nine picnic table pads,
- repointing the rock garden pond walls and benches,
- adding a new accessible walk along Broadway Avenue from the bridge to the parking area,
- and adding a loop into the picnic area to a new accessible picnic table near the beehive.
MnDOT has recently
- scheduled cleanup projects for Graeser Park and Rock Island in 2021, coordinated by MnDOT’s Historic Roadside Property Program.
- confirmed in 2020 that most of the documentation to do a Graeser Park title transfer to release MnDOT’s easement over the land is complete.
- partnered with Graeser Park volunteers to apply for MnDOT’s Highway Sponsorship Program to continue their efforts to maintain the park until land is transferred to the City of Robbinsdale.
- partnered with Restore Lilac Way to search for a Rock Island sponsor for MnDOT’s Highway Sponsorship Program to continue volunteer cleanup efforts .
MnDOT has also
- designed a historically sensitive landscape plan as part of the reconstruction of Highway 100 into a six-lane freeway.
- listened as many citizens voiced their interest in preserving the original lilacs at public meetings.
- protected hundreds of lilacs planted in the late 1930s in their original locations.
- transplanted more than 500 original ‘vintage’ lilacs to new Highway 100 locations in Brooklyn Center and Robbinsdale.
MnDOT's Lilac Way news
Watch the MnDOT-funded Lilac Way documentary.
2001. Highway 100: Lilac Way. Examines Lilac Way, one of Minnesota’s most historic stretches of roadway, capturing the history of Depression-era WPA-built landmarks along one of the first highways in Twin Cities. Produced by Twin Cities Public TV. The inspirations behind this website. Funded by Federal Highway Administration and MnDOT. Length – 28:16
MnDOT’s ‘Beehive Graveyard’
Construction during the Great Depression
Cloverleaf Interchange design in MN
MnDOT’s Lilac Way restoration received national recognition
In 2003, MnDOT was rewarded when their Lilac Way project was recognized by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
According to AASHTO, “The partnerships that developed with communities, citizens and local organizations resulted in unique solutions, strengthened working relationships and paved the way to more pleasing, mutually acceptable facilities that will leave a lasting legacy.”
Lilac Way was selected as an AASHTO Legacy Project for its place-sensitive design, strong historic and cultural preservation effort, and extensive community involvement.
Hey, MnDOT—let’s install signage on Highway 100 to honor Lilac Way’s history.
Laukkonen Design has already done the first-round creative and can edit as needed per your specs. The signs would tie-in to existing signage at the restored Lilac Park on the south, and (hopefully) Graeser Park on the north.
Let’s honor MnDOT’s historical efforts and install signage along Lilac Way. It’s just 12.5 miles of Highway 100 between Highway 52 (now 81) in Robbinsdale, and Highway 5 (78th Street) in Edina.
Give Karen Laukkonen a call to discuss at 952.929.1242.
Preserving living history
According to MnDOT’s Paul Walvatne, Environmental Services (now retired), moving (transplanting) existing shrubs is rarely done by MnDOT since it is typically more cost-effective to plant 2-3′ tall bare-root shrubs and let them continue to grow.
In the case of Lilac Way, moving 60+ year old lilacs saved part of the area’s history. By partnering with the adjacent Cities, the costs for moving and maintaining the vintage plants compared favorably to starting with new plants.
Paul credits the 1930s vision of Arthur Nichols, MnDOT’s (then MN Highway Department) landscape architect, for the first ‘Lilac Way’ in the country. Nichols wanted to create an attraction that would draw visitors to Minneapolis.