CAMBRIDGE AVE.

Cambridge Ave. is located in what was known as "the Center" in pre-war St. Louis Park.  It was known as Oak Street before the village's streets were renamed in 1933.  The eastern end is residential.  Once you travel west under the railroad bridge, you are in an industrial area called "Skunk Hollow."

HISTORIC RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

5800 Cambridge:  Built in 1892 by Luther Melanchtron Thomson, this house was featured in a newspaper advertisement for St. Louis Park in that year, extolling the potential for growth of the new village. 

5912 Cambridge:  Built in 1900, this was the home of Earl Sewall. 
 

6300 Cambridge: These are two duplexes just inside the railroad bridge, built in 1898. These were referred to as the "Skunk Houses" years ago, for reasons lost to time. Who built them and why are also a mystery. There were other residential properties in Skunk Hollow in the past, age unknown, but only the Skunk Houses remain.


Skunk Houses, 2000

INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS

The following are the industrial buildings on Cambridge Ave., as best we can piece together from newspaper accounts and city tax records.  Note that some of the addresses don't match because the addresses on the buildings are not the same as the addresses on file at the tax assessor's office.  The records tell us that a builder named Allen Garrison bought up a great deal of this swamp land and built these industrial buildings in the 1950s and '60s.  His friend John R. Smith then bought up four of them on the south side. Smith built two more in the 1970s, and the six are collectively known as the Cambridge Business Center.  They are still in the Smith family, managed by John Smith's son William.   We invite additions or corrections to the following information
 

SOUTH SIDE

6215-6225 Cambridge:  originally railroad land. The present building was built 1977, designed by John Smith, Jr., architect.  Cambridge Business Center, Building 1.


6215-6225 Cambridge, 2010

6237 Cambridge:  In 1950 this land belonged to the railroad.  A building was removed in 1953.

6305 Cambridge:  This was the Cambridge Brick Co., which was there from at least 1952. In 1965 it belonged to John Smith, who used it to store engine blocks for his company.  Pictures from 1970 show that it was "bricked up" and probably ready to be demolished. 

Cambridge Brick Co. Office, 6305 Cambridge, 1960


Cambridge Brick Co., 1960

At the site of the old brick works, John Smith built 61 industrial condos in 1977.  Cambridge Business Center, Building 2.


6305 Cambridge, 2010 

6309-23 Cambridge:  Built in 1963.  Cambridge Business Center, Building 3.


6309-23 Cambridge, 2010
 

6325 Cambridge:  Built in 1956 by Allen Garrison.  Cambridge Business Center, Building 4.


6325 Cambridge, 1957

6325 Cambridge, 2010
 

6327 Cambridge:  Built in 1956 by Allen Garrison.  This was the first building that John Smith bought, for his business, Gopher Motor Rebuilding.  Located directly behind Building 4.  Cambridge Business Center, Building 5.


6327 Cambridge, 1960

6327 Cambridge, 2010
 

6401-15 Cambridge:  Built in 1956 by Allen Garrison.  Dakota Ave. was vacated and made a part of this property in 1955.  John Smith bought this building to expand his business and leased it to Magnetic Controls, Inc. , which in 1964 had the address 6405.  In the Park, Magnetic Controls was made up of two companies. Military Aero Space Development Co. manufactured magnetic amplifiers, controls and power supplies for military and industrial use in the missile program. Audio Development Co., with plants in SLP and in St. Peter, manufactured transformers, filters and chokes. Powers Cameron president. 150 employees locally.  The building is now the Cambridge Business Center, Building 6.


6401 Cambridge, 1960

6401 Cambridge, 2010

6417-27 Cambridge:  Probably built by Gerald Holt in 1951.  John Smith owned in 1973.  Hamer Machine Co. at some point. 

6417-27 Cambridge, 1954


6417-27 Cambridge, 2010

 

6501-35 Cambridge:  Built in 1957; associated with land at 3840-50 Edgewood.  In 1960 home of Garrison Construction Co.  In 1971, a tenant at 6529 Cambridge was the Tersch Paper Co./National Visual Products Co., distributor of audio-visual materials.  James R. Tersch was president (10 employees).


6531 Cambridge, 1960

6501-35 Cambridge, 2010

NORTH SIDE

6314-26 Cambridge:  Built in 1952 by Allen Garrison.  The pictures below indicate that at some point the building was enlarged. 


6314-18 Cambridge, 1954


6318 Cambridge, 1960



6314-26 Cambridge, 2010


6404-08 Cambridge:  There may have been a house here in 1951.  In 1955 it was the Symons Clamp & Mfg. Co. and in 1960 it was the Plasti-Dip Co.  Allen Garrison owned it in 1956. 


6404 Cambridge, 1955


6404 Cambridge, 1960


6404 Cambridge, 2010

6414-20 Cambridge:  A frame house was removed in 1960 for the present building.  In 1964, 6418 was Mid-City Precision, Inc.:  Precision machining for industry: jig grinding, jig boring, tracer turning, tracer milling, design & build.  In 1971 Jim Cashman owned the Cornelius Co.  Another tenant/owner was Vend-o-Matic Sales, Inc.


6414 Cambridge, 1960


6414 Cambridge, 2010
 

6506 Cambridge:  In 1964, Water Conditioning Co.  Rental and sales of water conditioning equipment, salt delivery service.  Independently owned and operated by William Guimont, 13 employees.   Not sure which building this was in.
 

6514-30 Cambridge:  Built in 1959 by Allen Garrison; associated with land at 3840 Edgewood.  In 1960, one half of it was the Cambridge Cafe, shown below; the other half was Park Linoleum.  In 1964, Glacier Plastics, Inc., formerly Rober Plastics, Inc.  Manufactured tools and dies, containers and parts for industry.  Carleton J. Romer, president; 15 employees.  In 1967 it had a short but lively life as a teen club run by a Mrs. Jacoby.  In 1971-73, 6530 was listed in the Sun as Midwest Brick and Supply Company, Richard R. Einck, president (8 employees). 


6530 Cambridge, 1960


6530 Cambridge, 2010

 

7400 Cambridge:  Black Top Service, 1964 - Herbert J. Alves, president.  The company made bituminous material for black topping and surfaces, streets, roads and large parking lots, for municipalities and housing developers.  This is not an official address; see 7320 Oxford.



 

 

Home    St. Louis Park History    History Index    About the Society    Research Resources
Brookside Timeline    Something In The Water    The Re-Echo    Contact Us

This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.