CITY PARKS

The information for this list of City parks came from many sources; we particularly thank the SLP Parks and Rec Dept. for access to their files.  Information may well be conflicting, inaccurate, or incomplete.  Any additions or corrections are appreciated;  please contact us.  Also see Parks and Rec.

Ainsworth Park:  7700 W. 28th St. at Quebec.  In 1962, the City Council authorized $17,500 for 5.11 acres.  It was the former site of a Landers-Morrison-Christianson gravel pit, and was originally 3.3 acres.  In 1963 a shelter sat on the spot, and in 1976 there was a log cabin.  The park was dedicated in June 1967, dedicated to S. Earl Ainsworth. Playground equipment was replaced in 2005, and a picnic shelter erected in 2007.  Facilities facilitate basketball, baseball, soccer, sliding, and a community garden in 1998. 

Aquila Park:  3110 Xylon.  The first 2.55 acres were dedicated in the plat (not in use as of 1956).  Land for a field was purchased by the City for $60,199 and developed for $109,510.  In 1960, acquisition was complete and development work was slated to start that spring.  By the end of the season it had two shelters and a pool. The original features have all been updated.  The 30.44 acre park features a sliding hill, an irrigated flower garden, and facilities for basketball, tennis, baseball, football, and horseshoes.

There is a Barretts Park listed in 1960 at 28th between Kipling and Monterey. This may be part of Twin Lakes Park. 1.21 acres were donated in September 1948.

Bass Lake Park  is located south of  34th Street between Glenhurst and Huntington.  Although an article from 1949 lists Minikahda Oaks as a working park, it seems that the .98 acre park was donated in 1952.  In 1960 the City bought four lots and a home at 4821 W. 36th Street.  The current size is 1.13 acres.  The park includes a playground, sun shelter, skating rink, basketball court, a wooded area, and a woodchip trail that links with the George Haun trail. 

Bass Lake Preserve:  3515 Beltline Blvd.  It is primarily a nature preserve, and until 2008, had several municipal tennis courts.  In 1952 it was described as a swamp. The lake itself was 150 ft. in diameter.  In 1960, acquisition was in process:  43 acres were offered for $60,000, but the Parks and Rec Advisory Commission recommended that consideration be given only to the 35 lesser acreage for an "impounding area."  The current acreage is 60 acres.  The park includes the George Haun Trail.

Birchwood Park:  2701 Zarthan.  2.48 acres. In 1958, $9,424.38 was spent on improvements.  In 1960 it had a shelter and a pool.  The 1960 building still stands.  The facility accommodates basketball, ice skating, soccer, volleyball, baseball, and horseshoes. 

Blackstone Park:  6094 W. 16th Street at Alabama.  The area at 5916 W. 16th Street had been leased from Honeywell since 1972.  Suggestions for improvements were made by the Alabama Block Club.  That land was redeveloped by Space Center in 1978.  The park was relocated to its present site in 1991, which had been owned by NSP.  The new park featured two playgrounds, a sun shelter and basketball court.  Current size is .91 acres.

Bronx Park:  2900 Idaho Avenue.   .83 acres, was purchased in Octobere 1945.  [A 1951 article says it was loaned to residents by the water department; it i a current water treatment site.]  It was developed by the Park Board, and neighbors banded together to make improvements in 1951.  Bulldozers provided by Ashwerth and Sons began leveling the area in June 1951. A Grand Opening was held on August 12, 1951.  Activities included a doll buggy parade, pony rides, bingo, funny costume parade, a Broadway show put on with puppets, a magic show, and other musical numbers. An additional lot was purchased in 1962, and the original playground equipment was installed in 1963. Lighting was added in 1967.  The park was reconstructed in 1979.  Its current size is 2.67 acres.  Activities include baseball, basketball a playground, and horseshoes. 

Brookside Park:  see Jackley.

Browndale Park:  4525 Morningside Road at Browndale Ave.  9.51 acres were donated and purchased in 1943.  The park was improved by Browndale neighborhood organizations, with help from the Women's Club, starting in 1950.  A Grand Opening was held in June 1953.  Entertainment included clowns and the candidates for Miss St. Louis Park.  Further construction took place in 1959.  In 1960, the park had 9.51 acres, donated and purchased, with a shelter and a pool.  Before 1962, the whole area below the hill was cattails.  It was low land used for storm water runoff from nearby streets.  The City turned it into a real park then by cutting down the north side of the big hill, using the fill to cover the cattails.   Also in 1962, five lots were purchased from Leonard Kaplan for $1500.  In 1963, the City acquired Wooddale Park, Lot 1, Block 1 from Charles O. Newcomb for $450.  Current acreage is 10.74.  Facilities accommodate a playground, shelter, softball, basketball, ice skating, sliding hill, pond, woods, perennial garden, aquatic upland prairie, and a woodchip trail. The name Browndale comes from the Brown family that farmed the area. 

C&C Field was leased for 10 years by Little League from Cusak and Carlson, Realtors in 1955.

Cambridge Park:  see Justad.

Candlestick Pond is located at 16th Street and Park Place.

Carpenter Park:  3001 Raleigh Ave. at Minnetonka Blvd.  This was one of the earliest parks, located on the site of the current City Hall. When the owners of the Park Theater purchased 27 acres from farmer Simon Kruse, 13.53 acres were (99-year) leased for the park. [Donated by the Carpenter family.]  Steps were installed just west of the theater doors and to the south of the east parking lot. The steps led down to the WWI memorial built by the WPA (since moved further into the park). Where City Hall now stands was a large flower garden, maintained until the mid 1950’s. Seven tennis courts were built in August 1964.  Of  Lay-Kold construction, they were built for $31,000 by the Carlson-Levine Construction Co.  One of the park's first activities was an outdoor dance, the first in 1949.  Current acreage is 12.99.  Facilities include a concessions/storage building, two ballfields, three tennis courts (first built in 1961), batting cages, soccer field, flower garden.   

Cedar Knoll Park/Carlson Field"  2541 Nevada Ave. at Louisiana Avenue.  Carlson funded the original construction costs.  3.5 acres were acquired as tax forfeited land in 1978.  It is home to Babe Ruth baseball.  A shelter and concessions stand were put in in 1992.  Current acreage is 10.55.  Facilities include a concessions building, shed, baseball field with lighted scoreboard and dugouts and batting cages, and a soccer field. 

Cedar Lake Park/Trail:  This is apparently 17 acres of old railroad land along Highway 100 and Parkwood Road at 23rd Street, in the Lake Forest neighborhood.

Cedar Manor Park/Lake:  9350 Cedar Lake Road at Highway 169.  10.4 acres were donated in 1960.  More land was purchased in 1966.  The park was enjoyed in its undeveloped state by the neighborhood, and protests were registered when the City proposed to "improve" it in 1966. A shelter was built in 1973, demolished in 1990. In 1993, property at 9258 Club Road was purchased from Harold Aretz.  Of its current 25.91 acres, 14.91 acres belong to the City and 10 acres belong to the School District.  Cedar Manor School uses it for recess and school interpreting programs.  It now features a playground, observation deck, lacrosse field, and soccer field.

Cedarhurst Park:  1601 Natchez.  This 1.01 acre park is privately owned by Peace Presbyterian Church and leased to the City.  In 1972, the playground equipment included a clown/scarecrow swing, a fort (slide), a spider climber, a see-saw, and Radio Rockies.  The park got its name in 1972.  The current playground was built in 2007.  It is heavily used by residents of adjacent apartments. 

Center Park:  3750 Wooddale (Oxford and Zarthan).  1.82 acres had been acquired from the State on November 15, 1943, but not developed until 1951. It was graded in 1952, and equipped by the Park Board and the Community Fund. Slides and swings were put in in 1963.  The current playground was built in 2005, and the park offers ice skating.

Cobble Crest Lake is bounded by Minnetonka Blvd., Cavell Ave. and the tracks.  It consists of 13 acres of open space. 

The Old Community Center on Lake Street (no longer in existence) is discussed in a piece by Recreation Director Dorothea Nelson, and in a piece about the history of  the Community Center and the Rec Center.

Creekside/Isaac Walton League Park:  7341 Oxford at Meadowbrook Blvd. In 1988, this park was renamed to include the civic organization that preserves and maintains Minnehaha Creek.  It was  created/improved in 1978. The open space is owned by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.  The 1.78 acres of open space feature a canoe landing, wooded area, and parking lot.  A 1960 list shows a park called Brookside 2nd, located at Meadowbrook Blvd. and Minihaha Creek, with 25 acres.

Dakota Park:  2643 Dakota.  Development began in 1968. Comprehensive improvements were made in 1973.  In 1969, $50,000 was paid to the Mpls., Northfield, and Southern Railway for an addition.  The playground and a shelter were built in 1973, an announcing/storage building and electric scoreboard in 1978, a bridge in 1988, sun shelter in 2005, softball field updated in 1994, baseball field with two dugouts and batting cage updated in 1994, off-leash dog park 2005, bluebird houses, woods, flower garden, sliding hill, and a stormwater pond in 2008.  Currently it is 20.18 acres.

Del Monte Heights:  see Keystone

Edgebrook (Drive) Park/Terry Park:  3920 Pennsylvania.  This park serves the South Oak Hills Community and the name was changed from Terry Park in 1964.  In 1951, the Village bought a 2.6 acre, 80 ft. strip of land between South Street (Edgebrook) and the Milwaukee Road tracks, between Taft and Pennsylvania from Terry Brothers, Inc., who had intended to build warehouses on the site. Adolph Fine donated three 100 ft. lots between Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, facing South Street, which made the property 200 ft. deep. Its borders are an alley on the north and railroad tracks on the south; the park is "tucked away behind the houses along Edgebrook Road."  Improvements were made in 1977, 1986, and 2000.  Current acreage is 1.25.  The playground dates to 1994, basketball first installed in 1981, repaved in 2004.  The site includes a pond and woods.

Edgewood:  See Nelson.

Elie Park/Tower Park/Xylon:  3429 Xylon.  This park had been known as 34 1/2 Street and Wyoming, then Tower Park for its water tower and lift station, and also Xylon Park. 1.77 acres were donated.  2.6 acres were purchased in March 1952.  2.28 acres were donated in 1953.  Its 1969 ballfield was updated in 2002.  The 1.86 acre site includes wood and a wetland.  Activities include baseball and T-ball.  In 1952, Alfred and Nora Elie donated some of their 10 acres of land at 8206 W. 35th Street.  On September 19, 1994, it was named for the Elies. In 2008, the ball field was named Dale Petit Field at the behest of the St. Louis Park Traveling Baseball Association for Petit's work with youth sports.  

Eliot Park:  6800 Cedar Lake Road.  This property is owned by the school district.  A "Park Warming" was held in 1977.   a ballfield was put in in 1996, a playground in 1997, and a shelter in 1998.  Activities include ice skating, soccer, basketball, and football. 

Elmwood Park:  This area is bordered on 36, Oxford, Colorado, and Dakota.  This may be part of Jorvig Park. Authorization to acquire several houses was done in 1975.

Fern Hill Park:  4421 W. 28th Street at Joppa.  5.53 acres are owned by the City, and 6.35 acres are owned by Torah Academy (the former Fern Hill School); the City sold the land in 1982.  Before there was a park, summer activities for kids took place at the school in the 1930's. The park may have been on the site of the so-called Stageberg/Bothman property, which the City acquired in the 1950's.  The original building was used by the Civil Defense Department, and eventually burned down in a Fire Department training exercise.  In our files is a "Planning Analysis - Neighborhood Playground Development Adjacent to Fern Hill School" by Carl L. Gardner & Associates, dated November 19, 1956. The report, done by the request of the City Council, concluded that Fern Hill was a large neighborhood (110 children) without adequate playground facilities, and that the City-owned land lends itself to playground development.  In 1957, $8,507.12 was spent at this site.  Acquisition of 2 acres of the site was done in 1960 (the City already owned most of it), and development was to start that spring.  In 1960 it had a shelter and a pool. In 1962, additional land was purchased for $10,000 from William B. and Joyce Lee.  In 1963, playground equipment included a jungle gym, slide, sandbox, and swinging horses.  Facilities now include two old baseball fields, a basketball court updated in 1980, horseshoes, ice skating, sliding hill, woods, and a perennial garden. The property is used for recess and physical education classes at Torah Academy.

Fine's Park:  See Roxbury.

Flag and 22nd Ave. is 16.7 acres of open space and wetland.

Ford Road Park:  2115 Ford Road, west of Highway 169. This was adjacent to the the so-called Ecklund Swedlund addition, annexed from Minnetonka in 1956.  Residents were unsuccessful in getting a park of their own until a deal was made with Minnetonka to build a park on the border in 1964. Minnetonka and St. Louis Park each paid $12,500 for the land.  At the time, St. Louis Park had more residents in the area, but over time, the surrounding area in Minnetonka was built up. Nine acres belonging to the Catholic Church were identified. The deal went through in 1967. Work began in 1968, with the park to open in 1969. Original playground equipment included a Jack 'n' Jill Playhouse (slide), Rodeo Rockies (riding horses), a swing set with aluminum ponies, and a clown swing.  The park is maintained by St. Louis Park.  The area is 10.64 acres; 4.5 acres are park and the remaining is wooded.  Trails were put in in 1976.  Facilities were updated in 2003. 
 

Frederick Avenue:  9201, 9212, 9221 Frederick Ave. (Minnetonka at Flag)  1.7 acres of open space, wetland, creek overflow.  These 14 lots were donated by Richard Neslund (Cheyenne Land Co.) in 1995.

Freedom Park/Paul Frank Field/Gorham Ave. Athletic Field  3261 Gorham, adjacent to the library.  This area, 1.62 acres, was first graded in 1964. Pony colt baseball wanted a site they could call their own. The city would not acquire the Gorham Ave. property. On July 4 one year in the early 60s the group including some neighbors put up a flag pole on the property ran up a flag and ad hoc called the site Freedom Park. Later the name was changed to honor Paul Frank who wanted a field for Pony/Colt baseball which anyone could play without having to go through a "draft" as was required in Little League. The city subsequently purchased the land and planted trees in the outfield. Little boys were regularly getting black eyes when they kept their eyes on the ball and ran into the saplings. No eyes were ever put out that  we know of. The site became dual purpose in the late sixties when the city built a permanent library. Improvements were made in 1971.  It has a concession/announcing building (originally built in 1957), dugouts, a roof, irrigation and storage sheds, and facilities for soccer.

Georgia Park:  see Hampshire.

Hampshire/Georgia/Westwood Park:  6520 - 18th Street between Edgewood and Hampshire Ave.  This is 3.34 acres of open space and woods.  It was apparently acquired by 1952/dedicated in the plat.  Also see Otten Pond.

Hannon Lake:  9505 Cedar Lake Road.  This is a protected wetland, is located between 28th Street and Cedar Lake Road, east of Highway 169.  It was originally part of the Westwood Park Second Addition plat, dedicated by the developer.  In 1965 the City bought property from Westwood Lutheran Church for drainage, at a cost of $12,652.  More land was purchased in 1970, and improvements were made in 1971.  In 1973, the City purchased the Lundeen property for $920.  Its current 17.22 acres consist of a lake and woods.  It was named after an adjacent property owner. 

Hurd Park/Carroll Hurd Rotary Park was named for Carroll Hurd, Rotarian and former Mayor of St. Louis Park.  It is located north of Cedar Lake Road between Nevada and Pennsylvania Avenues.  The park dedication took place on September 27, 1976, and improvements were made that year.  In 1980 the name was changed to Caroll Hurd Rotary Club, reflecting work the SLP Rotary Club had done to make improvements.  A Rotarian donated additional land also in 1980.  In n 1990, the Rotary Club requested that their name be removed and added to Northside Park.  There are no structures on the 3.11 acres, and is described as a peat bog with a wetland in the middle. 

Isaac Walton League Park:  see Creekside.

Jackley Park:  4215 Brookside Ave.  First called Brookside Park, located at 42nd Street and Brookside Avenue.  .56 acre were obtained from the State in 1943. There was no playground in 1952; the park was to be graded and opened in October 1953.  The City asked M.X and Margaret Jackley, who owned adjoining land, if they minded if some equipment was placed on their land, and they agreed. (In 1951 the Jackleys complained about damage to their driveway and garage by traffic in and out of the park.) New playground equipment was installed in 1963.  In 1968, the warming house and some playground equipment were on Jackley property.)  Mrs. Jackley sold some of her land to the city for $150 on September 11, 1957. When Mrs. Jackley died in June 1968, the family house proved difficult to sell, so the family donated [sold for $9,700] the 50 by 168 ft. lot to the City for the park, which was then renamed Jackley Park in 1969. It turned out that .25 acres of the property was owned by CP Rail, and in 1976, a lease was drawn up allowing the park to continue to operate on that land. The Jackley house was demolished and the warming house moved in 1977.  The park was reconstructed in 1979.  The park featured ball diamonds in summer and two ice rinks for figure skating and hockey. Parks employee Elmer C. "Shorty" Dale presided over the warming house back in the 1960s.  The park currently features a sun shelter, playground, ice rink, T-ball field and basketball court. 

Jersey Park:  1601 Jersey.  The Jersey-Idaho Block Club worked on the park.  It got its name on February 21, 1978.  This park now has 1.95 acres.  It includes a woods and wetlands.  Facilities include a playground, basketball court, skating, and horseshoes.

Johnson Lake:  See Wolfe Park.

Jorvig Park:  6100 W. 37th at Brunswick.  This was probably the park that the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad gave to the Village in exchange for naming the Village St. Louis Park.  It has also been known as Bandstand Park, Firemen's Park, and Central Park.  see Bandstand.  It is .6 acres, and on it sits the Milwaukee Road Depot, built in 1887. It was named for Torval Jorvig, civic leader.  There are several unique features to this park, including a play train (1998), a rest shelter for the LRT trail (2000), Memorial trees dedicated to Marie Hartmann and Ben Brown (1996), a flagpole donated by Dudley Moylan (2002).  Other features are a horseshoe pit, flower garden, and trail access, since 2005. 

Justad Park:  5917 Cambridge Ave. at Alabama.  .47 acres were obtained by the State in October 1943.  In 1962, 5913-17 was purchased from St. George's parish (Corlys W. Herbert) for $9,000. 2.2 acres were bought in June 1962.  It is now .71 acres.  A house was removed from the property in 1963.  It has originally been called Cambridge Park, and was named after Joe Justad in March 1963.  A dedication ceremony took place on October 10, 1973.  Playground equipment was installed in 1963, 1979, and replaced in 2001.  The park also includes a sun shelter (first built by the Lions Club in 1977), basketball court, horseshoe pit, and a flower garden.

Keystone Park:  3034 Alabama at Cedar Lake Road.  This land was leased for a time from CP rail.  It was operating in 1948, but not in use in 1952 as it was being graded.  This area had water problems, an in 2002 it was lowered 4-6 feet for water management. A soccer field was added in 2002.  A 1960 list shows a Del Monte Heights Park, .83 received from the State  in 1943 and 1952.  It is described as being between Blackstone and Alabama.  The same?  Del Monte Heights was the name of the subdivision.

Kilmer Pond:  1684 Kilmer Ave. So. at Highway 169.  At first (1958-1966) this park had been located at a temporary site (4 lots leased from developers Ecklund-Swedlund), but in the late 1950s, 4.5 acres of new land was donated and the park moved to the pond.  It was a flooding eyesore until the Cedar Manor community and the Lakeview Garden Club got together and planted trees and flowers to beautify the park in 1965.  More work was done the following year.  St. Louis Park originally suggested joint ownership with Minnetonka, but Minnetonka declined.  The current 4.12 acres of open space includes a pond, perennial garden, and grills.

Knollwood Green:  3450 Flag Ave. Minnehaha Creek, just east of Highway 169. It has 1.22 acres and features a playground and a basketball court.  This site was affected by the construction of Highway 169.

Lake Street Park:  6212 Lake Street.  This is a stormwater holding pond with a building.  in 2002 it was lowered 16 ft. for water management.

Lake Victoria:  see Texa-Tonka.

Lamplighter Park and Pond:  1800 Pennsylvania Ave. So.  It is said to be haunted by the caretaker of the adjacent Silver Fox Farm, whose lamp light can be seen decades after the Fox Farm closed.  Indeed it is named for a "historical occurrence."  It is 21.24 acres of open space, 12.24 acres of which are owned by the City (purchased from the State around 1950).  In 1977 there was a serious deer problem. Land at the north end of the park was exchanged with the Park Assembly of God in 1979.  Trails were put in in 1983. In 2006 the pond was expanded and stocked by the DNR, and the shoreline was restored.  It features a volleyball court.

Louisiana Oaks Park/Oak Park Village:  3500 Louisiana at Walker Street, on the site of the Creosote Plant.  The park was planned in 1976.  The Grand Opening was held on September 13, 2003.  It is 33 acres, with 24 inches of clean fill added to cover the possibly contaminated land.  The park includes a shelter, playground, solar powered storage building, soccer field, cross-country ski trail, baseball fields, a pond, woods, and a football field. Until 2002 it was referred to as Oak Park Village. Also in 2002, the park was dedicated to Children First.  The Lions Club contributed to the development of the park and equipment.

Meadowbrook Lake:  4240 Colorado Ave. So./ 44th Street and Brookside Ave.  This is 21.22 acres of swamp and open space where the creek expands.  Fishing. In 1959, WTCN radio requested a lease to erect a radio tower at the park, but the City Council said no. In 1968 there was a problem with dumping in the area. 

Meadowbrook Manor Park:  4072 Meadowbrook Lane at Meadowbrook Blvd.  2.5 acres came from the State in 1944, although current acreage is .5 acres. The City tried to buy the land in 1958.  It wasn't until 1996 that it was leased from Helena Bigos, d/b/a Meadowbrook Manor Apartments for $1.  Grand Opening was in November 1996.  It has a playground, sun shelter, and basketball court. An old playground had to be removed.  The Rotary Club and the HealthSystems Minnesota Foundation contributed to the cost.

Meadowbrook Park:  South of Minnetonka Blvd. and north of the creek.  2.35 acres from the State in 1944.  Could be part of another park.

Medora Woods:  2144 France (22nd St. and Ewing Ave.) and is .5 acres of undeveloped open space/woods.  Medora Woods was actually the name of the person who donated the land in 1996.

Menzel Park:  2701 Glenhurst.  This park was named for neighbor Arthur Menzel.  In 1944, Menzel, a furrier, was on the Minneapolis Park Board, which granted permission for St. Louis Park to use the triangle at France Ave. and Cedar Lake Ave. (sic).  The Minneapolis Public Works Dept. owned 1.59 acres of the Park. In 1959, Minneapolis decided to dispose of tracts that were not within the boundaries of the city. It was purchased by St. Louis Park from the Minneapolis Park Board in 1967.  It is now 5.57 acres of open space, owned by Minneapolis and maintained by St. Louis Park since about 1986.

Minikahda Oaks Park:  In 1951, residents asked for a skating rink in their rather isolated neighborhood. Land was donated for a park in July 1953.  More land was leased from Al's Bar in 1967. 

Minikahda Vista Park:  3901 Inglewood.  4.33 acres were purchased in April 1945.    In 1948, neighbors organized to build their own shelter, with help from the Women's Club.  The Village chipped in with grading and filling in swampland (and getting rid of a huge sand heap). In 1961, an agreement was made with the Minneapolis Water Department, which owned some of the property.  Grading was done in 1963.  Playground equipment was installed in 1964.  It now has a sun shelter, playground, softball field, basketball court, soccer field, and a sliding hill. 

Minnehaha Creek Parkway:  Land for this area was acquired in 1970.  It was taken by eminent domain/condemnation in 1975.  It had been polluted by industries before 1969.  Some of the land came from Methodist Hospital.  It was cleaned up in 1978.  Obtained from the DNR in 2008. 

Minnehaha Park/Basin:  3214 Aquila Ave.  This is 2.3 acres of open space.

Minnehaha Wetlands:  Originally called Towles Park (after the subdivision), the 8.81 acres located at Ensign and 31st was deeded to the City by Federated Realty, Inc. in July 1944.   In 1952 it had not been developed.  An area just referred to as Minnehaha Creek is described by the City as 165 acres.

Nelson Park/Community Center:  2500 Georgia Avenues.  It was originally called Edgewood Park.  The house and lot of Arthur and Elizabeth Carter were purchased for the park for $14,000 in 1962.  On November 8, 1962 the park was named for Dorothea Nelson, the City's first Recreation Director, who served from 1946 to 1962.  Possibly the first playground equipment was installed in 1963.  Land was acquired in 1962, 1966 and 1968.  In 1976 the City purchased 2557 Georgia for the park.  A hockey rink was added in 1977.  Currently, 9.39 acres belong to the City, and 6.27 acres belong to the School District (Peter Hobart School), for a total of 15.66 acres.  There is a playground (1988), building (2005), kiosk (2006), hockey rink (2002), skate park (2001), basketball court (very old), broomball court, and a community garden with compost bins.

There was a storage building on the site known as the Carney Warehouse (2500 Georgia Ave., built in 1957).  It was acquired with a grant from HUD in 1971 for about $21,000.  It was made into a warming house and used for storage until it was converted into a community center in 1976.On February 21, 1978 it was named the Dorthea Nelson Park Building.

Northside Rotary Park:  2200 Louisiana, north of Cedar Lake Road.  In 1953, 8.81 acres were purchased from the State. In 1978, tennis courts were built with funds from the Rotary Club and the Minn. Office of Local and Urban Affairs. Originally Northside Park, "Rotary" was added in 1990 to commemorate all of the work done by the organization to improve the park.  In 1990 the Rotary Foundation agreed to make five annual payments of $3,000.  Perhaps that year, the park obtained a Pirate Ship play structure. The park has 8.66 acres, and includes a warming house, hockey rink, baseball field, concessions stand, playground, tennis courts (originally 1971), and a playground.  It is home to the Park National Little League team.

In 1960 there was listed a Norwaldo Park, described as .13 acres received somehow from the State in August 1944.  It was located on Lake Street between Webster and Xenwood.  Not there anymore?  Norwaldo was the name of the subdivision.

Oak Hill Park:  3201 Rhode Island Ave. (34th Streets and Quebec).  Land was first obtained from the State in December 1943.  It was a working park in 1948.  It was developed by the Park Board and equipped by the Community Fund. On June 12, 1949, maintenance man Carl Youngblut - with the help of Boy Scouts - built a four sided outdoor fireplace.  Bricks were donated by Cambridge Brick and the mortar was donated by the Women's Club.   In 1956 it encompassed 20.56 acres.  In 1957, an unusual wading pool was built, financed with a $3,000 donation from Charles Friedheim. That structure was replaced in 1979; it had been closed by the Board of Health in 1977.  More land was acquired in 1958 and 1959.  In 1960 the park had two shelters and a pool, at a cost of $50,000.  Also in 1960, land from the Creosote Plant was obtained for parking. In 1963, a shelter, playground, and horseshoe pit were installed.  At one time there was a "Stendel Slide," which was a triple track bobsled run.  Acquisition of land continued in 1960.  Playground equipment was purchased in 1963.  Wooden playground equipment was installed in 1974.  Currently the park has 13.83 acres, which accommodate three shelters, two play structures, a splash pad, hockey, baseball, football, woods, wetlands, perrenial garden, sliding hill, basketball court, horse shoes (since 1970) and a carved wooden bear.  In the 1990s, an event called the Norther Lights Winter Wonderland was held. 

Oak Park Village:  See Louisiana Oaks.

Oregon Park:  3100 Oregon Ave.  The land with a pond was acquired in 1961. In 1966 the area was considered dangerous with unprotected open water.  In 1984, the neighborhood was against further development. Shoreline restoration went on in 2006.  The 2.05 acre park includes a playground, horseshoes, sliding hill, and a pond. 

Otten Pond:  1440 Dakota (15th and Hampshire).  It is named for the developer who owned the land adjacent to the pond.  It is 3.53 acres of open space, of which .5 acres is owned by Park Place East office building.  It was fenced in 1970, reconstructed to 6 inches in the spring of 2002.  Adjacent to Hampshire Park.

Parkview Park:  6801 W. 33rd Street at Idaho Avenues adjacent to the high school.  Land was obtained from the State in 1942 and 1945.  It was a working park in 1948.  In 1949, neighborhood dads built a playground shelter, with financial help from the Women's Club.  More land was acquired in 1953.  In 1957, the City refinished and moved the playground.  The City owns .10 acres and the school district owns 2.20 acres.  The park was totally redone in 1997, with a building, picnic area overhang, basketball court, horseshoe pit, and skating.  It also features a playgound and sandbox.  The park is used for physical education classes and soccer. for the High School and did for Central Jr. High as well. 

Pennsylvania Park:  1459 Pennsylvania Ave. In 1960, acquisition was in process.  Work was done by the Nevada Ave. Block Club.  New playground equipment was installed in 1986, and the park was redone in 2001.  It now consists of 2.35 acres.  It has a playground, sun shelter (1977), facilities for basketball, softball, T-Ball, and football.  It also has a wooded area and is a stormwater storage site. 

Dale Petit Field:  see Elie Park.

Quentin and 16th Street:  This was excess right of way from Highway 100 that was made available after Highway 394 was finished in about 1990.  In 1988, MnDOLT had remved the 1600 block of Quentin Ave.

Rainbow Park:  2908 Sumter.  This .72 acre park has a playground and is used by Timothy Lutheran School.  In 1972 it was considered a vest pocket playground.  New playground equipment was installed in 2002. 

The Rec Center on Monterey Drive opened in 1972.

Roxbury Park:   3110 Brunswick.  Adolph Fine donated 2.34 acres at 32nd, Brunswick, and the tracks in 1951.  In 1952, park development was waiting on drainage.  A picnic shelter was removed in 2007 when a car ran into it.  Current acreage is 1.94 acres.  It was called Fine's park on a list from 1960. It features a playground, basketball court, a stormwater pond, and a sun shelter.  The name comes from the name of the addition. 

Shelard Park:  390 Ford Road, west of  I-394.  The 6.95 acres were part of an area that was annexed from Minnetonka in 1954 and dedicated in the plat by the developer (Shelard Development Co./Midwest Finace Inc.).  A portion of it is privately owned.  The park came to be in 1969 with the development of the Shelard area.  A skating rink existed in 1974.  Improvements were made in 1985, and in 1990, residents requested playground equipment.  It has a playground and basketball court, a pond and wildflowers.

Skippy Field, located behind City Hall on Highway 7, was initially leased by Little League Baseball for 10 years.

South Westwood Hills Park:  see Willow.

Sunshine Park:  2900 Vernon.  .72 acres were provided/bought from the State in December 1944. It was listed as one of 10 running playgrounds in 1948.  In 1952,  neighbors paid for playground equipment through a special assessment.  By June 1954 they were up in arms because considerable work had not been done.  In 1952 it also needed to be filled and drained.  One notation says that it [re-]opened in June 1954.  Improvements were made in 1974.  At one point it was suggested that the park be named after Cliff Dahl, as he had been an extremely active proponent of the park.  Currently it is a .71 acre park with a playground, basketball court, and flower garden.
 
Sunset Park:  3328 Xylon 1.77 acres were donated by Mr. Carlson (currently 2.9 acres). Neighbors urged the purchase of additional property.  It was first developed in 1955.  Filling and grading work was done in 1989.  It was improved in 2002.  The curren 2.9 acre park features a playground and ballfield, and is a stormwater storage area.

Sunset Ridge Wetlands:  Cedar Lake Road and Zarthan, next to the City's "bone yard."  This is 10.19 acres of open space/wetland.

Susan Lindgren:  See Yale Gardens.

Texa-Tonka Park/Lake Victoria/John Ross Field:  2750 Virginia Ave.  2.5 [4] acres were donated by Adoph Fine in 1955. Local housewives worked hard to raise money for equipment.  Very active was the West End Community Improvement Association.  John Ross developed the Braille Sports Foundation, and organized Beep Baseball tournaments.  The ballfield was at the northeast corner of the park.  In 1963, playground equipment (whirls, slides, swings, etc.) were installed.  In 1973, Victoria Lake was part of the Gleason property.  The park is now listed as 3.19 acres (excluding the lake and surrounding area). There is a playground, two picnic areas on Lake Victoria, a kiosk owned by Three Rivers Trail Authority, a soccer field, and a community garden.

Terry Park:  see Edgebrook.

Tower Park:  see Elie.

Towles Park:  see Minnehaha Wetlands.

Twin Lakes are located around 25th Street and Cedarwood.

Twin Lakes Park:  4750 W. 26th Street at Natchez, behind Benilde-St. Margarets.  Although the park at 26th and Monterey was listed as a functioning park in 1948, other info says that in 1949, citizens petitioned the Village Council for the park and that it had not yet been acquired.  The plan was for the Village to buy the balance of Thorpe Bros. Cedar Lake Heights addition not already owned by the Village, in addition to further land to the north.  There was a wll in 1956.  It was not included in the 1958 bond issue.  In 1959, landscape architect Robert Corwine was called in to weigh in on the water level debate.  By 1960, acquisition was complete (partly purchased from a neighbor for $100), though neighbors came to the City Council asking that the lake be improved.  In 1961 the park was under water.   In 1968 there was a 14 acre lake with 8 acres of usable land.  In 1976, there was a merry-go-round and swings, but no shelter, bathrooms, or basketball court.  A playground was added in 1986.  A flower garden was extant in 1991.  Dirt was removed in 1997 for use at Louisiana Courts.  This created an 8500 cubic yard pond.  The ballfield was elevated in 1995.  In 1996 there were complaints that it was unsightly.  A shelter was built in 1998.  Shoreline restoration was done in 1996.  The park is now 26.74 acres, and includes a playground, sun shelter, ball/soccer field, and basketball court.  It is in the area of Twin Lake Pond and Twin Lake.  Deer and fox can be seen.

Utah Pond:  18th Street and Utah Ave in the Westwood Hills neighborhood.  This is 2.17 acres of open space.  A pump inherited from the former golf course still works to keep lake levels consistent. 

Walker Park/Quebec Walker Park/Walker Field:  3500 Pennsylvania.  2.28 acres were donated in 1953; they were not in use as of 1956.  It is now 3.7 acres, and includes a baseball/soccer field.  A Walker Park was described in a 1960 list as being .65 acres at Walker and 37th - which doesn't really compute.

Webster Park:  3301 Webster Ave.  This park was operating in 1948.  In 1952, someone gave an anonymous gift of $3,000 to construct a wading pool at the park, The 1.49 acres belong to the State Highway Department and are leased for $1 a year.  A playground was built in 2002.

Westdale Park/Westdale Park Detention Pond:  9200 W. 14th Street at Flag.  This 1.8 acre park is a part of the 97-acre Westwood Park tract.  The tract was graded in 1963 and playground equipment was installed in 1964, but the park had water problems that made it unuseable.  There were no improvements as of 1968.  Work was done in 1973.  Part of it is owned by Genral Mills in Golden Valley, and in 1975, permission was granted to put in a skating rink.  It operated part-time in 1977. A boardwalk and playground equipment were installed in 1995.  A playground and basketball court were abandoned in 2006 to make it open space with two stormwater ponds. It is considered part of the Westwood Nature Center.

Westling Pond:  28th and Boone Avenue.  This park was named for R.J. and Marlys Westling, who lived on and developed the land in this area.  It is currently 3.77 acres of open space.  The City owns approximately half of the lake frontage.

Westmoreland Park:  See Wolfe Lake Park

Westwood Park:  See Willow or Georgia. 

Westwood Hills Nature Center is located at 8300 Franklin Ave.

Willow Park/South Westwood Hills Park:  2500 Rhode Island, south of Cedar Lake Road.  The 2.86 [3.33] acres were dedicated in the plat.  In 1952 the ground had been cleared but not rolled or leveled.  In 1958, $276,810.25 was spent on this site.  n 1960 it was partially developed.  Playground equipment was installed in 1962/63.  It was filled, graded, and seeded in 1969.  In 1973, the neighborhood requested improvements, including something called a Pepsi Wheel.  It is now 2.62 acres, and features a playground, basketball and baseball facilities, and two flower beds.

Wolfe Lake Park/Johnson Lake: 3700 Monterey Drive at Beltline.  This was originally called Westmoreland Park - in fact, the entire area was the Westmoreland plat. The site had been a gravel pit owned by Friedheim at 38th and Raleigh. The pit has been abandoned, but a crusher plant for trucked-in gravel repaced it.  Westmoreland Park was at 36th and Raleigh, where the Rec Center is now.  Some land for the park was purchased by the City in December 1942, and some was obtained by the State in November 1947. In 1956, the park had 4.3 acres, and it was a working park in 1957. The City bought up the rest of the plat, parcel by parcel.   In 1959, there was dumping problems, and part of the site was made into Acme Field, of the Babe Ruth League. Some of the soil may have been contaminated.  The Fire Department burned down a house on 36th Street; there may have been other houses there that were moved. Streets of Westmoreland Park plat were vacated in 1971.  A shelter was erected in 1973.  On May 27, 1974, the VFW dedicated a flag pole at the site. In 2000, the park was revamped and reopened on September 16. 

|The park now encompasses 32.25 acres, and includes an enclosed pavilion (1998), a Playground, two picnic shelters, the Veterans' Memorial Amphitheater (2002) a pergola, sand volleyball court, 1.6 miles of walking path, observation pier, cross-country ski trails, basketball courts and a pond stocked by the DNR. The pavilion was designed by the same architects that designed the Lake Harriet bandshell.

WOLFE  LAKE:  In 1959, consultant Robert G. Corwine issued a report about the feasibility of developing Johnson Lake as a recreation area. They cited water table problems and said it was too cold, recommending a concrete pool that ended up as the Rec Center. The lake was found to have B-Coli. The 8-acre Johnson Lake, was acquired in 1960.  On August 31, 1964, Johnson Lake was renamed Wolfe Lake, after Mayor Ken Wolfe, who did so much to develop the lake and park.  In the 1960s, children from various neighborhood parks were bused to Johnson Lake, which was chock full of minnows, for swimming lessons; there had been a bathhouse there.  In 1967, the lake received fill from the excavation for the Park Nicollet building.  At the time the lake, filling in 14 acres.  More fill was received from work at Excelsior Blvd. and Highway 100, filling in an additional five acres.  The lake now is 230 ft. across, almost round, encompassing 1 acre. 

Xylon:  See Elie.

Yale Gardens/Susan Lindgren:  41st Street between Quentin and Natchez Avenues.  It is now the site of Susan Lindgren Elementary School.  By 1960 it had been acquired by the City, but development plans had not been drawn up.  Playground equipment was installed in 1990, replacing one that was over 20 years old.  The effort was partially funded by neighbors, businesses, and students, who had a "Pennies for the Playground" campaign. 





 

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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.