4601 EXCELSIOR BLVD.

Tree surgeon Byron Bell was probably the first occupant of the property that is now the Lang-Nelson Building. Bell and his wife Marjorie owned the Minnesota Tree Service, one of the many nurseries on the Boulevard. Their business (and residence) was located at 4601 Excelsior from at least 1931. An addition was made to the building in 1933. In 1953, the General Realty Company, owned by developer Adolph Fine, was somehow associated with the address. There may have been a 900 gallon gas tank on the property in 1954. W.R. Martin was associated with the property in 1955. A new building was built in 1957 for $3,000. The Bells operated the nursery until about 1962.
 

In about 1963, most of Bell’s land was occupied by Bill Boyer Ford Used Cars until about 1972. The ad below is from 1965.

V.R. Rooney bought the property and had the building wrecked in December 1972.

Meanwhile, on another part of the former nursery, V.R. Rooney built what came to be known as the Rooney Building in 1968. The building was designed by architect Hal Fredland and built by developer Rooney for Super Valu Stores. However, Rooney had started construction before he had a contract, and when the deal fell through he had to scramble to find tenants. An attempt to lure AAA failed. It was finally ready for occupancy in 1975, but several floors were vacant for some time. The First National Bank of St. Paul foreclosed on May 6, 1975, and Frank Lang purchased the building in 1976, renaming it the Lang-Nelson Building. Frank Lang and Gene Nelson are developers and property managers for senior and assisted living units. Lang-Nelson occupies the 6th floor of what they call the "upside-down wedding cake," and the rest is leased.

One early business in the Lang-Nelson Building was the Suburban Clerical Service, run by June Hayes. June started the business as a temp agency in 1960 at 5807 Excelsior, and in 1965 she moved to 4522 Excelsior, across the street from the new building. She had done clerical work for Rooney, and after moving in she found him several more tenants for the building.

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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.