LINCOLN SCHOOL
5925 W. 37th Street

Many thanks to Carolyn Charles, retired Park High teacher and official historian of St. Louis Park Schools, for much of the following information.

Lincoln School was built in 1889 at a cost of $8,500 on six (three?) lots donated by the St. Louis Park Land and Development Company (T.B. Walker’s group) in 1888. It took a year for the offer to be accepted, with some worried that it was too close to the railroad tracks. The School Board and the Village Council split the cost of the building, with the Village Council to hold its meetings on the second floor. Bonds to build a town hall were issued on December 20, 1889. The school opened January 6, 1890, with James T. Davis as Principal, Superintendent, and teacher. Mary C. Bates was the other teacher. The original school was only half the size it came to be. A fire destroyed part of the building in the early 1890’s and when the repairs were made it was voted to enlarge it. The top floor was used as a Village Assembly room and the first floor for the school.

1920

On August 6, 1894, the School Board asked the Village Council for a lease of the Village hall to the School Board to be used for educational purposes only. The Council agreed to lease the Hall to the School District for one year at $12.50 per month. The council room would be retained by the Council. 1894 was the year that St. Louis Park first had a high school.

In 1900, the first seniors (six girls and a boy) graduated. Early graduation ceremonies were held in the Hamilton Building 2nd floor, used as the Odd Fellows and Masons' Hall.

A commencement program for the eighth grade, Lincoln School, was held on June 3, 1903.  There were 19 graduates. At the end of a program packed with songs and recitations, Superintendent of Schools Herbert Carleton presented the diplomas.  The next year he went into the real estate business. 

In the early 1900’s, the city issued $12,000 in bonds to build the south end of the building. In 1902, the school was transferred from the School District to the Village. In 1905, plumbing was installed.



The above picture is undated, but probably dates to the 1910s.  Another undated picture shows a group of 30 Fourth and Fifth graders looking very unhappy as they sit at their desks, which are located at the back of Union Congregational Church.

In 1914 the new junior/senior high school was built, and Lincoln became a grade school, although in 1930 it housed 7th graders. The next year, the 7th graders were moved to the Brick Block for lack of space.

In 1928, the Mothers Club of Lincoln School staged the play “The Pranks at the Little Red School House.” This fundraiser proved such a success that they staged it again at Miles Standish School in Minneapolis.

In 1938, the building was sold for $1 to the village and was used as the Village/City Hall until 1963. From 1938 to 1946, the Hennepin County Historical Society occupied the second floor. In 1946-47, Lincoln School was used as overflow elementary school space for 120 students, grades 1-3. Other tenants along the way were the WPA (1939-40), Camp Lincoln Boys’ Camp (1946-49), Rural Hennepin County Nursing Committee (1951-55), a drivers’ license bureau, the Chamber of Commerce, and temporary Sunday School space for neighbor Union Congregational Church.

In 1966 the building was sold to Minnesota Rubber for $130,000. It was demolished shortly afterwards – a “giant clam” took one week to level the venerable building.

The bell that had served Lincoln School was moved first to the Central building when it was the High School and then to the present-day High School, where it is displayed today. The St. Louis Park Historical Society has a well-worn painting of Abraham Lincoln from the school. Others have other souvenirs, including, presumably, a bust of Lincoln that was once on the landing on the way to the second floor.

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.