PARK NICOLLET MEDICAL CENTER/
St. Louis Park Medical Center

The following are just some high points in the development of Park Nicollet Medical Center.  The whole story is in the book Managing Change, Changing Medicine, by James R. Hare, Jr. (1996). There is also an account in "An Historical Review of Park Nicollet Medical Center" in the Park Nicollet Medical Foundation "The Bulletin," Vol. 33, No. 2, 1989 (on file at the SLP Historical Society).  That account was written by one of the original doctors, Dr. Robert A. Green. Also see the clinic’s web site.

In 1949, Nick Phillips had contemplated building a medical center at his site at Lilac Way, and Surgeon Richard J. Webber jumped at the chance to start a medical practice in the suburbs, but the deal fell through.

On June 28, 1950, the Dispatch announced the beginning of the St. Louis Park Medical Center.  Morten Arneson agreed to give a group of  (then)10 doctors a 99-year lease for the western portion of his three-acre nursery, including a 100-ft. frontage on Excelsior Blvd. The project was started by a group of WWII Veterans, who had all been working at the Veterans Hospital, each with a different specialty.  The Dispatch reported that they were all married, all trained at the U of M, were between the ages of 30 and 34, and had a total of 25 children. 

The original doctors were:

John LaBree
Wyman Jacobson
Richard Webber
Robert Green
Alex Barno
Donald Freeman
Sewell S. Gordon
Arnold S. Anderson
Robert Giebink
David Anderson

George W. Lund

The doctors pooled their Veterans' benefits in order to obtain a construction loan, and the first building of the St. Louis Park Medical Center was built at 4959/4961 Excelsior Blvd.  It was designed by Long and Thorshov, and cost $100,000 - plus $50,000 for equipment.  The building originally had no air conditioning.  On July 2, 1951, the St. Louis Park Medical Center opened for business, seeing five patients and making $16.

In 1953, Arneson closed his nursery and moved to Edina. He offered to sell his remaining Excelsior Blvd. property to the clinic, but they declined, so he built a grocery store on the rest of the site at 4951 Excelsior Blvd., on the corner of Excelsior and Quentin.

By 1956, the Center had 17 doctors and added a $100,000 addition to the original building.  The first doctor to come after the original 11 was Dr. Al Schultz.  The next was Dr. Wm. Fifer in 1956, followed by Dr. Cushing.

In 1960, the St. Louis Park Medical Center Research Foundation was formed to promote medical research and community education.

In 1961, there were 24 doctors on staff; the total staff of 100 served an average 300 patients a day.


Original site, 2000

The Center required more and more room as the practice expanded, and in June 1966, it was authorized to purchase the six-acre site of the Beltline Pay Dump, one block north on 39th Street, across Excelsior Blvd. The move to the new Northland Building was completed on December 15, 1968. The Northland Building, at 3900 Park Nicollet Blvd., grew to seven floors, the tallest building at the time in St. Louis Park.

And in 1977, an adjacent structure, the Arneson Pavilion, was dedicated to Morton and Katheren Arneson. These buildings are now known for their addresses: 3800, 3850, and 3900 Park Nicollet Blvd.

On August 2, 1983, the St. Louis Park Medical Center merged with the Nicollet Clinic to form the Park Nicollet Medical Center. The Nicollet Clinic had started in 1921, also by doctors from the University of Minnesota Medical School. The Clinic was originally located at Nicollet Avenue and 11th Street, then at the corner of Franklin and Blaisdell.

The original site, either extensively added on to or rebuilt, houses a bank and dental office, among others, and is owned by the owners of Miracle Mile.
 

Also see article in Re-Echo.

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.