HIGHWAY 100'S ROADSIDE PARKS

All but gone now, the roadside parks of Highway 100 were nothing less than a phenomenon - so much so that families came out to the highway just for the ride and the opportunity to picnic among the lilacs. The furniture was stone, and the three-family barbeque grills took the name "beehives." 

But the Highway 100 of 1937 was no match for the needs of the new millennium, and most of the parks had to be sacrificed.  Now there are two in St. Louis Park:  the so-called "St. Louis Park Park," located by the Nordic Ware tower, and Lilac Park, just north of Minnetonka Blvd.  The beehive at Lilac Park must be moved before the road gets widened again.  The St. Louis Park Historical Society is currently working with officials from the City, Mn/Dot, State Preservation, and the bike trails commission to preserve and relocate this wonderful artifact from our city's past.

This chapter celebrates these much-loved roadside retreats. A great deal of the following material was provided by the people at Mn/DOT, who appreciate the historical value of these parks and safeguard their historical records. A major resource is the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared by Mn/DOT in the 1990's.

The first section lays the foundation of the roadside park movement, using Americans on the Road: From Autocamp to Motel, 1910-1945 by Warren James Belasco as a resource. It also provides the history behind the creation of the parks.

The second section describes the Highway 100 parks in detail. It is written in the present tense and describes the parks as they existed in the summer of 2000.

ROADSIDE PARK TIMELINE

As automobiles became affordable, families traveled for pleasure, often for days at a time. Lacking modern conveniences, travelers often imposed on farmers for water, restrooms, and even food. Belasco wrote:

Many rural areas had had enough. Roadsides were strewn with garbage, especially with tin cans, the autocamper's emblem.. tourists broke off fruit tree branches to decorate their cars or graft at home, picked flowers, corn, apples, and even milked the cows. Schoolyards, a popular camping spot, were left a mess.

1929

Minnesota started to "preserve native trees along the roads wherever possible," and paid more attention to the aesthetics of the roadside while building highways.

1930's

The State began to regulate tourist camps.

1932

The State established the Roadside Development Division of the Minnesota Department of Highways, headed by Harold E. Olson. Arthur R. Nichols acted as the consulting landscape architect see below. The Division's principal objective was to increase the recreational qualities and public enjoyment of the state's highways. The earliest roads had been laid out by engineers who had been trained to lay out railroads, and many of those roads were precarious for automobile traffic. Instead of fixing those roads, the Division chose to start over, using principles of highway planning, conservation, and providing a "natural transition between construction and nature."

A Conference on Roadside Development was held, attended by Minnesota groups organized to lobby the State for roadside improvements.

The Emergency Relief and Construction Act provided Federal funds to states for direct relief and job creation. Programs could not compete with private industry, and had to do work that "would not otherwise be done," which includes all of what we have come to know as public works projects.

1935

Construction on Highway 100 began. See the chapter on Highway 100 for details on the construction of the highway, including the story of Lilac Way. Construction was principally completed in 1939, but not entirely finished until 1941.

1937

Federal legislation required that at least one half of one percent of federal allotments for trunk roads be used for roadside improvements.

1938

At least 1 percent of Federal highway allocations was required to be used for roadside improvements. This requirement was dropped in 1946, although Minnesota continued to fund roadside development.

In its Annual Report of the Accomplishments of the Roadside Development Division, the Highway Department stated:

Stopping points have been provided for the traveling public along the Belt Line where they may stop to enjoy the scenery or picnic. These roadside parking areas are equipped with tables, fireplaces, drinking fountains or wells and are situated at strategic points along the Belt Line where right of way widths made possible such a development.

1939

Highway 100's Roadside Parks were completed. These parks were designed by the Minnesota Central Design Office of the National Park Service and A.R. Nichols. Nichols adhered to the National Park Service's "Rustic" style of architecture and landscape design, which required native materials to be used and for structures to look like they were roughly hand made rather than manufactured. These principles can be seen in the picnic tables and other structures in Highway 100's Roadside Parks, which look like they belong in Bedrock City rather than a busy metropolis. The stone structures were fashioned by unemployed masons out of limestone cut along the Minnesota River near the Mendota Bridge. Construction of this type required a lot of skilled labor, and when the war came, the style was no longer feasible. Many such parks were constructed on parcels of land that the State had acquired along with the right-of-way for the highway.

ARTHUR NICHOLS

Arthur R. Nichols became the Roadside Development Division's Consulting Landscape Architect in 1932. Already age 52, Nichols remained with the Division until 1940. He had trained in engineering and highway design as well as landscape architecture at MIT. From 1902 to 1909, Nichols and Anthony Morell worked for a landscape architect that designed sites around the country. In 1909, the two formed Morell and Nichols and set up shop in the Architects and Engineers Building in downtown Minneapolis. The firm developed master plans for cities, subdivisions, college campuses, private estates, public properties, and the University of Minnesota. It was also consultant to the State for the design of the State Capitol Approach, and designed part of Lakewood Cemetery. Partner Anthony Morell died in 1927. Nichols died in 1970.

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PARKS

Excelsior Blvd. Roadside Parking Area
 

All we really know about this park is that it was built in 1939 and was extant in 1953. Pictures taken by the Arthur Nichols when it was completed show quite a large park, in fact, with a beehive grill that looks larger than the others. The photos do not, however, give us a clear picture of where at that intersection it was located. Most of that area was vacant in 1939 [Lilac Way was built in 1941, Miracle Mile in 1951].  Our guess is that it was in the northwest sector of that intersection.  It may even have lasted until 1969 when the intersection was reconfigured.  Click here for another view of this park.

Information on the following parks come from a Mn/DOT survey and personal observations that were made during a tour of these sites in August 1999.  Although these descriptions are written in the present tense, all but St. Louis Park Park and Graeser Park remain today.

St. Louis Park Roadside Park
 

Built in 1939, the park comprises 2.7 acres and is at the southeastern corner of the intersection of Highways 100 and 7. It is probably the most accessible, as it is reached by following a driveway attached to Nordic Ware, north of Highway 7. A walking/bike path surrounds the tables; it was originally a roadway but has been closed to cars and narrowed. Although the park is not by any means lawn-like, and the vegetation is wild (including what looks like wild rhubarb), the weeds are at least cut down to a decent level for walking. This appears to be the most inviting of the four roadside parks.

Structures are:

1. Council Ring, made of mortared stones, about 20 ft. in diameter, about 18 inches thick and 6 inches high. A 5 ft. fire ring is in the middle, with an opening on the southwestern side. Stone is also located in the center of the ring.

2. Four picnic tables with benches; there may have originally been five. They are built out of limestone, and sit on a platform of flagstone.

3. Stone fireplace, about 5 ft. by 9 ft. at the base, mostly deteriorated. Plans called for more than one.

4. Stone trash receptacle.

5. Stone well, probably with a hand pump.  (Once source says that the well is in the center of the park, covered by a rock, next to a concrete step.  "It used to have the best water in the area.")

Click here for a picture taken at the park in 1953.  Note that the present Nordic Ware tower belonged to a lumber yard. 

Lilac Park
 

Lilac Park, also known as the Minnetonka Road Parking Area, is located in a half-mile segment between Minnetonka Blvd and 28th Street in St. Louis Park. It was built, like the others, in 1939. Access is from Toledo Avenue, which serves as an on- and off-ramp to Highway 100. There is no barrier at all between the park and the highway. The entire site is overgrown to the extreme, and getting to the picnic area is difficult.

Features of the park are:

1. Limestone picnic tables; plans called for 11, and photos show approximately that number.

2. One beehive cooker.

3. A rock garden on the north end with two sets of stone steps. There is an oval pool, encircled by a flagstone path, with an island in the center. A willow tree grew in the island. A 10 ft. long footbridge led from the island to the eastern side of the pool. There was also a waterfall at the garden, and behind the waterfall were steps. The rock garden was separated from the rest of the park by the exit ramp, constructed in 1968.

4. Three rectangular fireplaces.

5. A stone wall, north of the picnic area, near where 29th Street meets Toledo Ave. The wall, buried behind lilac bushes, was 18 inches thick and curved around 162 ft. This was probably associated with a curving drive and parking spaces. Several feet of the wall from each end were removed in 1968 when the Highway 100 exit ramp was built.

6. Stone refuse container.

Because of the difficult access, the site was not plagued by as much trash as the other parks. All deterioration appears to be nature-made.

Blazer Park

Blazer Park, also known as the Golden Valley Roadside Parking Area, is approximately 2.8 acres in size and is located on the west side of Highway 100 between Glenwood Avenue and Highway 55. Blazer Park is bordered by 100 on the north and east sides, Lilac Drive on the south, and Turners Crossroad on the west. Driveways enter the park from Lilac Drive and Turners Crossroad and converge on a parking area near the west side. It was dedicated on May 28, 1939.

Structures are:

1. Limestone flagpole (with missing historical plaque) stands in the middle of a grassy oval at the center of the park.

2. Stone entrance sign. The stone pillar supported the hanging arm of the sign, hinted at by an iron chain hanging from the eastern side. The entrance was closed in 1968.

3. Stone picnic tables and benches.

4. Stone refuse container.

5. Stone fireplace with a prominent chimney.

6. Council ring near the center of the park.

7. A commemorative rock with a plaque reading "DEDICATED TO THE PIONEERS OF GOLDEN VALLEY, Golden Valley Garden Club, May 7, 1940." [the rock is gone by Golden Valley has the plaque.]

8. Asphalt parking loop.

9. Stone well with pump.

10. Circular island at the southern entrance - removed when Lilac Drive N. was put in.

Although Blazer Park is less elaborately designed and less intact than Graeser Park in Robbinsdale, it retains a number of key design elements. The vegetation continues to reflect the original landscape design, which had a naturalistic layout that offered shade to visitors and buffered the picnic areas from the surrounding streets. The park reflects the design concepts of the landscape architect Arthur Nichols, while also representing the work of the state's WPA craftsmen, who often used native stone to fashion park buildings and other structures. Thus the park expresses environmentally sensitive, naturalistic designs, highlighted by indigenous vegetation and rustic limestone architecture.

The City of Golden Valley does not identify Blazer Park as a park in its comprehensive land use plan. In general, the park has been neglected and receives minimal use because it does not provide specific recreational facilities. According to Golden Valley's Park Superintendent, Blazer Park is, in fact, a source of resident complaints because of its condition. The city removed several deteriorated benches several years ago because of concerns that users could be injured. A city park, Yosemite Park is located 1-1/2 blocks west of Blazer Park and better serves nearby residents with playgrounds, ballfields, and other amenities.

Access to Blazer Park is provided by foot or automobile. The entrances are on the south and northwest ends of the park (away from Highway 100). Lilac Drive crosses under 100 just south of the park and provides pedestrian access to the park from the east side of 100.

Graeser Park

This park also known as the Robbinsdale Rock Garden Roadside Parking Area, is located on the northwestern side of Highway 100 between West Broadway Avenue and Highway 81. Graeser Park is the largest and most intact of these picnic areas. This park, like the others, was dedicated in 1939.

The park reflects the naturalistic landscaping and rustic architecture that characterized wayside parks constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). In fact, the original plans called for a "Rustic Log Roadside Parking Sign," emphasizing the camp-type feeling that was the goal of these parks.

After its completion, Graeser Park rapidly became not only a popular rest stop for motorists, but a focal point for the Robbinsdale community. Sources indicate that Graeser Park was a favorite place for family outings and church and school picnics.

The structures and the great majority of plantings are primarily clustered at the west and southwest sides of the present grounds. The park was originally planned to be about six acres in size; structures and vegetation were clustered to leave space to the east for construction of a cloverleaf interchange. The cloverleaf was never built, however, and a simple turn lane for free right turns was constructed instead. In 1984, this turn lane was realigned, and an area of grassy open space became contiguous to the northeast corner of the original park; the total area of original parkland and contiguous open space is about 9.8 acres. This new open space is not a contributing element of the park.

Structures are:

1. Overlook Wall, facing southeast. The limestone wall is 18 inches thick and curves to form a lookout bay, which is paved with flagstone, creating a terrace. Three sets of stone steps lead from the wall to the picnic area.

2. 10 Stone picnic tables. The original plans called for 18, and additional flagstone pads that indicate that there may have been 10-12 more tables at one time. They are grouped in three clusters.

3. Stone beehive fireplace, 23 ft. around, about 10 ft. tall, with three openings with metal cooking grates and brick lined fireboxes. Between the openings are handy limestone ledges. There was also originally 3 "table type" fireplaces.

4. Stone curbing in the parking area, which accommodated 20 cars.

5. Rock garden near the southern end. 12 flagstone steps lead up to it. The garden has curved paths paved with flagstone, with some limestone steps. The path winds around mounds of stone. Along the pat there are four niches with benches. Near the center are two oval ponds that were about 3 ft. deep. One pond has a conical fountain made of stone in its center. The other pond has a waterfall along one side.

6. Stone culvert, near the southern edge on the shoulder of the highway. Built of limestone, it has a circular iron culvert running through it.

7. Stone stairway leading from West Broadway Ave. into the park. This was removed in the 80's when Broadway Ave. was widened.

8. Three stone refuse containers (square stone structures apparently meant to hold a metal can).

Parking for several cars is available on Scott Avenue (above the arched wall). All other access to the site is by pedestrian walkways on local streets. The site offers no specific recreational activities other than picnicking. Only two usable picnic tables remain out of 10 original stone tables; the unusable picnic sites have been vandalized or neglected and are missing parts of the stonework. The beehive oven provides evidence of recent use, although the time and amount of use cannot be determined, and there are no grates.

Graeser Park South

Also called Graeser Park II, this is a 1.7 acre open space with some trees on the west side of Highway 100 bounded by the Burlington Northern Railroad, 100, and Scott Avenue. It's on a triangular piece of land that extends down Highway 100 to the southwest. It was completed in 1940 or 41.

Structures are:

1. Council Ring.

2. Stone picnic tables. Although all were gone, there were originally at least five or six picnic tables at the site, arranged around the Council Ring.

3. Stone fireplace; original plans called for three.

4. Stone refuse container.

5. Stone "Roadside Parking" sign

6. Pump with pump shelter.

Graeser Park South is physically separated from Graeser Park by West Broadway and the railroad, and is fully within Highway 100 right-of-way. The circular bench/bonfire pit has been totally overgrown with weeds and debris has been deposited inside. Access to the site is provided by Scott Avenue, and it is likely that most users of the site are pedestrians in the immediate neighborhood. While this area is located within the limits of the Lilac Way Historic District, the Cultural Resources investigation did not highlight this area as a specific contributing element of the historic district. Rather than being considered an independent park facility, for the purposes of the EIS, it is considered to be simply open space that is part of the overall landscaping for the area.

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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.