STREET NAMES

Tracing the history of a house or building can be difficult in St. Louis Park, since the highways, streets, and addresses were all in a state of flux.  The following are just some examples of the changes made along the way. Please contact us if you have any insights or stories.

HIGHWAYS

In May 1933, the numbers of all state highways changed, creating some present-day confusion. Nearly 40,000 signs were changed in less than a day.

For example, when it was first built through Hopkins, Highway 7 was known as Highway 12.

Likewise, Superior Blvd., which had been renamed Wayzata Blvd. at the request of the Mayor of Wayzata, was known as Highway 10 before it was changed to Highway 12.

Highway 5, the section of present day 100 south of Excelsior, was at one time known as Highway 169, and sometimes concurrently 169 and 212.

STREETS

Meanwhile, in St. Louis Park, on August 16, 1933, the Village Council passed an ordinance changing the street names to conform to Minneapolis's numbering, eliminate the confusion of streets with several names, and several streets with the same name.  For example, there were nine different streets named Summit in town.  The ordinance also alphabetized the street names to make them easier to find. Many homes were also re-numbered. A committee made up of Carroll Hurd, Edward Ludwig, and Mayor Kleve J. Flakne (assisted by Lydia Rogers), came up with new names for existing streets. The first alphabet, starting at France Avenue, was generally in place. The second alphabet was named after state and Canadian province names. The third alphabet had to be historic or patriotic. Very short streets (such as Vermont and Goodrich) or streets that had portions that ran into adjoining jurisdictions (such as Mackey, Brook, and Coolidge) were not changed. Later streets could be named by the developers, as long as they conformed to the established guidelines. The change was effective on August 24, 1933.
 

The first St. Louis Park Directory and Street Guide was published (1933-34), with each address given with the old and new street names.
 

There were probably many street name changes through the years, especially during the 1950's building boom.  Just a few are:

In 1959, it was proposed to change 36 ½ Street to Westmoreland Street, but it was defeated. Westmoreland was the name of the subdivision that would eventually become the site of the Rec Center.

A successful change was made by Ordinance 695, which changed W. 39 ½ Street to W. 39th Street on May 25, 1959.

In 1960, Ordinance 683 changed St. Louis Avenue to 35 ½ Street.

In 1961, 16th Court was renamed Texas Circle.

Monterey Drive was named in 1967.

In 1967, Gamble Drive was designated between Hwy 100 and Vernon, north of Cedar Lake Road.

Beltline Blvd. was named in 1968.

On February 4, 1993, a section of Vernon Ave. was changed to Park Place Blvd.

HOUSE NUMBERS

Street addresses were first proposed in 1926. House numbers changed once and sometimes twice during the 1930's, perhaps to accommodate the infill housing expected to come. A note in the 1935 Directory admonished citizens to determine their correct house numbers: "Perhaps yours is an old one just guessed at. Look it up now as it is sure to cause trouble sooner or later."


Also see St. Louis Park Street Names - From the Re-Echo

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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.