WOODDALE AVENUE HISTORY AND BUILDINGS

Wooddale Ave. has had many names over the years.  It is generally believed that it was called Schoolhouse Road when Jonathan T. Grimes first laid out the road so that his children (who lived nearby in Edina) could attend Pratt School.  An 1891 map calls it Glencoe Road, but this is confusing, since Excelsior Blvd. is frequently labeled Glencoe Road as well.  A map from 1914 indicates that the road is called Pleasant Ave., formerly called Garfield.  The name was changed to Wooddale in 1933, when the Village changed most of its street names. 

When studying the history of Wooddale Avenue, it is important to note that before Highway 100 was built in the late 1930's Wooddale was a major road.  It was a simple at-grade crossing over Excelsior Blvd., over what is now (count 'em) 14 lanes of traffic.  

Buildings of special note on Wooddale are:

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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.