A Robbinsdale park known for its distinctive beehive fireplaces, stone tables and a rock garden build as part of a Great Depression-era public works program could be included on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office has determined that Graeser Park, also sometimes referred to as the Robbinsdale Rock Garden Roadside Parking Area, is worthy of preservation and a candidate to join the list of America’s most significant landmarks.

The park on Lakeland Avenue near the interchange of Hwy. 100 and County Road 81 was once part of the historic Lilac Way, named for the rows of blossoming bushes that grew along the expressway. The district was eliminated in the 2000s during reconstruction, and many of the waysides vanished, too. MnDOT preserved some of the artifacts in Graeser Park. Staff from the agency’s Historic Roadside Properties program and volunteers restored them starting in 2021.

“Graeser was a hidden gem in plain sight, and the community in Robbinsdale never let us forget about it,” said Andrea Weber, who manages historic properties for MnDOT. “The recognition by the State Historic Preservation Office that it is eligible again makes a huge difference in its future preservation.”

MnDOT still owns the property but is in the process of conveying it to Robbinsdale.