1976
On January 30, ground was broken for the Senior Citizen Building,
“Robbins Landing.” William Radloff, the senior citizen who lobbied for the
building, was Master of Ceremonies. Andrea Bonney Scott, a granddaughter of Andrew B. Robbins, was a guest. Robbins had built a home for his daughter, Amy Robbins Ware, on that site facing Crystal Lake. The Chairman of the Housing Authority, Norma Kelly, was pleased at the opening of the building in December, because this was the first big accomplishment of the HRA. The amassing of money from five sources and the clearing of the land which included the Hess and Ralph Linderholm service station on West Broadway, took about five years. Robert Boisclair was chosen as developer. The building has 110 units, is federally subsidized, with tenants paying a certain percentage of their income as rent. Mayor James McDonald presided at the opening ceremony.
On December 31, after a close election, ending in a tie between Walter Johnson and Merry (Mrs. Donald) Olson, a toss of a coin seated Merry on the City Council, the first woman to serve.
This post is part of a series loosely based on the book Robbinsdale Then and Now by Helen Blodgett.