Robbinsdale Historical Society strongly supports the restoration and preservation of Graeser Park, built by the WPA in 1939 as a roadside rest area on Highway 100. We appreciate the volunteers who have been instrumental in clearing away debris in the historic park and drawing attention to it.
Volunteers from the Robbinsdale Lions continue to work on clearing paths and cleaning up the landscape at Graeser Park, where dirt and plants had grown over the unique structures and winding pathways in the park’s rock garden area.
For eighty years, Graeser Park has been a beloved part of Robbinsdale’s history. It was a popular gathering place for families, school groups, kids who rode their bikes over to explore the rock garden and fountains, and travelers along the highway. Visitor would use the park’s rustic picnic tables and its WPA-built beehive fireplace, which is one of only two remaining in the US, and the only one standing in its original location.
Currently the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) owns an easement on the property, superseding other uses. The city has indicated interest in owning the land going back to the 1990s, when MnDOT’s Highway 100 expansion project was completed. The park’s original stone picnic tables were removed so construction vehicles could use the land for the highway project, but the original walls, picnic tables, rock garden, and beehive fireplace were left untouched.
“Robbinsdale has been trying to get title to the property, MnDOT clearly isn’t using that property for right of way,” said City Manager Marcia Glick. Once the city gains ownership, the City can pursue park restoration.
“MnDOT has attempted a couple of times to transfer the property to Robbinsdale,” said Andrea Weber, MnDOT program manager for historic roadside projects. “Both of those times it’s just kind of gotten stuck.”
The city and MnDOT says they will continue working through the process.
“We have most of the documentation complete to do a transfer to release our easement over the land,” said Weber. “We want the volunteers who are working on this site to understand that we’re there to help and facilitate this. And we want to try to help them to accomplish what they’d like to do with the park. I think we share similar goals ultimately.”