Robbinsdale Historical Society
Sharing Your Past To Build Our Future
After Robbinsdale’s old City Hall on West Broadway was torn down to make room for a Red Owl grocery store parking lot in 1954, Municipal offices were moved to a temporary quarters in the Police … Read more
Thomas H. Girling was born in Nottingham, England in 1865. He came to America with his parents in 1872. Thirty years later he opened a small printing business and began publishing a weekly called Picturesque … Read more
“Typical Hone- Home owning is Robbinsdale’s major “industry”. Many beautiful homes such as this one owned by Reuben Katz adorn residential avenues.” The photo at the top of the post is from a Sunday Minneapolis … Read more
About 1925 the names of the streets were changed to eliminate duplication and to bring about a unified system between the villages of Crystal, Golden Valley, and Robbinsdale. Villas Avenue became Noble Avenue. Legend has … Read more
Robbinsdale churches experienced a building boom in the 1950’s. Olivet United Methodist led the way, breaking ground at Chowen and 43rd Avenue North in 1950. A couple years later, Faith Lilac Way dedicated a new … Read more
The Chase family owned the Hamburger Inn in Robbinsdale. The little building, seen on the right hand side of this postcard was torn down last summer to make way for the new Travail restaurant. Sam Chase and Ma Chase are pictured behind the counter below. Sam worked at Ewald Dairy. He started deliveries with a horse and buggy and eventually drove a truck. The family operated the restaurant on West Broadway for 35 years.
Because the wives of the Robbinsdale Masons who belonged to Compass Lodge #265 decided they too, should have an organization, Robbinsdale Chapter #238, Order of the Eastern Star was started in 1921 with 78 charter members. Julia Randall was the first Worthy Matron and Dan Libby, Worthy Patron. The Masonic temple was just a gleam in the eyes of Compass Lodge members. Meetings were held over a garage on West Broadway. They were often interrupted by noisy car engines and deliberations had to be paused until silence prevailed.
Lee Elementary School on 36th Avenue opened in 1948. Two years later and addition was built. The Adiar Elementary in 1952 alowed the old school on Regent to become a junior high and high school. … Read more
“The will of Andrew B. Robbins made his wife and his daughter, Edith Robbins,
Joint executrices of his estate. This action was in recognition of the long-time
cooperation of his life partner, and the active participation for many years in
his real estate and allied interests, of his eldest daughter, Edith Robbins,
whose work in carrying forward plans for developing the beautiful suburb which
bears her father’s name, along lines he approved, has fully justified his faith.
She is helping the children of her father’s customers of the early ’90s to build
substantial homes in the shade of his trees, which she has cared for and guarded
through all the intervening years.