West Broadway

The Mighty Terrace!

Two months from now the Terrace Theatre in Robbinsdale will mark its third year of operation. By the time May rolls around more than one and a half million people will have passed through the … Read more

A New City Hall

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

MacDonald & Russ

The MacDonald and Russ Grocery on the southwest corner of 42nd and West Broadway. Pictured from left to right are Everie Russ, Ross Wiley, Allan MacDonald and Herbert Clasen. After Nathan Russ retired he turned … Read more

Ben Franklin

The Ben Franklin five and dime variety store chain was established in 1927. At its peak, there were 2,500 stores nationwide. Hollsten’s owned and operated the Robbinsdale on West Broadway for over a decade. Frank … Read more

Buses on Broadway

Beginning in 1942 a Twin City Rapid Transit feeder bus met the Penn Avenue streetcar in Minneapolis at a terminal near 42nd and Thomas and went to Robbinsdale along 42nd, Abbott, Noble and Vera Cruz … Read more

No Place to Get Thin!

The Chase family owned the Hamburger Inn in Robbinsdale. The little building, seen on the right hand side of this postcard was torn down in 2013 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.

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The Masonic Hall

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.

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A Business Street

“The American Suburbs Company is using every honorable means of inducing investors and prospective home builders to become new citizens” An Ad in July 8th, 1908 Robbinsdale Tellit (Tell-it!) Newspaper This postcard from 1911 looks  … Read more

Mueller Drug

William Mueller opened his drug store in a new building on the corner of 42nd and West Broadway in 1926. The Village Council approved a sidewalk out front the same year. In 1982, after years of neglect, the building was declared uninhabitable and  torn down by the Robbinsdale Housing Authority. The adjoining store front is still standing on West Broadway.

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