West Broadway

A Blacksmith on the Corner

  The late 1880s were busy wins for this area. Haakon Christensen ( Pictured above with his son George) was born in Oslo Norway in 1859. He first visited Robbinsdale to attend the laying of … Read more

The Crystal Theater

In 1916 William J. Muller opened his first drug store in a little wooden building next door to Gus Urban’s Meat Market. Ten years later, he built a new brick front drug store and the … Read more

Bofferding’s Point

For at least a generation a little tavern on the edge of Crystal Lake greeted folks on the way into Robbinsdale’s business district. I’m not sure where they put the band, but the little place … Read more

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