The Beehive...
30/11/10 05:49 PM
All but gone now, the roadside parks of Highway 100 were nothing less than a phenomenon - so much so that families came out to the highway just for the ride and the opportunity to picnic among the lilacs. The furniture was stone, and the three-family barbecue grills took the name "beehives." But the Highway 100 of 1939 is no match for the needs of the new millennium, and most of the parks had to be sacrificed. The only park now in St. Louis Park is the newly-renamed Lilac Park, (formerly called St. Louis Park Roadside Park) at Highway 7. This park has been extensively renovated, and the "Beehive" fireplace from the park at Minnetonka Blvd. is now the focal point of Lilac Park. The St. Louis Park Historical Society has worked with officials from the City, Mn/DOT, the State Historic Preservation Office, and Three Rivers Park District to move and restore the Beehive and renovate the new Lilac Park. We feel that it was important to preserve this piece of our history. This historic fireplace is a relic - a gateway to our past. Although its had a few bumps in the road, its journey is far from over, for the Triangle Neighborhood has always, and always will protect its path.
This chapter celebrates these much-loved roadside retreats. A great deal of the following material was provided by the people at Mn/DOT, who appreciate the historical value of these parks and safeguard their historical records. A major resource is the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared by Mn/DOT in the 1990s.
To read the rest, please visit slphistory.org's "HWY 100 Roadside Parks" page...