by Russ Lowthian, HaveFunBiking

It is amazing the things you don’t know about an area you have been pedaling around by bike, for over twenty years. Though at times you may have wonder why an old building or a street is designed the way it is? But it’s not that important of a question and you put off finding the answer. Well that all changed earlier this fall when I had the opportunity to tag along on a special ride of the Hiawatha Bicycling Club, called the Magical History Tour.

The ride was lead and narrated by Joe Metzler, one of the club’s many ride leaders. On this 24-mile touring loop, Joe took us through neighborhoods in southwest Minneapolis, St. Louis Park and Edina, Minnesota.

Gather for the Magical History Tour in south Minneapolis.

A History Tour of south Minneapolis

With close to 20 riders on the tour, Joe stopped periodically to share some unique facts about the buildings, streets, and structures along the way.

Joe,, leading the group head north to the tours first stop.

Leaving from the Lyndale Farmstead Park, in south Minneapolis, our first stop was at a porcelain-steel prefabricated building used to sell hamburgers. From there the history tour meandered a few blocks further north, straddling Lake Street to view a 1907 needle manufacturing site, purchased by a greeting card company that renamed the building. Further along, the tour stopped at a fountain on the north end of Lake of the Isle. Originally built to honor fallen horses of World War I, it’s still a mainstay attraction to the parkway. After visiting a few homes, associated with Frank Lloyd Wright, Joe lead us into St. Louis Park.

More info on the tour

On the history tours first, stop the group learned more about White Castle #8.

White Castle #8 is at 3252 Lyndale Ave, Minneapolis

The porcelain-steel prefabricated building was modeled after the Chicago Water Tower, with octagonal buttresses, crenelated towers, and a parapet wall. Though the structure was designed to be dismantled and then reassembled. However, after moving it the 3rd time to its current location it was moved in one piece. See more on the history of this site here.

Here Joe shares information on the many uses of the Buzza Building.

The Buzza Co. Building at 1006 W. Lake St, Minneapolis

This building was purchased and renamed after the second-largest greeting card company in the early 20’s country. After folding in 1942 the War Department, Honeywell, the veteran’s administration and later by the Minnesota military district all use the building, dubbing it “Little Pentagon”.  See more on the history of this site here.

After stopping at the Purcell-Cutts House you will want to come back for one of the scheduled tours.

Purcell-Cutts House (Lake Place) at 2328 Lake Pl, Minneapolis

Considered by many a Prairie Style masterpiece the design of this 1913 residents was intended as a house for “modern American family life”. The home is now owned by the Minneapolis Institute of Art and is open for tours the second weekend of each month. See more on the history of this home here.

The Peavey Fountain, a gift to Minneapolis for watering horses is a gem to the Lake of the Isles Parkway.

Peavey Fountain on Kenwood Pkwy & W Lake of the Isles Pkwy

This was a gift to the city in 1891, from Frank Peavey a local grain broker, the fountain was to provide drinking water for horses. After WWI the fountain was rededicated to honor horses from the 151st Field Artillery killed in action. See more on the history of this fountain here.

A picturesque setting for a Frank Lloyd Wright designed home.

Neils House at 2801 Burnham Blvd, Minneapolis

One of only two homes in Minneapolis designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. This home, built in 1950-51, was the only house Wright designed that used marble wall cladding, or “culls” left over from other building projects. See more on the history of this home here.

Tour riders found a charming neighborhood round-a-bout on their way to the next stop.

The history tour moves on to St. Louis Park

Pedaling to the southwest, into St. Louis Park the group of inquiring minds used the south spur of the Cedar Lakes Trail to stop at a park to view a beehive barbeque and a tower dubbed “Peavey’s Folly.” Another stop on the ride, here in St Louis Park, was to McDonalds #93. This restaurant location was the second to open in Minnesota, in 1958.

More info on the tour

In Lilac Park the group viewed one of the remaining Beehive Grills here.

Lilac Park (originally part of Roadside Park) at SE corner of Hwy 7 & Hwy 100, St. Louis Park

The last of five parks along “Lilac Way” (now Hwy. 100), these parks were originally built in the late 30s by WPA artesian stonemasons. The fireplace here, along with another located in Graeser Park, are the only two remaining beehive fireplaces in the nation. Find out more here.

Riding out of Lilac Park back to the Cedar Lakes Trail.

Peavey-Huglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator east of Lilac Park of Trail

Due to skyrocketing insurance rates from the constant threat of wooden grain terminals catching on fire, Frank Peavey had the Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator built in 1899. The 122-foot structure was dubbed “Peavey’s Folly,” by skeptics who expected it to crack and explode. Now a National Historic Landmark it is on the grounds of the Nordic Ware company, just east of Lilac Park. Find out more here.

McDonalds #93 at 6320 W. Lake St, St. Louis Park

In 1958, this location was Minnesota’s second, and the world’s 93rd McDonald’s ever built. At the Gala Grand Opening, there was a line that stretched more than a city block long, waiting for hours to be served. You can find more info here.

Having fun on the Hiawatha Bike Club bike tour.

The history tour now rolls into Edina

Now pedaling along Minnehaha Creek the group discovers how Edina got its name when stopping at a mill site that once operated here. Another interesting stop was the Grange Hall. Both the building and organization were established to improve life on the rural farm and a place to socialize. This practice was helpful for the women at the time who had little opportunity to interact with others outside of their farm. After visiting a few more historic building in Edina the ride now turned back to the northeast, following the old Minneapolis Streetcar Right of Way that once stretched all the way out to Lake Minnetonka.

More info and stops along the tour

The stopped here at the Grange House.

Grange Hall at 4918 Eden Ave, Edina

Even before Edina incorporated as a village the Grange Hall served the area with many historic events, including the final decision to name Edina. This is one of the few remaining Grange Hall structures standing in the State of Minnesota today. You can find more info here.

Cahill School at 4924 Eden Ave, in Frank Tupa Park, Edina

One of Edina’s oldest surviving buildings, built in 1864, the Cahill School continued to serve children of all ages until the 1950s. It is one of the few remaining one-room schoolhouses in the State of Minnesota. Find more info here.

Stop at the park where remnants of the old Edina Mill can be seen.

Edina Mill at West 50th St and Browndale Ave, Edina

The Edina Mill was one of the first gristmills to be built on the Minnehaha Creek between 1855 and 1876. The mill and the tiny settlement that sprang up around it was originally named Waterville Mills. After being sold in 1869, the new owner gave the mill and the city of Edina its present name. Edina was a nickname the new owner had for Edinburgh, Scotland, that appeared in a poem written by Scottish poet Robert Burns. Find more info here about the mill how Edina evolved.

The oldest house standing in Edina, The Grimes House is a rare, well-preserved example of cottage architecture from the early settlement period.

Grimes House at 4200 W 44th St, Edina

Built in 1869, it is the oldest house standing in Edina. Stopping by and viewing it from the street, it is a rare, well-preserved example of cottage architecture from the early settlement period. The Grimes who settled here also established a 16-acre ‘Lake Calhoun Nursery, which is the present-day neighborhood of Morningside. Find more info here.

The tour makes a full circle back into Minneapolis

If you look carefully, while out in front of the Grimes house, you can see traces of the old streetcar right-of-way that provided public transportation, back and forth, from Minneapolis, through Edina and out to Lake Minnetonka.

Streetcar Right of Way through the Linden Hills Neighborhood, Minneapolis

Through this neighborhood, you can still see remnants of the old streetcar right-of-way line. The Linden Hills neighborhood was at the end of the line for commuters coming from the inner city of Minneapolis. Then in 1905, the line was extended out to Lake Minnetonka, making Linden Hills a transfer stop between the two rail lines. See more info here.

A brief stop in an area once covered by cottage homes.

Chadwick Cottages at 2617 W 40th St, Minneapolis

The two cottages here were originally built by Loren Chadwick in 1902 and combined in 1972 as a single dwelling. The individual cottages were typical of the size home being built in the early 1900’s in the area. This is the reason the neighborhood was known as “Cottage City”. See more info here.

Here stopping on this bridge, where the streetcar tracks run below, the group had a chance to see a modern-day trolley pass by.

Interlachen Bridge at William Berry Dr. over streetcar tracks, Minneapolis

The oldest reinforced concrete bridge in Minnesota covered by a stone veneer. The bridge was built using a system patented in 1894 by a Swiss engineer. Steps on the west side lead down to a streetcar stop known as the Cottage City stop.

Pond Cabin Site/Lyndale Hotel Site at 3450 Irving Ave S, Minneapolis

Overlooking the eastern shore of Lake Calhoun the Pond brothers built a cabin when they came to Minnesota to convert Native Americans from the Dakota tribe to Christianity. Then on this same site in 1877, the Lake Calhoun Pavilion (later named the Lyndale Hotel) was built with the streetcar line passing by. In the ECCO neighborhood in the Minneapolis, the original streetcar alignment crossed 36th St. on an overpass and continued along the top of the bluff, passing the Lyndale Hotel and overlooking the lake on what is now a walking path. The resort was a popular stop offering guests a dancing hall, billiards and a wide variety of recreational activities centered around the lake. Find more information here.

Even with cool temps in the mid-forties, everyone was smiling as they returned to the starting point.

This brought this Magical History Tour, by bike, back to the park where the ride began. Joe says, he has a couple more Magic History Tours in mind that he plans on leading, through the club next spring. If you would like to go on one of his rides, check the Hiawatha Bicycle Club ride calendar periodically.