Volunteers Work To Restore Graeser Park to Its Historic Glory
Along Highway 100 in Robbinsdale, volunteers are continuing efforts to preserve a national treasure.
Volunteers worked to plant trees and lilac shrubs at Graeser Park on Saturday. Extensive restoration efforts at Graeser Park started four years ago.
“It’s just really cool to see the historical side along with the enjoyment everyone is getting out of it,” said Joe Grygelko. “I hope that’s to come for years to come.”
Grygelko’s company, Autumn Ridge Landscaping, provided manpower and mulch on Saturday, while the Robbinsdale Lions helped raise money for the trees.
“There’s a lot of hard work that these people put in that nobody sees maintaining this place, weeding, watering, just a lot of selflessness going into this place,” said Grygelko.
The historic wayside park was originally built from 1940-1941 to celebrate construction of Highway 100, Minnesota’s first freeway, also known back then as Lilac Way.
Restoration efforts from 2021 through 2023 included fixing the iconic beehive fireplace, the only one still in its original location.
“This was the last and the greatest of these highway parks that were built — the biggest, the most features, the most elaborate design — and so it’s really special,” said Andrea Weber, manager of MnDOT’s Historic Roadside Parks Program.
Beehive fireplace at Graeser Park
On Saturday, volunteers planted nine trees. The goal is to provide shade for the picnic area on hot, summer days.
“There’s not very much shade here right now, and the reason is that most of the trees that were here originally were elm and so they were lost many decades ago,” said Weber. “The spruce that are here now were original trees that were planted.”
Weber added that the park, which features a rock garden built into a hillside, is meant to enjoy the views over Highway 100.
“A lot of people now think we want to screen the highway or hide it, but actually the original design was to look at the highway, look at how amazing this new transportation mode is,” explained Weber. “That is something people don’t realize about the park.”
Also See: Robbinsdale’s Graeser Park Eligible for National Register of Historic Places
