Smoky Point

Smoky Point began somewhere in up in old Nordeast, probably on East Hennepin.  The owner, Aleck “Smoky” Ellis immigrated to Minnesota from Greece in 1915. I suspect another branch of the family opened a restaurant near Robbinsdale called the Log Cabin. Eventually Ellis moved his operations away to the south where he built the iconic … Read more

Swinging at the Chalet

What I like to think of as the Crystal set has got a swinging thing going at the Chalet, which recently started live music for dancing in its upstairs Alpine Room. The action isn’t necessarily confined to Crystalers (Chrystalipolitans? Crystalites? Crystallines?), of course, but the Chalet. at N. 36th Av. and the Beltline, is situated … Read more

The Electric Bungalow

The good old Bungalow Inn, brightened the corner of Bass Lake Road and Highway Fifty-Two for over 40 years. Elmer C. Hartig was running a gas station when he took over a small neighborhood bar at 6221 56th Avenue North. He grew the bushiness and expanded into a popular restaurant and lounge. In the 1960’s … Read more

Remember Robbinsdale?

Robbinsdale, incorporated as a city in 1938, has a long and varied background, but not always under the name of Robbinsdale.In 1860 the area was organized as the Township of Crystal Lake with a total vote of 55. The city of Minneapolis in 1886 made an effort to annex all townships bordering on its limits, … Read more

The Suburban Motel

Isabelle Jackson was born in St. Paul back in 1902. Her family moved to Minneapolis when she was just two years old. After she graduated fro the University of Minnesota she Married Rollin Jackson. In 1956 the couple built the Suburban Hotel just up the road in Crystal. Rollin and Isabelle operated the motel until … Read more

Movie Nites

The Uptown opened as the Lagoon Theater in 1913.  After new sound equipment was installed, the theater’s name was  changed on  April 11, 1929. The Uptown was  rebuilt and redesigned by the architectural  firm of Liebenberg and  Kaplan after a fire tore through the building in 1939. The theater was closed briefly in 1975 but … Read more

The Parkway Motor Hotel

Some folks say the estimated number of motels in America tripled between 1940 and 1960. People on the move with money to spend found modern motels with well-appointed rooms out on the edges of just about every metropolitan area. Air conditioning, television, radios, tiled bathrooms, easy chairs, coin operated vibrating beds, swimming pools and movie … Read more

Night and Day at the Terrace Theatre

The Terrace Theatre in Robbinsdale opened its doors on May 25th, 1951. Designed by the architectural firm of Liebenberg & Kaplan, for theater owners, Sydney and William Volk, the Terrace was advertised as “America’s finest theatre at your very door”. The new theater was acclaimed in newspapers, magazines, trade journals, and industry publications. The Volk … Read more

The Elwood Hotel Then and Now

The Robin Hotel in 1980 and 2014 The Elwood Hotel was already 15 years old when Allan and Agnes MacDonald bought the place in 1932. the couple ran the hotel as a boarding house for 25 years. The rooms were rented to railroad men, older people and two families from Holland. There were ten rooms … Read more