St. Louis Park - General Topics

[David Greene]

I think this will add to the neighborhood a lot, but it will be sad to see the old Most Holy Trinity building be razed. It really is a great example of an old urban-style school building, ]

I agree. Unfortunately, the Church had no business opening all of those parishes just so chaplains coming home from the war would have somewhere to serve. They were pretty much invented for the baby boomers and now that that wave is long over, most of these post-war parishes are closing. Yes, there is certainly decline in involvement, but at least a good chunk of the shrinking parish size is simply due to overbuilding and the population trends resetting.

[mnmike]

That was my grade school! An interesting note on that building...it was initially built with just the basement level, and the church operated out of that for some time before the rest of the building was built.

[mattaudio]

I wonder why they aren't just converting the school into condos. That has been a successful model with classic brick buildings. A school in my neighborhood was proposed for senior co-op conversion/expansion before it ended up being sold to a charter school. Even Red Wing has a condo conversion similar to this one: http://www.redwingcondos.com/index.html

On a related note, it would be great to reconnect Wooddale Ave across Hwy 100 to tie the 36th St redevelopment area together with Excelsior on Grand.

[Anondson]

On a related note, it would be great to reconnect Wooddale Ave across Hwy 100 to tie the 36th St redevelopment area together with Excelsior on Grand.

The city has looked at the cost of doing it primarily as a way to improve response times from the fire station to the southeast corner of the city. Two issues, first saved a minute at most in the worst traffic congestion on Excelsior. Second, the neighborhood by Aldersgate Church is extremely against bringing traffic through that tiny stretch that would pass them, EXTREMELY.

The cost would involve raising the frontage roads elevation or dropping TH 100 lower to give a bridge enough clearance, and that wasn't cheap.

[Anondson]

Proposed $30–50M community center moving forward ... again.

http://sailor.mnsun.com/2014/05/17/st-l ... s-forward/

[mattaudio]

Is this the one with the proposed skyway over W 36th St?

[Anondson]

Not sure about the final design but the site talked about is adjacent to the current Rec Center by Wolfe Park.

[David Greene]

I wonder why they aren't just converting the school into condos. That has been a successful model with classic brick buildings. A school in my neighborhood was proposed for senior co-op conversion/expansion before it ended up being sold to a charter school. Even Red Wing has a condo conversion similar to this one: http://www.redwingcondos.com/index.html

Hopkins did this decades ago with their old downtown junior high school.

http://goo.gl/maps/nCrwt

A picture of the old school is here:

http://hopkinsmnhistoricalsociety.org/c ... &gallery=7

[grant1simons2]

I thought that was senior living?

[Anondson]

There really isn't a general West End thread, maybe there could be one to consolidate the apartment and entertainment developments into one ... Regardless ...

A 43,000 sq. feet "mega entertainment complex" signed a lease planning to open in early 2015. Bowling lanes with luxury seating (like Pinstripes?), arcade, comedy stage, restaurant, bar, all in one.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/n ... l?page=all

Impressed.

[Anondson]

The city of Saint Louis Park mailed out this letter to residents. The purchaser of the Elliot School property has applied to demolish the buildings and proposed 138 apartments on the site on Cedar Lake Road.


image by xeoth, on Flickr

Starts this Summer. Just down the road from West End but closer to the slightly dilapidated Cedar Lake and Louisiana.

[seanrichardryan]

That's actually a really cool mod school from the 40s with steel casement windows and glass block.

[Anondson]

Yeah, I'll be a bit sad to lose it. I'm guessing the city's past experience repurposing historic schools as apartments/condos (the Brookside conversion on Vernon) leads them to be more forgiving of tear downs. Brookside's conversion ran expensive though I think it suffered from the downturn.

[bapster2006]

Wow, this is really cool to watch.

Knollwood destruction 7-2-14 by bapster2006, on Flickr

[uptowncarag]

There is a Five Guys across the street which is much better than Smashburger. Not even close.

[Nathan]

There is a Five Guys across the street which is much better than Smashburger. Not even close.

as if.

[Anondson]

Nordstrom Rack coming.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/n ... -park.html

Feels like a good fit for the change in focus for the former "mall".

[Wedgeguy]

Nordstrom Rack coming.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/n ... -park.html

Feels like a good fit for the change in focus for the former "mall".

IT would certainly compliment DWS shoes that is already in the mall. Will be good to hopefully pull in a few more major names into the development.

[Anondson]

The former Nestlé factory will be getting subdivided and occupied. Not getting redeveloped into a new purpose truly, but food distributors are being eyed at occupying the new spaces.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/b ... s-new.html

In a way it's too bad this won't allow for some sort of improved connection to West End.

[min-chi-cbus]

Too bad no more cocoa smell.....Nestle left awhile ago I guess, but when I was young I went to Northwest Gym in what is now a Lifetime Fitness and the smell of sweet cocoa filled the air (which is dangerous after a big workout!).