There was a time when Wooddale Ave. existed on both sides of Highway 100 between about 36th Street and Excelsior Blvd.
WEST SIDE
3750 Wooddale: Fire station, built 1965, rebuilt 2011-12.
3764/3690 Wooddale: This was the house of Sam Sewall, built in 1908. Although it was a residence, the Up-N-Over Door Co. was listed at this address in 1964. It was demolished in 2011 to make room for the expanded fire station.
3800/5701 Oxford: This was the home of Bertha Bates, a well-loved teacher. Her father William N. Bates probably built the house – it dates to 1912. It is now a duplex.
3801 Wooddale: Aldersgate Methodist Church, built in 1951. Due to dwindling membership, Aldersgate merged with another church, the building was demolished, and an apartment building called Arbor Court was built in its place. The building has 114 units. The address was changed to 3755 Wooddale.
3805 Wooddale: The was the home of Mrs. Ora Baston, and her daughter Ethel. It was built before 1933 and when Highway 100 was first built it was moved to 5250 Excelsior Blvd. Actually, it was probably neither east nor west but right in the middle of the highway.
EAST SIDE
There was a strip of buildings on the east side of the highway, alternately identified as Wooddale or Highway 100. The location is approximately on the present-day Park Center Blvd. The strip of buildings was not identified by any particular name. Although not a part of Lilac Way, these buildings were all demolished in about 1976 to make room for the AAA building. These buildings may not have been memorable, probably made of concrete block, but they were part of the landscape for thirty years or so. Below is an unfortunately undated photo of those long gone buildings.
Businesses on the East Side:
3799: In 1957 this was a house trailer for the watchman at the Beltline Pay Dump, which was still a going concern. On May 23, 1960, the City Council approved a Go Cart Track run by Bill McNeese, Fun Spots, Inc. The entrance was on Highway 100.
3815: On June 3, 1963, James W. Anderson was approved to open a mini-golf course and driving range. The Park Golf Center and Park Putt Driving Range operated until expansion of Highway 100 took the land in 1967.
3877: This was the Dairy-Mor Drive In, owned by and probably built by E.O. “Bud” Rodberg in about 1953. The “Home of Bud’s Big Boy Burgers” was at this location until about 1967.
3881: This was an office building built in 1950 by Anton and Esther Yngve, who ran their law office from here. They had opened their shop in 1942 in the Park Theater Building. They left the building in 1966 and rented it out until it was demolished in 1983.
3887: This building was built in 1952 as a warehouse for the Minneapolis Iron Store at a cost of $18,000. From 1960 to 1966 it was the home of the General Trading Co. From 1967-68 it was the first St. Louis Park home of Koval Appliances. After a year Koval moved to their present address on Excelsior Blvd. From 1968-70 it was occupied by Bill Carlson Electric Co. The building was owned by Frank Theros, who owned the King’s Inn. (These buildings were just north of the King’s Inn.) The building was demolished in 1984.
3891/95: This land was owned by Frank Theros, who owned the King’s Inn. In 1955 Pat Sawyer received a one-year permit to operate a driving range.
On October 3, 1955, the City Council approved the placing of a Post Office where the driving range was. The Post Office building was built by Ohme Construction for $27,000 and opened on March 15, 1956. The Post Office moved out by 1969. Subsequent tenants included Sweda International cash registers. The building was demolished in June 1984.
3901 was the King’s Inn, originally known as the Lilac Lanes Cafe, built in 1941. It was demolished in 1988. The address is sometimes attributed to Lilac Lanes Bowling Alley as well.
3933: Lilac Way Mobil