Cambridge Street is located in what was known as “the Center” in pre-war St. Louis Park. It was known as Oak Street before the Village’s streets were renamed in 1933. The eastern end is residential. Once you travel west under the railroad bridge, you are in an industrial area called “Skunk Hollow.”
HISTORIC RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
The following is a list of homes that were built before 1939. In several instances, an address that was listed in the 1930 Census or the 1933 directory is not an address today. It could be that the house was removed or renumbered. This is the raw data.
5610 Cambridge: Built in 1890. In 1933 it was listed as the home of Thomas and James Murphy.
5709 Cambridge: Built in 1923. In 1933 there were two men listed at this address: William G. Burgess (born in England, worked at the Creosote plant) and Ed. Graner.
5712 Cambridge: Built in 1917.
5713 Cambridge: Built in 1941. Not that historic, but in 1951 Ed Plehal ran his Suburban Home Heating business from this address.
5716 Cambridge: This is not an address today. In 1930-33 it was the address of James C. and Miss Rosella Giddings. James worked at Monitor Drill.
5718 Cambridge: Built in 1916
5726 Cambridge: Not an address today. In 1930-33 it was the home of William F. Zahn, who worked at a golf course. It is also given as the 1933 address of Anna Marie, Arthur, and Axel Pearson.
5800 Cambridge: Built in 1892 by Luther Melanchtron Thomson, this house was featured in a newspaper advertisement for St. Louis Park in that year, extolling the potential for growth of the new village.
5806 Cambridge: In 1930-33, Miss Johanna and Peter Stienstra. They were Dutch. Peter was a carpenter and became the Village’s building inspector. The house at that address today was built in 1949.
5809 Cambridge: This house was built in 1928. According to Marie Hartmann’s map, this house (or 3852 Yosemite) belonged to the Bastons and was moved from the path of Highway 100 just north of Excelsior Blvd. In 1930 it was given as the address of Frederick M. Bruemmer, a foreman in a lumber yard. In 1933, Elmer M. Hamre was listed.
5816 Cambridge: Not an address today, but in 1930 the home of Clarence C. Heggers.
5819 Cambridge: The present house was built in 1943. In 1933, Mrs. Mary Polfray called it home.
5825 Cambridge: Built in 1928, in 1930 it was the home of Albert R. Simonson, an efficiency expert at Monitor Drill. In 1933, two men were listed.
5826 Cambridge: Built in 1927. In 1933 it was the address of Edwin D. Stoops, an early mailman.
5900 Cambridge: Built in 1925. Albert Hoops is listed here in 1933 and at 5906 Cambridge (not an address) in 1930. A descendant of Hoops says that he owned two thirds of the block. He is listed in the 1930 Census as a carpenter.
5912 Cambridge: Built in 1900, the Klebs family was listed here in 1933. By 1937 this was the home of Earl Sewall. Irene Sewall lived here for more than 50 years. It is across from Justad Park. The middle section may have started out as a Walker House.
5916 Cambridge: The 1933 directory gave this as the address of Maurice and William P. Triden, although this is not an address today. The Tridens were listed on Oak Street (Cambridge) in the 1920 Census: William worked at Monitor Drill. Also listed in 1920 were William’s wife Minnie and their children Dorothy, Maurice and Lewis. There was apparently another family of Tridens at 6300 W. 35th Street (behind Central) in 1930.
5918 Cambridge: Built in 1900. Perhaps this was the Triden home, renumbered.
5926 Cambridge: Not an address today – the house at 5924 was built in 1950. In 1933, William Klebs is listed at 5926.
6012 Cambridge: Miss Hilda Edmond is listed here from 1933-67. In 1933 she is listed as a housekeeper, but then she was a secretary at City Hall/courthouse. Neighbors wondered if she had running water.
6027 Cambridge: Built in 1916. In 1933 the address of Mrs. Gladys Anderson.
6101 Cambridge: Not an address today. In 1951, the address of St. Louis Park Transfer.
6112 Cambridge: Not an address today. In 1933, E. O. Omestad was listed here.
6200 Cambridge: Policeman Frances Senander had this address in 1933. The location approximates 3824 Brunswick, which was built in 1953.
6237 Cambridge: This was apparently a rental house owned by Hazel Carleton. It was removed on August 18, 1953.
6240 Cambridge: This was the address given for O.C. Hallich in 1933. Not an address today.
6300 Cambridge: See Skunk Hollow for information on these so-called “Skunk Houses.”
Skunk Houses, 2000
INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS
The following are the industrial buildings on Cambridge Ave., as best we can piece together from newspaper accounts and city tax records. Note that some of the addresses don’t match because the addresses on the buildings are not the same as the addresses on file at the tax assessor’s office. The records tell us that a builder named Allen Garrison bought up a great deal of this swamp land and built these industrial buildings in the 1950s and ’60s. His friend John R. Smith then bought up four of them on the south side. Smith built two more in the 1970s, and the six are collectively known as the Cambridge Business Center. They are still in the Smith family, managed by John Smith’s son William. We invite additions or corrections to the following information
SOUTH SIDE
6215-6225 Cambridge: originally railroad land. The present building was built 1977, designed by John Smith, Jr., architect. Cambridge Business Center, Building 1.
6215-6225 Cambridge, 2010
6237 Cambridge: In 1950 this land belonged to the railroad. A building was removed in 1953.
6305 Cambridge: This was the Cambridge Brick Co., which was there from at least 1952-62. In 1965 it belonged to John Smith, who used it to store engine blocks for his company. Pictures from 1970 show that it was “bricked up” and probably ready to be demolished.
Cambridge Brick Co. Office, 6305 Cambridge, 1960
Cambridge Brick Co., 1960
At the site of the old brick works, John Smith built 61 industrial condos in 1977. Cambridge Business Center, Building 2.
6305 Cambridge, 2010
6309-23 Cambridge: Built in 1963. Cambridge Business Center, Building 3.
6309-23 Cambridge, 2010
6325 Cambridge: Built in 1956 by Allen Garrison. Cambridge Business Center, Building 4.
6325 Cambridge, 1957
6325 Cambridge, 2010
6327 Cambridge: Built in 1956 by Allen Garrison. This was the first building that John Smith bought, for his business, Gopher Motor Rebuilding (1961). Located directly behind Building 4. Cambridge Business Center, Building 5.
6327 Cambridge, 1960
6327 Cambridge, 2010
6401-15 Cambridge: Built in 1956 by Allen Garrison. Dakota Ave. was vacated and made a part of this property in 1955. John Smith bought this building to expand his business and leased it to Magnetic Controls, Inc., which in 1964 had the address 6405. In the Park, Magnetic Controls was made up of two companies. Military Aero Space Development Co. manufactured magnetic amplifiers, controls and power supplies for military and industrial use in the missile program. Audio Development Co., with plants in SLP and in St. Peter, manufactured transformers, filters and chokes. Powers Cameron president. 150 employees locally. The building is now the Cambridge Business Center, Building 6.
6401 Cambridge, 1960
6401 Cambridge, 2010
6417-27 Cambridge: Probably built by Gerald Holt in 1951. In 1959, 6425 was the address of the Mammouth Furnace Co. John Smith owned in 1973. Hamer Machine Co. at some point.
6417-27 Cambridge, 1954
6417-27 Cambridge, 2010
6501-35 Cambridge: Built in 1957; associated with land at 3840-50 Edgewood. Tenants included:
- B&M Wood Products (1961) – 6531
- Garrison Construction Co. (1960)
- Tersch Paper Co./National Visual Products Co., distributor of audio-visual materials. (1971): 6529. James R. Tersch was president (10 employees).
6531 Cambridge, 1960
6501-35 Cambridge, 2010
NORTH SIDE
6314-26 Cambridge: Built in 1952 by Allen Garrison. The pictures below indicate that at some point the building was enlarged. In 1959 the West End Air Conditioner Co. was located at 6326.
6314-18 Cambridge, 1954
6318 Cambridge, 1960
6314-26 Cambridge, 2010
6404-08 Cambridge: There may have been a house here in 1951. In 1955 it was the Symons Clamp & Mfg. Co. and in 1960 it was the Plasti-Dip Co. Allen Garrison owned it in 1956.
6404 Cambridge, 1955
6404 Cambridge, 1960
6404 Cambridge, 2010
6414-20 Cambridge: A frame house was removed in 1960 for the present building. In 1964-68, 6418 was Mid-City Precision, Inc.: Precision machining for industry: jig grinding, jig boring, tracer turning, tracer milling, design & build. In 1971 Jim Cashman owned the Cornelius Co. Another tenant/owner was Vend-o-Matic Sales, Inc.
6414 Cambridge, 1960
6414 Cambridge, 2010
6506 Cambridge: In 1964, Water Conditioning Co. Rental and sales of water conditioning equipment, salt delivery service. Independently owned and operated by William Guimont, 13 employees. Not sure which building this was in.
6530 Cambridge: Built in 1959 by Allen Garrison; associated with land at 3840 Edgewood. In February 1960 one half of it opened as the Cambridge Cafe (shown below), advertised at 3840 Edgewood. The other half was Park Linoleum. In 1964, Carlton J. Romer of Romer Plastics (15 employees) had a stroke. One of his financiers then had to take over the company and he changed the name to Glacier Plastics. Soon after though, the company was moved to Hastings, where they made Gumbys. In 1967, the building had a short but lively life as a teen club run by Mrs. Barbara Jacoby, followed by the Purple Cigar in 1968. In 1968, Harold’s Woodworking Shop was advertised at 6522 Cambridge. 1971-73, 6530 was listed in the Sun as Midwest Brick and Supply Company, Richard R. Einck, president (8 employees).
6530 Cambridge, 2010
7400 Cambridge: Black Top Service, 1958-64 – Herbert J. Alves, president. The company made bituminous material for black topping and surfaces, streets, roads and large parking lots, for municipalities and housing developers. This is not an official address; see 7320 Oxford.