This property has had many addresses, including 7115 Lake Street, 3745 and 3755 Louisiana, and 3721 Monitor. The site goes back many decades to the old Presto-Lite Plant that came to town in 1912 and merged with Linde Air Products in 1946. In 1954 it was (also?) the home of Union Carbide and Carbon Corp. The company generated a lot of white ash – a square block of it, four feet deep – and kids would play on it.
1960 – Union Carbide? Tax Assessor photo
In 1962 a new building was built and became the home of Cardinal Glass, which may also have gone under the name of the Almor Co. A 1964 report says that in the same year, it dropped about half of its 15-16 employees “as we have gotten the new operation into shape,” said manager Richard Crowley. The company manufactured insulated glass. The company was at this location until at least 1982.
1972 
At some point until 1976 it was the Pyrofax Gas Co. out of Shreveport, Louisiana.
On August 11, 1988, the Wholesale Club, Inc. opened its 100,000 sq. ft. membership club, its 18th such operation in the Midwest and the fifth in Minnesota (Inver Grove Heights, White Bear Lake, Fridley and Burnsville were the others). Mayor Lyle Hanks spoke at the grand opening. The building cost $5 million and created nearly 100 jobs. Membership was limited to businesses, churches, clubs, non-profit organizations, and certain groups such as credit unions, teachers, government employees, utility and transportation workers, financial services employees, and “Other groups selected for the steady reliability of their members.” Business members paid $25/year and paid wholesale prices, while other group members had free membership and paid 5 percent above wholesale, which was still substantially below retail.
It became Sam’s Club in about 1991.
1993 Photo by Emory Anderson
2004 Photo by Emory Anderson
Sam’s built a new building in 2006. The old Sam’s was demolished in 2007.
2007 