Robbinsdale Revisited

Loving Our Library

Episode 21: Founded by a determined group of women in 1907, the Robbinsdale Library began as donated books in borrowed storefronts and grew into a beautiful Tudor-revival building in 1926. Under librarians like Frances Pollard, the library became a bright, neighborly hub for reading, events, and fundraising traditions.
After decades of service the branch closed in 1976, but the building was preserved, placed on the National Register, and repurposed as the Robin Gallery and home to the Robbinsdale Historical Society. Today it celebrates a century of community memory and continued public use.

Glenwood Hills

Episode 20: Crystal traces the rise and fall of Golden Valley's Glenwood Hills Hospital, from its beginnings as a pioneering psychiatric facility to its expansion into a full-service hospital and eventual closure. Nestled in the woods between secluded lakes and parkland, the hospital felt more like a retreat than an institution. Our story highlights changing approaches to mental health care, the hospital’s role in the community, and the property's later redevelopment into housing and other medical sites.

Whiz Bang Boyhoods

Episode 19: Pete swaps stories with Ron Johnson, Adam Fesenmaier, and Jimmy Swan as they revisit the chaotic fun of growing up in Robbinsdale in the 1970s and ’80s. Climb aboard and let these guys give you a buck through the years of box hockey, Brookdale, and basement kegs. Their memories capture a rough-and-tumble, unsupervised era, right around the corner in Robbinsdale.

Lou Looks Back

Episode 18: In this episode, we're heading back to Sacred Heart, where Lou Ambrose remembers the overwhelming presence of the legendary Father Nolan. We walk through 1960s Robbinsdale, recalling creaky wooden floors at the Ben Franklin. Getting a dress and a guitar from Monkey Wards. Terrace Dairy treats and the lost pond of Sleepy Hollow.  

Girling Gets Things Going

Episode 17: Lou Ambrose lives in her grandfather Thomas Herbert Girling’s 1917 home on Crystal Lake. In this episode, she shares stories of his life. Born in Nottingham, England, in 1865, Girling got things going in the early days of Robbinsdale. Through Lou’s memories, we explore shifting shorelines, deep roots, and the history we drive by every day.

Revisiting Robbinsdale with Kathryn Leigh Scott, Part 2

Episode 16: In this second part, multi-faceted storyteller Kathryn Leigh Scott discusses her pivotal role in restoring the legacy of Coya Knutson, Minnesota’s first congresswoman, through biography and historic reunions. Beyond her acting and publishing career, Scott reflects on her own roots in the Robbinsdale and Minneapolis area, sharing how a community-focused upbringing shaped her lifelong passion for preservation. Ultimately, the conversation explores the importance of saving endangered history, from political reputations to landmark buildings, before the human stories behind them are lost.

Revisiting Robbinsdale with Kathryn Leigh Scott, Part 1

Episode 15: Kathryn Leigh Scott grew up on a farm in Robbinsdale when the city still felt rural, shaped by Norwegian immigrant parents, strong community values, and an early encouragement of creativity. At Robbinsdale High School, her talents in writing and performance stood out, setting the stage for a leap from small-town Minnesota to New York City and a life in the arts. She gained national fame as Maggie Evans on Dark Shadows, launching a career that spanned acting, writing, and publishing. Despite decades of success, Scott continues to credit Robbinsdale as the foundation of everything that followed.

Wrestling Their Way Out of Robbinsdale

Episode 14: Before Robbinsdale knew it was a wrestling town, it was a town of kids reenacting wrestling in backyards and playgrounds, where someone was always the villain, someone always won the belt, and wrestling somehow already mattered. That sense of toughness was forged at Robbinsdale High School, home to one of Minnesota’s hardest wrestling programs and the training ground for Verne Gagne, whose success and founding of the AWA helped turn the town into a wrestling pipeline. From Larry Hennig and Curt “Mr. Perfect” Hennig to Rick Rude, Barry Darsow, Madusa, and many others, Robbinsdale proved that those childhood matches sometimes grew into legends—and a whole lot of flying elbows.

Parking Ramps and Playgrounds

Episode 13 The 1970s brought both loss and renewal to Robbinsdale, as beloved institutions closed while new civic investments strengthened the community. Growth and change were reflected in the demolition of the historic Parker School and the expansion of Robbinsdale Junior High. The decade also saw social progress, including Heidi Houck breaking barriers in Little League baseball. For many children, it was an era of wide-ranging freedom, adventure, and unsupervised exploration throughout the neighborhood.

Breaking Ground

Episode 12: Milo M. Mielke, who retires as principal of Robbinsdale High School after 39 years, arriving in 1929 when enrollment stood at 900 and retiring in 1968 as it surpassed 20,000. The era saw heated debates over school curriculum alongside voter approval of an $11.5 million bond issue. Robbinsdale Historical Society board member Dave West, Class of 1968, shares his memories and we reflect on civic growth in the 60s.