Robbinsdale Revisited

The Mayors of Robbinsdale, Part 2

Episode 24: In this episode of The Mayors of Robbinsdale, Part 2, we explore the leaders who guided the city through decades of growth, change, and transformation. Beginning with Robert A. Merwin’s razor-thin election victory in 1954, the episode highlights key moments like proposed city mergers, post-war development, and evolving community priorities.
We meet memorable figures such as Walter Sochacki , a coach and outspoken advocate for equality, and Joy Robb, the city’s first woman mayor, who broke tradition and expanded public engagement. Along the way, the episode traces how each mayor helped shape Robbinsdale’s identity through redevelopment, civic leadership, and a strong connection to the community.
Together, these stories paint a picture of a city built not just by policies, but by the people who led it.

The Mayors of Robbinsdale, Part 1

Episode 23: They were founders, and they were firebrands. In Part One, we’ll meet the characters who guided Robbinsdale through its earliest decades: immigrants, entrepreneurs, Civil War veterans, and hometown originals. Their stories are colorful, sometimes contentious, and always revealing—not just about the town they served, but about the kind of leadership small communities demanded. This is the story of Robbinsdale before it became a city, when every decision helped shape its identity—and when being mayor meant rolling up your sleeves and getting to work.

Building Boundaries: Racial Covenants in Robbinsdale

Episode 22: Join us and explore how racial covenants shaped the development of neighborhoods in Robbinsdale during the early 20th century. We discuss how these discriminatory clauses appeared in property deeds, how developers used them when marketing new subdivisions, and how projects like Mapping Prejudice and the Just Deeds Project are helping uncover and address this history today. By examining local examples, we look at how these policies influenced who could live in the community—and how their legacy still affects the Twin Cities today.

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.