Robbinsdale is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 14,646 at the 2020 census. The city is in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area and is adjacent to the northwest portion of Minneapolis.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water.
Minnesota State Highway 100 and County Road 81 are two of the main routes in the city.
History
Shortly after the Minnesota Territorial Legislature created Hennepin County in 1852, John C. Bohanon filed the first claim in the Township of Crystal Lake. Railroads reached the area in 1880. A flag station was established near the farm of Alfred Parker, and six years later he donated land for a depot. The community that grew around it came to be known as Parker's Station. In 1887 Minneapolis made an effort to secure more taxable property by annexing neighboring townships. In response, Crystal Lake farmers incorporated the Village of Crystal.
thumb|[[Andrew Bonney Robbins]]
Later that year, entrepreneur, civil war veteran, and real estate developer Andrew Bonney Robbins came to Parker's Station on behalf of an Illinois business interest. Robbins was a former state senator and the brother-in-law of lumber baron Thomas Barlow Walker. Robbins purchased 90 acres (360,000 m2) to the west of Lower Twin Lake to incorporate into the Robbinsdale Park subdivision.
From 1888, new industries moved in and a large Lutheran seminary was built. In 1890, Robbins built a 16-room Queen Anne-style mansion on Lower Twin Lake. After he moved his family in, Robbins found investors to build the Hubbard Specialty Manufacturing Company. This firm made chairs and wheelbarrows. Despite his connections, Robbins could not persuade the Minneapolis Street Railway Company to extend a streetcar line up West Broadway. In 1891 he organized the North Side Street Railway Company and built his own line from the Minneapolis city limits to Robbinsdale Park. The streetcars were pulled by horses until the line was converted to electricity.
Robbins's development efforts led to tension between farm families and residents near the village center. A special election was held and a vote to dissolve the Village of Crystal carried unanimously. On April 19, 1893, the 2.9-square-mile village of Robbinsdale was organized.
Fawcett Publications was founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale with the publication of Captain Billy's Whiz Bang. In 1922, Fawcett introduced True Confessions magazine, which was popular among female readers. The city's pulp magazine history is echoed in Robbinsdale's annual summer celebration, Whiz Bang Days. In 1929, Fawcett launched Modern Mechanics, a magazine on ingenuity and do-it-yourself projects. The first issue's cover line was "Build your own airplane!". Modern Mechanics was later renamed Mechanix Illustrated. In 1930, Fawcett Publications moved to downtown Minneapolis's Sexton Building.
In 1940, Samuel Samuelson built Victory Hospital on property he owned in Robbinsdale. The original marble-faced, three-story building had five operating rooms and 70 beds. In 1954, Victory Hospital was reorganized as a nonprofit and renamed North Memorial. Over the next 50 years, it grew into a 518-bed medical center. Today, North Memorial Medical Center is a regional trauma center with eight helicopters, 120 ambulances, and 725 employees. It is one of Minnesota's Level 1 trauma centers and operates AirCare, an air medical transport service with five flight bases around the state.
In 1951, Sidney and William Volk hired the architectural firm Liebenberg and Kaplan to redesign the Terrace Theatre. Situated on a rise overlooking Crystal Lake and Bottineau Boulevard, the theater was considered an example of mid-century modern design. Its rectangular volumes originally contained a 1300-seat auditorium, an expansive lobby, a sunken garden-style lounge with a large copper fireplace, sweeping foyers, and two snack bars.
The Terrace closed in 1999 and its owner did not take care of the property. In 2016, the City of Robbinsdale and State of Minnesota passed resolutions commemorating the Terrace as an important historic landmark. Nevertheless, after some debate and a lawsuit, the Terrace was torn down in 2016 and replaced by a Hy-Vee grocery store.
Education
Robbinsdale is served by Robbinsdale Area Schools.
There are two public schools and one parochial school within the city limits:
- Lakeview Elementary School (PreK through 5th grade)
- Robbinsdale Middle School (6th though 8th grades)
- Sacred Heart Catholic School (PreK through 8th grade)