Slpcommguide2012

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St. Louis ParkCommunity Guide

2012

Welcome to Saint Louis Park ..................Page 4City Information .....................................Page 5Fire Department......................................Page 6Police Department...................................Page 7Education.................................................Page 9City Map ...............................................Pages 10History ....................................................Page 11City Parks ...............................................Page 13Health & Wellness..................................Page 15Community Celebrations .......................Page 16Area Faith Communities .................Pages 17-18Shopping ................................................Page 19

ContentsSt. Louis Park

3

Call to set your tourappointment

Have you seen our backside?

• Apartments• Assisted Living• Memory Care• Respite/Short Stays

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Mayor invites you toexperience St. Louis Park

Whether it was our distinct neighborhoods, oursocial, religious and ethnic heritage, our retail stores,restaurants, medical facilities, family-owned busi-nesses, corporations or our award-winning schoolsthat brought you here, I’d like to welcome you to thePark and thank you for choosing this community.

St. Louis Park is an established community of 10.8square miles that in a little more than 115 years hasgrown from a village of 45 families to a community ofmore than 45,000 residents, according the the CensusBureau. We continue to redevelop and reinvent our-selves and we have continued to redevelop the commu-nity even during the downturn of the economy. Withthe expected addition of light rail transit in the nearfuture, we expect to continue that redevelopment. St.Louis Park has a sound economic base, a healthy mixof new and traditional housing and a nationallyrenowned school district where every school has beennamed a National School of Excellence.

We also have a variety of private schools in the cityproviding residents with an abundance of choices fortheir children. And, we’re only minutes away from

some of the Twin Cities’ most attractive amenities:the Chain of Lakes, the downtown theater district,shopping, universities and major league sports.

Our community is built firmly upon the strengthof our neighborhoods. It’s evident every year at themore than 100of annual National Night Out partiesheld throughout the Park, but it’s also evident eachday as residents gather for neighborhood meetings,social gatherings and community service.

We’re also proud of the limitless trails and parksin the community. The trails connect us to downtownMinneapolis and the Minneapolis riverfront, theUptown area, Hopkins and Chaska. There are 51 parksthroughout the city to enjoy that provide recreation,community and beauty to all our residents in any sea-son.

We tell people to experience life in the Park, and wewant you to experience it for a lifetime. St. Louis Parkhas been named one of the nation’s “100 BestCommunities for Young People” year after year byAmerica’s Promise – The Alliance for Youth. But ouropportunities extend to people of all ages, whether it’syoung professionals moving here to enjoy our trails,parks and active nightlife or seniors who enjoy ourneighborhood connectedness, our dial-a-ride programor our active community centers.

We spend a lot of time as community leaders hereasking what we can do next to remain a forward-thinking, desirable community. We’ve got some ideas,we’ve got an exciting future ahead of us, and we lookforward to building that future with you.

JEFF JACOBSST. LOUIS PARK MAYOR

Welcome to the Park

10917 Valley View RoadEden Prairie, MN 55344

www.minnlocal.com

Editor..............................................................Paul WahlWriter ............................................................Seth RowePhotography ................................................Seth Rowe,.........................................................................Paul WahlLayout & Design ................................. Daniel Callahan...............................................................Keith AndersonCover Design................................................Elli MartinSales ..............................Tracy Johnson, Ally HersteinAdvertising Director.........................Jeremy BradfieldExecutive Editor.....................................Peggy BakkenGeneral Manager.....................................Jeff Coolman

Special thanks go out to Mayor Jeff Jacobs for hiswelcome letter, the Chamber of Commerce, the city of St.Louis Park and the many other organizations, busi-nesses and groups that participated in the creation ofthis community guide.

4

WelcomeSt. Louis Park


St. Louis Park

5

St. Louis Park operates under the Council/Managerform of government.

The St. Louis Park City Council sets the policy andoverall direction for the city. St. Louis Park city staff mem-bers carry out council decisions and provide city services.

St. Louis Park voters elect the mayor and six (two at-large and four ward) City Council members to four-yearterms. Elections are held in November in odd-num-bered years.

The contact information for members of the CityCouncil follows:

Mayor Jeff Jacobs 952-927-8061 (home) 952-897-1707 (office) [email protected]

Council members Steve Hallfin, At-Large A 612-987-3282 [email protected]

Jake Spano, At-Large B [email protected]

Susan Sanger, Ward 1 [email protected]

Anne Mavity, Ward 2 [email protected]

Susan Santa, Ward 3 [email protected]

Julia Ross, Ward 4 [email protected]

The City Council holds regular meetings on the firstand third Mondays of each month at 7:30 p.m. in CityHall, 5005 Minnetonka Blvd. To verify meeting dates,call 952-924-2505.

To speak before the council, simply fill out a bluecard (available in the meeting room) and take it to thecouncil table. The mayor will call on you when thatagenda item is discussed.

Arrangements for a sign language interpreter orother assistance can be made by calling 952-924-2520 or952-924-2518 (phone line reserved for hearing impairedindividuals) one week before the meeting.

Council meetings are also carried live on cable TVchannel 17 and replayed frequently. They are also avail-able on demand at parktv.org.

City Manager Tom Harmening leads the city staff.The main city phone number is 952-924-2500. A list ofstaff contact information is available at stlouispark.org.

City Council shapes St. Louis Park’s future

City Information


Fire Department

After years of making the best of cramped, outdat-ed fire stations, St. Louis Park firefighters now enjoyspacious, state-of-the-art facilities.

In the summer of 2012, St. Louis Park opened twonew stations built from the ground up on the sites of itsprevious stations. The new structures are better able toaccommodate equipment and personnel needs.

The new stations replaced fire stations constructedin the 1960s that did not meet current accessibilityrules for public buildings or fully accommodatestaffing for both male and female firefighters. Otherconcerns related to deteriorating structural elements,aging mechanical systems, limited ventilation, lack ofapparatus storage space, and insufficient meetingspace to host all firefighters simultaneously for meet-ings and training.

The new Fire Station One, 3750 Wooddale Ave.,stands two stories in height and contains more than30,000 square feet of space. It also features a memorialto three St. Louis Park firefighters who lost their liveson the line of duty. The new Fire Station Two, 2262Louisiana Ave., is one story in height and containsnearly 17,000 square feet of space.

Full-time firefighters work with paid-on-call fire-fighters to provide service around the clock.

The department regularly conducts training exer-cises with other city and regional emergency respon-ders to be prepared for possible scenarios.

Firefighters are available 24 hours a day to fightfires and respond to medical emergencies or emergen-cies caused by storms, chemical spills or disasters.

The Fire Department employs approximately 24full-time staff members, including firefighters, admin-istrators and support staff. It also employs 30 paid-on-call firefighters who provide backup to St. Louis Park’sfull-time firefighters by helping out at medical emer-gencies, fires, car accidents and disasters.

The Fire Department is responsible for putting outfires, responding to medical emergencies and car acci-dents, overseeing clean up of hazardous materialspills, providing disaster recovery services, preventingfires by inspecting apartment buildings and offices,enforcing fire code compliance and investigating caus-es of fires.

After the new fire stations opened, the FireDepartment’s administrative office moved from CityHall to Fire Station One. The fire department’s non-emergency phone number is 952-924-2595. For emergen-cies, always call 911 instead.

City staff members inspect businesses and apart-ment buildings to ensure they are in sound conditionand heating, mechanical and fire protection systemswork properly. Upon request, firefighters also will visithomes to advise you on where to place smoke detectors,carbon monoxide detectors or how to create an evacua-tion plan. Call 952-924-2595 for more information.

Other services the fire department provides includepublic education, water and ice rescue, confined space,rope, trench and collapse rescue, automobile extrica-tion, severe weather mitigation, car seat inspections,emergency preparedness, fire protection advice, sta-tion tours and ride along opportunities.

Fire department unveils new facilities

6

St. Louis Park


Police Department

St. Louis Park has had its own police force since 1934and the department continues to carry on a tradition ofserving and protecting the city.

The St. Louis Park Police Department handles tens ofthousands of service requests annually and utilizes theCommunity Oriented Policing philosophy designed tobuild community partnerships, create organizationaltransformation and promote a systematic approach toproblem solving.

Community Oriented Policing organizational strate-gies “support the systematic use of partnerships andproblem-solving techniques, to proactively address theimmediate conditions that give rise to public safetyissues such as crime, social disorder, and fear of crime,”according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

In an emergency, residents should dial 911 – whetherit’s a related to a police, fire or a medical issue.

St. Louis Park police officers and firefighters haveemergency medical training. If they are first on thescene, they will administer emergency medical treat-ment to stabilize the patient until an ambulance arrives.

If you see a crime being committed – or just see some-thing suspicious – call 911. Calls to 911 are not restrictedto life-threatening emergencies.

If you have information about a crime that has beencommitted, call the police department at 952-924-2618. Ifyou wish to remain anonymous and have informationthat may lead to an arrest, call 952-924-2165 or write toCrime Prevention Fund, Box 26504, St. Louis Park, MN55426. All calls and letters are confidential.

St. Louis Park has 52 sworn police officers who areprofessionals with college or advanced training in all

aspects of law enforcement – human relations, first aid,crime prevention, etc. The department also employeesseven dispatchers, six support staff, one community liai-son and three community service officers.

Patrol officers respond to routine calls for service,such as suspicious activity and noise complaints. Patrolofficers respond to emergency incidents, such as medicalassistance and fires. Police work after a crime hasoccurred includes preparing cases for charging, follow-ing up on incidents and conducting search warrants.

During patrols, information is collected, analyzed anddisseminated to department personnel in an effort toproactively address specific issues, such as traffic com-plaints.

Officers work to solve problems through a systematicprocess for identifying, analyzing, responding to andassessing an issue that may become a problem. Policeservices such as animal control, the dispatch center andclerical staff assist officers in their work.

The police department is based at 3015 Raleigh Ave.,adjacent to City Hall’s south parking lot. The depart-ment’s administrative number is 952-924-2600. The policestation houses the emergency communications and 911center, administrative offices, the city jail and trainingand meeting rooms. Group tours may be arranged bycalling 952-924-2125.

St. Louis Park has three police substations, or COPShops. The newest substation is located at The Shops ofWest End at 1623 West End Blvd. Other substations arethe Excelsior & Grand Cop Shop, 4717 Park CommonsDrive, and a substation at Texa-Tonka Shopping Center,Texas Avenue and Minnetonka Boulevard.

Police department serves and protects

7

St. Louis Park


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St Louis Park Emergency Program (STEP) has served the St. Louis Park community to those in need since 1975. STEP provides 2,500 people each month with basic needs including food, clothing and transportation in addition to its many seasonal initiatives throughout the year. Each day, STEP distributes over 3,000 pounds of food to 40 St. Louis Park families. Each year, STEP serves 10% of the St. Louis Park population. Your donation is critical to making sure your St. Louis Park neighbors do not go hungry.

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Schools

The St. Louis Park School District has been servingresidents of St. Louis Park since 1888.

The district began with just 51 students but bur-geoned to more than 11,000 students by the mid-1960s,according to the St. Louis Park Historical Society.

As St. Louis Park’s residents grew older, enrollmentgradually declined but has remained stable in recentyears. Approximately 4,200 students now attend St. LouisPark Public Schools.

Every one of the St. Louis Park School District’s tra-ditional public schools has been recognized as a NationalSchool of Excellence by the U.S. Department ofEducation.

Schools of Excellence are national models for aca-demic performance, attendance, up-to date and rigorouscore curriculum and instruction, a positive and caringatmosphere and parent and community involvement.

Each St. Louis Park school is located within the cityboundaries of St. Louis Park. The district mainly servesSt. Louis Park residents, but some students from nearbycities open enroll in its schools as well.

St. Louis Park has three traditional elementaryschools serving students in kindergarten through fifthgrade. They are Aquila Elementary, 8500 West 31st St.;Peter Hobart Elementary, 6500 West 26th St.; and SusanLindgren Elementary, 4801 West 41st St. The schools areauthorized participants of the InternationalBaccalaureate Primary Years Programme.

St. Louis Park also operates Park Spanish ImmersionSchool, 6300 Walker St., for students in kindergartenthrough fifth grade. Students study the same nationallyrecognized curriculum as other St. Louis Park students

with all classes taught in Spanish. Entrance to the pro-gram is allowed at kindergarten.

As part of a reconfiguration plan, St. Louis ParkMiddle School, 2025 Texas Ave. S., has been transitioningfrom a junior high model to a middle school model serv-ing students in sixth through eighth grades. The districtis considering adding the International BaccalaureateMiddle Years Programme at the school.

St. Louis Park High School, 6425 West 33rd St., haslong served students in ninth through 12th grades.Thanks to a federal innovation grant, the high school isrolling out “academies” designed to allow students toexplore various career fields while still in high school.The school also offers advanced placement and honorscourses, an International Baccalaureate program, men-toring and apprenticeship opportunities and an exten-sive program for deaf and hard of hearing students andEnglish as a Second Language students.

St. Louis Park High School has consistently ranked ator near the top for Minnesota schools listed in news pub-lications lists of top high schools in the country.Newsweek, U.S. News and The Washington Post have allranked St. Louis Park High School as one of the nation’sbest.

St. Louis Park belongs to the North SuburbanConference, and students may choose from numeroussports available. A wide array of co-curricular activitiessuch as drama, Science Olympiad, math team and musicgroups are available.

The school district offices are located at St. Louis ParkHigh School. The district’s general number is 952-928-6000. The district website is slpschools.org.

St. Louis Park schools have a long history

9

St. Louis Park


City Map

10

St. Louis Park


History

Since St. Louis Park sprung up in the 1800s, the sub-urb has transformed from an industrial railroad stopto a city with a diverse commercial base and more than45,000 residents.

The city is home to both upscale and historic shop-ping centers, office centers and neighborhood busi-nesses. In a few areas, the city retains remnants of theindustry that for decades drove the town’s economy.

The St. Louis Park Historical Society works to docu-ment the changes that have made the city what it istoday. The society’s website, slphistory.org, contains anindex containing a plethora of information about thepeople, businesses, celebrations, places of worship,school, neighborhoods and many other aspects thathave formed the lifeblood of the community.

Since 1971, the St. Louis Park Historical Society hasgathered, organized and shared pieces of St. LouisPark’s unique past. Incorporated as a village in 1886,Park was styled as an industrial town when lumber-man T.B. Walker bought up and replatted 2,000 acres offarmland in 1890. Foreshadowing modern zoning,Walker created industrial, commercial and residentialareas. He brought in factories, built commercial build-ings and even built houses for his workers.

The factories are long gone, but the WalkerBuilding, built in 1892, is still on Walker Street, andthere are still upwards of 50 so-called “Walker Houses”in use today.

Walker’s experiment failed with the Depression of1893, and the village stayed small up until and duringWorld War II. But with the return of servicemen, con-sumer goods and general prosperity after the war, St.

Louis Park became a boomtown. Previously barrenland, including almost the entire area north ofMinnetonka Boulevard, was filled with new homes,schools, parks and churches. St. Louis Park was recep-tive to the Jewish families who strove to leaveMinneapolis, and the community supported many syn-agogues and the Sabes Jewish Community Center.

St. Louis Park has a long history of being progres-sive and has revitalized many areas, includingExcelsior Boulevard and the West End. But as thingschange, the Historical Society is there to collect piecesof the past and preserve them for future generations.Holdings include photographs, directories, newspa-pers, yearbooks, railroad artifacts and other remindersof days gone by. The society has also published a bookcalled “Something in the Water,” which includes mem-oirs of people who grew up in the Park in the 1930s.

The St. Louis Park Historical Society operates out ofthe Lenox Community Center, 6715 Minnetonka Blvd.,which is staffed 10 a.m. to noon Thursdays or byappointment. It also operates the city’s HistoricMilwaukee Road Depot, in which the society storesartifacts from St. Louis Park’s past.

The society publishes a quarterly newsletter, calledthe Re-Echo, which contains bits of history inter-spersed with past and future events and accounts ofcurrent artifact donations.

The St. Louis Park Historical Society is a nonprofitorganization staffed solely by volunteers and is alwayslooking for more people to help preserve Park’s past.

To contact the Society or donate materials, [email protected]

St. Louis Park transformed into bustling city

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St. Louis Park


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Parks

St. Louis Park lives up to its name, boasting 51parks throughout the city.

As a steward of its environment, St. Louis Parkpromotes recycling in many of its higher-volumeparks. To encourage this practice and reduce theamount of trash thrown into the recycling contain-ers, the city is now using a yellow barrel with a flattop in these locations. It is clearly marked and iden-tifiable as a recycling container.

Parks included in this recycling project: Aquila,Bass Lake, Carson, Dakota, Fern Hill, Freedom,Keystone, Louisiana Oaks, Northside, Oak Hill,Shelard, Skippy, Twin Lakes, Walker, WestwoodNature Center and Wolfe Park.

Plastic bottles and aluminum cans are collectedin the yellow recycling containers.

Wolfe Park, 3700 Monterey Drive, is one of thecity’s largest and is home to Veterans’ MemorialAmphitheater. Its eight terraced tiers offer seatingfor 200 people. The concrete stage at the bottom ofthe hill is edged with trees and shrubs. When nopublic events are scheduled, the amphitheater canbe rented for weddings and other private eventsfrom 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., daily. Wolfe Park also featuresbasketball and sand volleyball courts, a year-roundpavilion and a walkway around Wolfe Lake.

For those seeking a more remote-feeling experi-ence, the Westwood Hills Nature Center offers an160-acre nature preserve devoted to outdoor enjoy-ment, environmental education and wildlife obser-vation.

Westwood Hills Nature Center, 8300 W. Franklin

Ave., contains a picnic area and more than threemiles of wooden walkways and wood chipped trailsthat wind through the hardwood forest, restoredprairie, pine and spruce plantation and marsh. Apaved one-quarter mile wildflower trail featureslabeled native flowers and an observation honeybeehive. The Interpretive Center houses exhibits andrestrooms. Portions of this building can be rentedfor birthday parties and other functions. Westwoodalso offers environmental education programs.Trails are open from sunrise to sunset, year-round.Park admission is free.

St. Louis Park’s two off-leash dog parks offer afun opportunity for you and your dog to get out andenjoy the great outdoors. The dog parks are locatedat Cedar Knoll Park, 2541 Nevada Ave. S., and DakotaPark, 2643 Dakota Ave. S.

To use the dog parks, residents must have a cur-rent St. Louis Park dog license, which includesaccess to the parks. Hours for the dog parks are 7a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Non-residents must purchase anannual permit at the price of $55. Permits are avail-able by visiting the inspections department week-days between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at St. Louis ParkCity Hall, 5005 Minnetonka Blvd.

A full list of parks is available at stlouispark.org.Recreational activities are offered through the

Parks and Recreation Department and CommunityEducation. The Parks and Recreation Department,run by the city, provides programs for adults andyouth throughout the year. For more information,visit stlouispark.org or call 952-924-2540.

The Park is home to a variety of parks

13

St. Louis Park


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Health

St. Louis Park residents do not need to look beyondtheir city’s borders for access to nearly any medicalservice.

Park Nicollet serves the metropolitan area from itshome base in St. Louis Park. The regional health careprovider operates Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital at6500 Excelsior Blvd., as well as a campus of clinics at3800, 3850 and 3900 Park Nicollet Blvd. in St. Louis Park.

Methodist Hospital serves more than 50,000 patientsannually and serves as the host site for the ParkNicollet Heart and Vascular Center and theFrauenshuh Cancer Center.

Throughout its metro locations, Park Nicollet offersmedical diagnosis and treatment, health education,self-care products and more. Park Nicollet operatesneighborhood clinics, urgent care sites, MethodistHospital, pharmacies, optical stores, contact lensstores, hearing centers and stores, health and carestores, a sleep center and store, a boutique and a breast-feeding center.

The entity also consists of Park Nicollet Foundationand Park Nicollet Institute. More than 8,200 employeeswork for Park Nicollet, including 1,000 physicians. ParkNicollet is St. Louis Park’s largest employer.

Park Nicollet also operates the InternationalDiabetes Center at Park Nicollet and the MelroseInstitute in St. Louis Park as well as the StruthersParkinson’s Center in nearby Golden Valley.

Park Nicollet Foundation takes the work of ParkNicollet Clinic and Methodist Hospital into the commu-nity. The foundation provides millions of dollars in

annual funding to numerous organizations. It fundsgrief support and education to students who have lostloved ones, services like music therapy and supportgroups, immunizations for children in 25 area schooldistricts and research aimed at improving patient careand treatment.

Park Nicollet Foundation’s Healthy CommunityFund supports programs that provide care to a vibrantcommunity across the full spectrum of life, from at-home care for new babies to its Successful AgingInitiative. Park Nicollet Foundation also provides fund-ing for school-based clinics that provide free walk-incomprehensive medical and mental health care to chil-dren from birth to 18 years in St. Louis Park and threeother school districts. Park Nicollet is a founding part-ner of the “No Shots, No School” program that providesbarrier-free, enhanced access to students to receiveimmunizations with no charge to families.

Park Nicollet was part of the original health carehome pilot program that developed a unique teamapproach to primary care. A Park Nicollet care coordi-nator works with patients and families to coordinatemedical care with local community resources, such asschools and social service agencies, and to provide carefor patients that follows them after they leave the clinicand into the communities where they live.

Park Nicollet has announced an agreement to com-bine with Bloomington-based HealthPartners. Pendingregulatory approval, the deal is set to go into effectJanuary 2013.

For more information, visit parknicollet.com.

Medical services are widely available

15

St. Louis Park


Events

Minnesotans like to celebrate the state’s warmmonths, and St. Louis Park is no exception.

Each year, a cohort of volunteers presentsParktacular, St. Louis Park’s annual summer cele-bration.

The largest civic festival in town, Parktacular wel-comes summer every June during the weekend ofFather’s Day. The running theme of the St. LouisPark get-together is “Splash Into Summer.” For thosedesiring to take that advice literally, Parktacular pro-vides water slides, kayaking and canoe rides.

Events are planned for people of all ages andinclude a Senior Dinner with entertainment, a streetdance, a Grand Day Parade, numerous “Kidtacular”activities like a petting zoo and pony rides, a faithservice, a Belgian Waffle Brunch and much more.Many activities are free. A Parktacular button pro-vides entry to select events and discounts at localbusinesses.

See their website at parktacular.org for moredetails, to volunteer or to be a sponsor.

Parktacular is one of several community activi-ties that take place each year.

A Summer Concert Series takes place each sum-mer. Performances usually take place at Veterans’Memorial Amphitheater at Wolfe Park. Concerts aretypically held Wednesdays with some Friday andSaturday night concerts scheduled as well.Information is available on the city website, stlouis-

park.org.Two farmers’ markets attract fans of locally

grown products on a weekly basis during a seasonthat begins in June and runs into August. The origi-nal market is located in the Wolfe Park area on theplaza adjacent to the St. Louis Park RecreationCenter, 3700 Monterey Drive. A newer market thatbegan in 2011 is located at The Shops at West End,1621 West End Blvd. No registration or admission isrequired to attend. The original market is openWednesdays from mid-afternoon to early evening.The market at The Shops at West End is openWednesdays mid-morning to mid-afternoon.

The markets feature an assortment of fresh prod-ucts direct from the farmer or grower that are local-ly grown and produced, as well as fresh baked goodsand beautiful art pieces.

Another highlight is the annual Children First IceCream Social, held each year in Wolfe Park in Mayand featuring complimentary ice cream cones, musicand information about community organizations.

Children First is a prominent nonprofit that wasborn out of a partnership among the education,faith, city, health and business communities.

The focus of this partnership is to encourageeveryone in the community to find ways that makesense to them to help in the healthy development ofinfants, children and teens. Details on Children Firstcan be found at children-first.org.

Residents invited to celebrate life in the Park

16

St. Louis Park


Worship

St. Louis Park has manychurches and synagogues provid-ing services for people of variousbeliefs:

Aldersgate United Methodist Church3801 Wooddale Ave.952-929-6725aldersgatemn.com

Bais Yisroel Synagogue4221 Sunset Blvd.952-926-7867baisyisroel.org

Beth El Synagogue5224 West 26th St.952-920-3512bethelsynagogue.org

Calvary Worship Center9500 Minnetonka Blvd.952-931-9870calvaryworship.com

Congregation Darchei Noam5224 Minnetonka Blvd.Info: 612-920-3424darcheinoammn.org

Emmaus Road Church6719 Cedar Lake Road952-935-4112emmausroadchurch.com

Holy Family Catholic Church5900 West Lake St.952-929-0113hfcmn.org

Kenesseth Israel Synagogue4330 West 28th St.952-920-2183kenessethisrael.org

Knollwood Christian Church3639 Quebec Ave. S.952-938-1121knollwoodcc.org

Lutheran Church of the Reformation2544 Hwy. 100 S.952-929-0439reformationslp.org

Or Emet: Minnesota Congregationfor Humanistic Judaism4330 Cedar Lake Road S.651-699-6302oremet.org

Park Assembly of God1615 Texas Ave. S.952-545-2326parkassembly.org

Peace Presbyterian Church7624 Cedar Lake Road952-545-2586peaceprez.com

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church8115 Hwy. 7952-938-5400popslp.org

St. Dunstan’s Anglican Church4241 Brookside Ave.952-920-9122stdunstananglican.org

St. George’s Episcopal Church5224 Minnetonka Blvd.952-926-1646stgeorgesonline.org

St. Louis Park Evangelical Free Church6805 Minnetonka Blvd.952-929-3815slpfree.org

The city is home to a variety of congregations

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Seed of Abraham MessianicCongregation9500 Minnetonka Blvd.952-926-6226seedofabraham.org

Spirit of Christ CommunityLutheran Church5801 Minnetonka Blvd.952-929-6465spiritofchristcommunity.org

The Shalom Chapel8700 W. 36th St., #228952-925-6186molahs.com

The VineMann Cinema, 5400 Excelsior Blvd.612-741-3504thevinecommunity.org

Timothy Lutheran Church7814 Minnetonka Blvd.952-929-8317

Twin City Fellowship2734 Rhode Island Ave. S.952-935-3100twincityfellowship.com

Union Congregational UnitedChurch of Christ3700 Alabama Ave. S.952-929-8566unionslp.com

Westwood Lutheran Church9001 Cedar Lake Road952-545-5623westwoodlutheran.org

Wooddale Lutheran Church4003 Wooddale Ave. S.952-926-7603wooddalelutheran.org

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Worship, con’tSt. Louis Park

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Shopping

Most residents hardly need to leave St. Louis Park tofind the products they seek.

Businesses are spread throughout the city, which hasbecome a destination for shoppers from throughout theWest Metro.

The Shops at West End made a splash in the regionstarting in 2009. New shops continue to open at the pop-ular mixed-use development. The shopping center ishome to restaurants and live music as well as fashionand other retail stores. A 14-screen theater offers stadi-um seating and the option to purchase VIP tickets allow-ing their holders to enjoy cocktails and food duringfilms.

Set near the intersection of Interstate 394 andHighway 100, construction on the West End began in2008 at a cost of about $400 million, the priciest project inSt. Louis Park’s history.

Strategically placed in an area with a steady flow oftraffic, and easy accessibility by nearby office workers,the pedestrian-friendly site is a destination that is visit-ed all day and well into the evening by a variety of cus-tomers of all ages. Those coming to the site won’t have todrive if they don’t wish – there are ample bicycle racksand easy access to regional bus service. For those who dodrive may park free on-site in a five-level ramp or in aheated underground garage.

With its status as a redevelopment project, the WestEnd features a number of “green” elements, including agreen roof and creative landscaping irrigation utilizingslot drains in sidewalks.

Visit theshopsatwestend.com for a list of stores andmore information.

St. Louis Park has also become known in the area forits Excelsior and Grand mixed-use development, whichoffers a combination of upscale amenities in a pedestri-an-friendly, urban-style environment.

City officials worked on guiding the plan for the proj-ect for years, located at Excelsior Boulevard and GrandWay. The final phase of the mixed-use developmentopened in 2007.

The development includes a Town Green and publicart in the form of a fountain and the bronze and goldstatue, Allegory of Excelsior.

Not far away, another smaller scale shopping area hasopened on the northwest corner of Excelsior Boulevardand France Avenue. The redevelopment project, calledEllipse on Excelsior, is a five-story mixed use buildingwith 132 residential apartments, 16,394 square feet ofcommercial on the ground floor, and underground andsurface parking. Stores began opening in 2011. For moreinformation, go to ellipseonexcelsior.com.

Other shopping areas are less new but have withstoodthe test of time. For example, the Miracle Mile ShoppingCenter at Excelsior Boulevard and near Highway 100 hasserved residents since 1951. It’s website is miraclemile-mall.com.

Knollwood Mall, at 8337 Hwy. 7, is nearly as venerable.The business destination opened as Knollwood PlazaShopping Center in 1955. The mall’s website is knoll-woodmall.com.

Stores new and old welcome shoppers

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St. Louis Park


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Slpcommguide2012