Down to Business 2019

The Early Days 1871 –1921 The Good Old Days 1920s –1960s Modern Times 1970s –Today What’s to Come

The Evolution of Downtown Detroit Lakes 150 Years Ago to Today

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Welcome

Knowing Detroit Lakes as it is today — a well-esThat’s how it’s been in Detroit Lakes, from the tablished, economically developed, bustling little very beginning. Colorful characters have always tourist city — you might be as surprised as I was inhabited this dynamic, ever-evolving community to learn that there used to be nothing more here — the hearty kind of people who know how to roll than a vast tamarack swamp. Early settlers even with the punches, and roll up their sleeves when jokingly referred to it as “Swamp Town.” it’s time to get to work.

It’s amazing how things have changed over the That corduroy road of yesterday has long since past 150 years. been paved over, but through all the changes

by MARIE Today, the part of town that was once a sleepy downtown Detroit Lakes has seen through the JOHNSON wetland where duck-hunting pioneers would decades — businesses opening and closing, streets prowl is now a busy section of Highway 10 (near the being rerouted, buildings burning down, new developments Washington Avenue intersection, between the train depot coming in — the spirit of the town has remained true to and Graystone Plaza). The area between Frazee Street and what its earliest visionaries saw it as: a choice destination for Detroit Lake also used to be one big swamp. There were no living, playing, and doing business. roads through there in the early days, so to travel between In doing our research for this magazine, myself and the the lake and downtown, people would walk along a cow path rest of the editorial staff at the Tribune pored through the (which we now know as Summit Avenue). archives at the newspaper and the Becker County Museum.

When the decision was eventually made to extend We talked to current and former Detroit Lakes residents to Washington Avenue down to the lake, the town knew the hear their personal tales and recollections, and we watched project would be a huge undertaking. The tamarack trees years-old TV3 videos about the history of the city. from the swamp had to be cut down, and their logs laid In the process, we learned a lot about this great commudown over the swamp to create a “corduroy road.” The logs nity we call home. We’re proud to share what we’ve learned were laid side-by-side and covered with a thick layer of dirt with you in this new magazine of ours, and we hope you find to make a passable roadway. it all as interesting and nostalgic as we did. So let’s get “Down It was a big job, but the town got it done. to Business” — flip through these pages, and enjoy!

Contents

From ‘Swamp Town’ to downtown: The earliest days of Detroit Lakes ������������������������������������� 6 Mom-and-pops and malt shops: The “good old days” ������������������������������������������������������������14 Downtown’s oldest retail business: Price’s Fine Jewelry ���������������������������������������������������������24

DETROIT LAKES NEWSPAPERS 511 Washington Avenue Detroit Lakes, MN 56501 • 218-847-3151

Every day is a news day

www.dl-online.com Publisher: Melissa Swenson mswenson@dlnewspapers.com

Magazine Editor: Marie Johnson mtjohnson@dlnewspapers.com Circulation Manager: Viola Anderson violaa@dlnewspapers.com Creative Manager: Jill Shaw JShaw@wctrib.com Contributors: Marie Johnson mtjohnson@dlnewspapers.com

Make way for the mall (and lots more): Growth and change in modern times ����������������������������26

Vicki Gerdes vgerdes@dlnewspapers.com

The future of downtown: What we know about what’s next ����������������������������������� 32

Kaysey Price kprice@dlnewspapers.com

Nathan Bowe nbowe@dlnewspapers.com

Cover & Page Design: Tasha Kenyon tkenyon@dlnewspapers.com On the Cover: A street scene of downtown Detroit Lakes in 1938.

Photo courtesy of the Becker County Museum

Washington Avenue in 1913. Photo courtesy of Becker County Museum

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DOWN TO BUSINESS | PAGE 5

How downtown Detroit Lakes got its start

W

hen the village of Detroit, Minn., was first incorporated in 1871, it quickly became the seat of Becker County, as well as its financial and cultural hub.

Its proximity to the newly established railroad and abundant local water supply encouraged settlers to flock to the fledgling community, and by the time of the 1880 In August of 1871, the first store was built in U.S. Census, Detroit had a population of 1,510 — nearly Tylertown — the settlement that grew around Melvin five times the number of people (307) that had been Tyler’s hotel — by E.G. Holmes and John H. Phinney. counted in the census just 10 years earlier.

The Pioneer Store was located, appropriately enough, on By the end of the 19th century, “Detroit was a bustling Pioneer Street (which is now defunct), next to Teague’s city of 2,060 residents,” according to the 2012 publication, Drug Store. In the Jan. 2, 1886 edition of the Detroit “Images of America: Detroit Lakes,” released by the Record, the editor described it thus: “E.G. Holmes & Co., Becker County Historical Society and Arcadia Publishing the silent partner being our present sheriff, J.H. Phinney, in 2012. Today, nearly two decades into the 21st century, brought a stock of goods to this place in August 1871, that population is swiftly approaching 10,000 — and may from Ottertail City, then in Douglas County. The goods exceed that mark when the official U.S. Census is taken a were hauled in heavy wagons, pulled by nine ox teams. year from now, in 2020.

Securing a small building, the first store was opened, and During its first half century, Detroit (which would it soon did a large business.” not become Detroit Lakes until 1926), saw a lot of By the mid-1880s, these early businesses had been changes, from electric lighting and indoor plumbing to joined by several others, including the Holmes Opera motorized vehicles, paved roads and cement sidewalks House and Hotel Minnesota (in which E.G. Holmes was with granite curbing. also a partner). The Opera House Block was In the early years, it was jokingly referred located on Washington Avenue, south of Story by to as “Swamp Town,” “Sloughville,” and even the railroad tracks, and would later become VICKI GERDES vgerdes@dlnewspapers.com “Mudville,” because it was built in the midst the home of Blanding’s Department Store.

Photos/illustrations of several sloughs and swamps. In fact, the C.K. Day & Co. had a grocery and dry courtesy of the area between Frazee Street and Detroit Lake goods store on the block, while F. Foss had Becker County Museum unless noted was one vast tamarack swamp. a saloon on the south corner and John H.

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This 1892 image shows Detroit Lakes — or the village of Detroit, as it was then known — as it appeared from atop the Hotel Minnesota, looking westward.

Smith had a saloon on the north corner; the opera hall the Detroit Record newspaper office, pool hall, livery was located on the upper level of the building. With a stable, the Hotel Minnesota, doctor’s office, two hardware seating capacity of 500, the hall was the hub of the village stores, a millinery, harness shop, drugstore, grocery store, of Detroit, where big political rallies were held to settle the lumber store, two saloons, a restaurant, feed stable, three issues of the day. The New Year’s Ball, visiting road shows blacksmith’s shops and an axe handle factory. and musicals, Fireman’s Ball, masquerades and talent E.G. Holmes built the community’s first light and shows were all held there, as well. power plant, which was purchased by the city in 1903.

In May 1884, work began on installing telephone lines at In July 1907, the Detroit village council took action to the Hotel Minnesota, Lake Hotel, depot bank building, the purchase a 12-acre tract of land fronting Little Detroit county courthouse and the offices of the Detroit Record.

Lake, adjacent to Washington Avenue, which became the One year later, the Detroit Telephone Company organized, community’s first city park. and the village council authorized it to construct, erect, and Detroit’s downtown business district gradually shifted maintain poles, posts, wires and other appliances. from Main Street to Washington Avenue during those An article in the July 28, 1949 edition of the Detroit Lakes Record, which described the village of Detroit in 1888, listed the following businesses as being north of the Northern Pacific (now Burlington Northern) railroad tracks: a bank, two general stores, a shoe store, two hotels, a harness maker, hardware store, feed store, lumber yard, jewelry store, meat market, drugstore and flour mill. South of the tracks The Editor of the Detroit Record, describing the creation of there were two jewelry stores, a meat market, bank, the town’s first store, the Pioneer Store, in August 1871 photography business, candy store, clothing store,

The goods were hauled in heavy wagons, pulled by nine ox teams.

DOWN TO BUSINESS | PAGE 7

first couple of decades, as the community began to spread south of the railroad tracks, toward Detroit Lake and its burgeoning steamboat trade — which brought thousands of tourists along with it.

By 1909, a second railroad, the Soo Line (now Canadian Pacific) had been constructed, and the old First National Bank building was being torn down to make room for a new brick structure that was described in the April 22, 1904 edition of the Detroit Record as “the most modern and substantial building in the county, and there will be few, if any, country bank buildings in this state its equal.”

A new depot for the Northern Pacific railroad was built that summer, as well; the structure still stands to this day, at the corner of Washington Avenue and Highway 10. It was officially placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

In the summer of 1910, a new municipal light plant was put into operation, and the city’s water mains were extended to the lake. The city’s old, wooden water tower was abandoned in favor of a new, steel tank and tower. By 1913, Washington Avenue had electric street lights from Front Street to State Street.

By the 1920s, motorized vehicles had all but replaced horse-drawn vehicles as the principal mode of transportation.

▲ The first store in Detroit, the Pioneer Store, was located next to Teague’s Drug Store and owned by E.G. Holmes and John Harding Phinney, who eventually became sheriff of Becker County. ▼ The view of Washington Avenue from the north side of the railroad tracks, back in the days before the roadway was paved.

A busy day in 1909 in downtown Detroit Lakes.

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DOWN TO BUSINESS | PAGE 9

TYLER’S HOTEL: “CENTER OF ALL ACTIVITY”

In 1870, a Boston native named Melvin M. Tyler came to Detroit with his family, and because he was so impressed with the beauty of the area, he decided to build a 12'x14' log cabin near Pelican River, north of the Northern Pacific Railroad tracks.

Since the tracks went past Tyler’s cabin, it became known as Tyler’s Hotel, which later became “the center of all activity,” according to records on file at the Becker County Museum.

This is because railroad men and travelers had nowhere else to stay and used his house as a hotel, which caused Tyler to build an addition to his cabin.

Tyler’s Hotel also served as the first post office in the area, and was an important meeting place; in fact, it was the setting of the first Becker County elections, on July 29, 1871. Other settlers soon started building near Tyler’s Hotel, and the community became known as Tylertown.

The railroad company built a crude shack to house a telegraph set, and it became the first depot in the area. Now, the Industrial Park in Detroit Lakes sits where Tyler’s log cabin once was, and Tylertown, also known as Tylerville, was eventually absorbed into what is now Detroit Lakes.

This 1949 drawing by artist Guy Teague depicts the village of Tylerville as it appeared in 1870.

THE MASONIC BLOCK: WHERE THE DEALMAKERS MET

The building at 900 Washington Avenue is one of the oldest in Detroit Lakes. It was the center of civic and commercial life for many of the city’s early years. The Masonic Hall was on the second floor, and since most of the city’s early businessmen were Masonic Lodge members, it’s safe to assume that many of the deals that created Detroit Lakes’ thriving early business community were made in this building.

Built in the late 19th century and now home to Main Street Restaurant, the building once housed the Detroit Lakes Post Office, the Golden Rule (a precursor to J.C. Penney) and later the Gopher Grill (which is now Main Street).

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The Graystone Hotel, located at the intersection of Washington Avenue and U.S. Highway 10, has been a local landmark since it was first built in 1917. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Submitted Photo

THE GRAYSTONE HOTEL & ANNEX

Like the Hotel Minnesota, E.G. Holmes was also the original proprietor of the Graystone Hotel, which was built during the winter of 1916-1917. To prevent this endeavor from suffering a similar fate to that of his previous hotel, Holmes made sure this one was as close to “fireproof ” as humanly possible at that time. The hotel was built beneath what locals called a “circus tent” during the winter months, to be ready for tourists arriving in the summer of 1917. Sure enough, the building lived up to its hype, as the structure still stands today, with a combination of apartments on the upper floors and retail/office space at street level. In 1999, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

At some time between 1917 and 1927, an annex was attached to the east side of the Graystone. This building was used to house individuals who were in town for extended stays; combined with the units inside the Graystone itself, this brought the number of rooms available to 100. A unique blend of a city hotel and rural resort,the Graystone was known for catering to tourists, rather than traveling merchants and other business-oriented visitors to the community.

The Masonic Block building at 900 Washington Avenue was built in the late 19th century, making it one of the oldest buildings in Detroit Lakes.

STEAMBOAT SERVICE: THE PELICAN VALLEY NAVIGATION COMPANY For 30 years, John K. West’s steamboat service was Detroit’s The Lady of the Lakes was 54 feet long, carried 12 passengers, most colorful tourist attraction. The Pelican Valley Navigation and had two engines. The Minnie Corliss launched at the foot of Company, with West as its president, was formed in 1889. The Washington Avenue on April 30, 1889. It was 70 feet long, 16 feet company contracted with Blanding and Smith — which was wide, had two decks, and could carry 200 passengers. actually a three-way business development partnership between For many years, the steamboats provided the only means Albert Blanding, John H. Smith and E.G. Holmes — to build for summer tourists to reach their homes on the lakes below steamboats that would run from Detroit. By 1917, boat travel had Little Detroit Lake to Pelican Lake. slowed; more and better roads were The first pair of steamboats on the being built to accommodate the rise river and canal system were the Lady of the automobile as the chief mode of of the Lakes and the Robert Fulton; transportation. the first steamboat to operate on In 1920, West, at the request of local Detroit Lake was the Minnie Corliss. farmers, destroyed the dams he had The Lady of the Lakes and Robert built and the canal once again became Fulton provided steamboat service a small, winding stream. Steamboats The Lady of the Lakes provided steamboat service for for tourists, but were also used to made way for gasoline-fueled motorhaul wood from the Shoreham area tourists, but was also used to haul wood from the Shoreham boats. Some steamboats were dismanarea after the tourist season was over, until the lakes after the tourist season was over, froze. The Lady of the Lakes was 54 feet long, carried 12 tled and hauled away, while others until the lakes froze. disappeared beneath the waves. passengers, and had two engines.

THE ‘FOUNDING FATHERS’ OF DETROIT LAKES

Col. George H. Johnston is known today as “The Father of Detroit Lakes.”

As head of the New England Colony of settlers, he selected the site for the townsite and did a great deal of promotion work to bring people here. After the settlers arrived, he made his home here and invested in early businesses.

E.G. Holmes was the first businessman of Detroit Lakes. He arrived here in 1871 and opened the first store and purchased much of the land that is now Detroit Lakes south of the tracks.

John K. West is known as “The Father of the Detroit Lakes Tourist Industry.” Because of his foresight and tireless energy during the 1880s, hundreds of people came here to enjoy the lakes. He promoted the use of steamboats from Detroit Lakes to Pelican Lake and developed Shoreham, which became the most famous vacation area of the state.

“Old Deadshot” was one of many colorful characters who were known and loved by the Detroit Lakes people. No one This illustration from a May 1971 special Centennial knew his real name was George publication of the Becker County Record depicts some of Easterly, nor did anyone espe- the Detroit Lakes community's "founding fathers." From the cially care. He camped on the Detroit Lakes Tribune archives shore of what is now known locally as Deadshot Bay, on an arm of Big George Simson was a public school Detroit. He appeared out of nowhere and teacher and principal who left behind a rich heritage in education in Detroit Lakes. lived in the area for about 20 years.

Dr. L.H. Rutledge came in 1919 to spend a summer and ended up staying for half a century. In addition to his medical work, he was involved in many community improvements, including the construction and development of St. Mary’s Hospital, Detroit Country Club and Rotary Club.

Kent Freeman was a longtime councilman and mayor of Detroit Lakes. Many city improvements were accomplished during his tenure, including the completion of the mile-long lakeshore, the construction of the city’s fieldhouse and extensive renovations at the airport.

DOWN TO BUSINESS | PAGE 11

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The Hotel Minnesota, built in 1884, was a four-story wooden structure located at the corner of Washington Avenue and Frazee Street. It had 75 sleeping rooms, a dining room that could seat 100, a billiard parlor and a large sample room, where salesmen displayed their wares.

THE HOTEL MINNESOTA

E.G. Holmes and J.A. Bowan joined forces to design and build the Hotel Minnesota in 1884. The four-story wooden structure at the corner of Washington Avenue and Frazee Street had 75 sleeping rooms, a dining room that could seat 100, a billiard parlor and a large sample room, where salesmen displayed their wares.

The hotel thrived in the late 1880s and ‘90s under the ownership of John K. West, who was also the man behind the lock and dam system used by his steamboats to travel the string of lakes between Detroit and Pelican Rapids.While Col. George H. Johnston is considered to be the founding father of Detroit Lakes, West is known as the father of the region’s tourism industry.

On June 26, 1915, the prosperous hotel became a mass of charred and smoking debris, after being consumed by a fire that had broken out in the laundry room.

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A STOLEN OPPORTUNITY: HOW THE CITY GOT ITS FIRST DEPOT

“First of all, there was no depot at Detroit. The depot was at Oak Lake... There was a little town there where the railroad workers had stayed the winter that the Oak Lake Cut was put through. That was the end of the road at that time. The town had a couple of little stores, a saloon and a small hotel. There were a few buildings in Detroit, and to make things more convenient the settlers here went up one night and stole the Oak Lake Depot. They dragged the little building down the tracks to Detroit, where it was placed north of the tracks, a little west of where the depot now stands. The few people at Oak Lake were pretty mad about that, but evidently not upset enough to retrieve it.”

Excerpted from a column in an old issue of the Detroit Lakes Tribune (date unknown; from the records at the Becker County Museum) • PAGE 12 | DOWN TO BUSINESS

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he Boys & Girls Club of Detroit Lakes has been serving local kids since 1957longer than any other Club in the State of Minnesota. For over 60 years, the Club “on the hill” has symbolized children, fun, and the future.

On December 20, 1955, Mrs. Bernice Crovisier gave a gift to the City of Detroit Lakes. A 10-acre parcel of property formerly home to the Crovisier family, was gifted to specifically be used as a children’s park as she recalled her own twelve children enjoying the land. Her gift was made in honor of her son, Sgt. Lyle Crovisier, who gave his life during an U.S. Air Force mission over New Guinea in May of 1943.

At the time, neither Mrs. Crovisier nor the City of Detroit Lakes could have foreseen the number of children that would enjoy this great park - every day and in every season. Now known as Lyle Crovisier Memorial Park and home to the Boys & Girls Club of Detroit Lakes, the Crovisier legacy lives on.

Within a year of Mrs. Crovisier’s gift, Independent Consolidated District 1 donated a former rural schoolhouse to the City of Detroit Lakes. The building was moved to the park to serve as a warming house for boys and girls. At the same time, community members were actively working to provide a solution to increased juvenile delinquency in the community. Meetings were organized and youth activities began to take shape. In June of 1957, these informally organized efforts became affiliated with the Boys Club of America and Detroit Lakes became the first organized Club in Minnesota. Children enjoy the many programs offered by our professional and caring staff thanks to Mrs. Crovisier’s gift.

In June 2017, the Building a Great Future for Local Youth campaign began.

Generosity from community members, businesses and foundations has raised $6,200,000 to date - 95% of our goal! Additional funds will be raised through continued asks and our Pave The Way To A Great Future opportunity. Construction on our new building began in earnest in August 2018. The nearly 100 year old facility, with additions built over time from the 60’s to the early 2000’s, was demolished in July, 2018. The average number of children we serve each day has increased from 32 in 2005 to 150 in 2017/2018. The 12,900 square foot building we operated in for so many years was no longer efficient or conducive to the impactful programs and services we provide. Our new facility of 29,650 square feet will be completed in July 2019, and will open August 28 with anticipation of serving up to 235 children daily. Our Grand Opening Celebration is set for August 22, 2019.

Thank you to all the donors and supporters who believe in our mission. We will be able to make a much broader impact on the families and children we serve on a daily basis because of you.

GREAT FUTURES START HERE. Visit us at bgcdl.org or on Facebook!

Boys & Girls Club of Detroit Lakes is an equal opportunity employer and service provider.

150 Richwood Road, P.O. Box 83 Detroit Lakes MN 56502-0083

(218) 847-5700, Ext. 1 (218) 847-1897 (fax) DOWN TO BUSINESS | PAGE 13

Nostalgic times in DL

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: ▶ The swimming beach in 1950, looking west with the Pavilion in

the background. ▶ This postcard, circa 1950s, shows a view of downtown Detroit Lakes as well as the City Beach and Pavilion. ▶ Washington Avenue, looking north (undated). ▶ This photo, circa the late 1930s, was taken during a street dance held between Blanding's Department Store and J.C. Penney.

Photos courtesy of the Becker County Museum

PAGE 14 | DOWN TO BUSINESS

It was just a fun time growing up. We were outdoors kids. We weren’t indoors at all. We didn’t have computers, electronics, cell phones…

Kathy Johnson Schaffler, 1964 DLHS grad People enjoy the City Beach, near the Pavilion, in 1960 or ‘61.

A

Story by s was the case in every community famously refused to give up her seat on a MARIE JOHNSON across the country in the decades bus in 1955, and by the ‘60s, the Civil Rights mtjohnson@dlnewspapers.com between 1920 and 1970, Detroit Movement was in full swing.

Photos/illustrations Lakes saw immense change.

The Beatles caused a craze that decade, courtesy of the Detroit Lakes 50s - 60s The U.S. economy expanded rapidly and the first Super Bowl was played. By the Memories Facebook page during “the Roaring Twenties,” only to lead end of the ‘60s, almost half a million U.S. unless noted into the worst economic downturn in the troops were in Vietnam. nation’s history, the Great Depression. That started to All the changes — in the culture, in the economy, in come to an end as World War II began, and the economy technology — that took place on the national stage were bounced back during the ‘40s. reflected here in Detroit Lakes. Over the years, the city’s The ‘50s brought the Korean War, Marilyn Monroe, dirt roads were paved over, and stop lights were put in as Disneyland and the first published “Peanuts” cartoon. traffic increased. Businesses ebbed and flowed with the By the middle of the decade, rock ‘n roll was all the rage, changing needs of the community; department stores kept and a major cultural shift was taking place. Rosa Parks people clothed, and barbershops clipped mens’ hair.

As the tourism industry billowed, so did the number of shops, hotels, gas stations and restaurants that catered to that crowd, though locals enjoyed the array, as well. Grocery stores and diners graced every neighborhood, and entertainment options like Kiddieland, malt shops and an outdoor roller rink offered fun for kids and families.

Kathe Johnson Schaffler, who graduated from Detroit Lakes High School in 1964, says Detroit Lakes was “a great little place to grow up.”

“The biggest thing about the 1950s and ‘60s back then was, we didn’t have TV,” she recalls. “We were always outside. We were skating down at the roller rink, or were down at the lake. We lived at the City Park, because the rec center was down there, they rented out

The Graystone Hotel, Cocktail Lounge and Liquor store in the 1950s.

DOWN TO BUSINESS | PAGE 15

games, ping pong, you could play basketball, tennis... We just lived down at the Kiddieland area and at the baseball park. It was for tourists, but we were there all the time.”

She remembers dances at the Pavilion, and burgers at the Red Hen drive-in. The Proctor Hotel “had the best bakery,” she says, and families shopped at popular stores in town like Norby’s, Blanding’s, In a 1956 article from the archives of the Becker County Museum, Woolworth’s, Coast to Coast and Buster Brown longtime Detroit Lakes resident Agnes B. West described “The Early Shoes. Everybody ate at the Gopher Grill (which Days of Detroit Lakes” (circa 1895) in this way: is now Main Street Restaurant), and watched “Those were the days of wooden sidewalks. There were none other, except movies at the Lake Theater — as well as a well-worn footpaths. One wooden sidewalk extended all the way down the drive-in movie theatre just outside of town, east side of Washington Avenue to the lake. At times the spikes used in called Skyview. fastening the planks to the runners would work up far enough to catch the “The drive-in was a big thing,” she says, woollen braid on the inside hem of a woman’s skirt — skirts were very long in “trying to see how many people you could fit those days! — and rip off a long piece of it. Often the planks were far enough in the trunk.” apart to catch the heel of a woman’s shoe and tear it off.

The library was a big part of kids’ days, “Worse still, a plank would get loose and move far enough so that to an too, and they easily found ways to spend their unwary person — usually a woman! — came the unpleasant surprise of a foot money on malts, ice cream and candies. and leg disappearing down an opening between two planks and becoming “It was just a fun time growing up,” Schaffler imprisoned so that there was nothing to do but stay there until some recalls. “We were outdoors kids. We weren’t man could be found to pry apart the planks far enough to release the captive’s limb, much to the embarrassment of the owner.” indoors at all. We didn’t have computers, electronics, cell phones…”

The streets were all gravel, and the main form of transportation George Thibault, who lived in Detroit Lakes around town was of the four-footed variety — namely horses, as a kid from 1935 to 1953, shortly before Schaffler’s which were either ridden or used to pull wagons and time, remembers Wilcox Lumber Co. operating from buggies, or in the winter, sleighs. about where the Washington Square Mall is now, before

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It’s interesting how this street has evolved.

Gerald Schram, longtime Detroit Lakes resident, talking about Washington Avenue the lumberyard burned down in the ‘50s. He worked at a grocery store as a teenager, which was as common for youth of that era as it still is today. There were several grocery stores in town around then, including Lincoln Grocery, National Tea, Rob Roy’s, Evans Foods, Red Owl and plenty of others.

There were a lot of gas stations then, too — just about one on every block through town. Longtime Detroit Lakes resident Gerald Schram explains this phenomenon as a simple product of the large amount of traffic that used to travel through town.

“Highway 10 used to run right along through Washington Avenue, Highway 59 used Washington, and (Highway) 34, as well, so it wasn’t just a street, it was a highway,” he says in a TV3 “Museum Road Show” video aired in June 2009. That also explains why Washington Avenue is such a wide street; it had to be wide enough to encompass all that traffic.

In the late ‘50s, Schram says, a curve was put in that went around the business district, and a decade later, “the bridge was put over the tracks and Highway 34 and 59 were rerouted out by Perkins, so that did away with a lot of traffic into Detroit Lakes.”

Schram remembers “at least a dozen restaurants” on Washington Avenue before then, along with businesses like Brekken’s menswear, Gambles hardware, J.C. Penney, Schaffer’s, Mayeron’s Clothing and Furniture, Lakes Sport Shop and Lindrud’s.

“It’s interesting how this street has evolved,” Schram says. “Some of the downtown we find now has spread to the outskirts of town.”

WORDS & PHRASES FROM YESTERYEAR

● Common old-time expressions: “It smells strong enough to knock an ox down,” “It’s as easy as fallin’ off a log,” “You’re as much mistaken as if you’d burnt your shirt,” “I’ll knock him into the middle o’ next week,” “Don’t open yer yawp,” “Birds of a feather flock together,” “The more haste, the less speed,” “Crooked as a ram’s horn,” “It rained pitchforks,” “Don’t git yer dander up,” and “If you don’t like it, you can lump it.” ● Something hard to find: “Scarce as hen’s teeth.” ● Disliked person: “Old blatherskite” or “Scallawag.” ● Stand-ins for expletives: “Gosh all fish hooks,” “The devil and Tom Walker,” “So help me jumping John Rogers,” “Jumping Aunt Hannah,” “Land o’ goshen,” and “By cracky.” ● Words women used for emphasis: “In all my born days” and “For land sakes alive.” ● Words men used for emphasis: “What in Sam Hill” or “Zounds and garters.”

Excerpted from an article in the Becker County Record archives

◄ There were a number of barbers in the earlier days of Detroit Lakes.

This newspaper clipping shows the “Detroit Lakes Barbers of 1956” prior to a state convention of barbers and beauticians that was held in town that September. They include, standing, from left: H.R. Eininger, Duane Dann, Hunce Ehlke, Dale Mattson, Gordon Sharp, Odin Lysaker and J.J. Marion.

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◄ In the mid-1950s, these Washington Avenue “landmarks,” as the local newspaper called them at the time, were removed to make way for a new Woolworth’s building — the Model Barber Shop, Jack’s Place and Joy’s Cafe.

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218-820-1809 A view of Washington Avenue, looking south, in 1952.

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THE LAKE AND STATE THEATERS: MOVIES FOR A DIME

When the State Theatre opened in 1921, “talkies” weren’t even a thing yet (that didn’t happen until 1927, with the movie, “The Jazz Singer”). The theatre played silent movies in its early years and so, to provide music and sound effects for

The Lake Theater ticket booth and front entrance, in 1938. Photo from the Detroit Lakes '50s - 60s Memories Facebook page

the films, it had a fotoplayer — a piano-like contraption that featured all sorts of noise-making gadgets on it, like drums and a train whistle.

In 1945, the Lake Theatre was built just down the street from the State Theatre (where The Nines is today). The Lake featured an Art Deco design and was originally faced with limestone from southern Minnesota. It was redesigned into a “space age” style in 1967, and featured two circular tube-like piers that divided its facade into thirds.

George Thibault, who lived in Detroit Lakes as a kid, recalls that the same family ran both theatres in the 1940s and ‘50s.

They would typically play new and popular movies every day at the newer Lake Theatre, while showing double features, such as “B” westerns, on weekends at the older State Theatre.

Thibault remembers falling asleep during “The Wizard of Oz” at the State Theatre as a young kid: “The floor of the theatre had a slant to it, and I fell asleep during the movie and fell out of my chair and rolled down the aisle. I embarrassed the heck out of my sister!”

He says Saturday afternoon matinees cost just 10 cents back then.

BUNNELL’S BOWLING ALLEY: WHERE THE CARD SHARKS CIRCLED

Bunnell’s was a popular pub that had a four-lane bowling alley downstairs and a place for playing cards upstairs.

George Thibault, who was raised in Detroit Lakes, remembers setting the pins for bowling as a boy: “It was before modern conveniences, so somebody would have to be sitting down at the end of the alley to pick up and reset the pins... before going to a different frame.”

The card games played at Bunnell’s were sometimes highstakes. In a TV3 “Museum Road Show” video aired in June 2009, longtime resident Gerald Schram recalled one man even losing his lake home in a card game there.

A recreation of this "World's Smallest Gas Station" is now displayed at the Becker County Museum. Photo courtesy of the Becker County Museum

“THE WORLD’S SMALLEST GAS STATION”

Bunnell's Bowling Alley and Pool Hall was a popular place to play cards and knock down some pins. Woolworths, pictured here to the right of Bunnell's, was a five-and-dime store in town for many years. Photo courtesy of the Becker County Museum

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Built in the early 1920s and located just north of the Graystone Hotel, this Standard Oil Co. gas station was dubbed “the world’s smallest station” by Robert Ripley’s “Believe It or Not.” The station’s manager at the time described it as “the greatest promotional thing Detroit Lakes has ever had.”

The 3.5’x4’ station had a winding stairway leading to a 10’x15’ basement with a restroom and storage spot. The station was left without anyone to run it after the original operators entered the military, so Standard Oil sold it to the city of Detroit for $500 and it was torn down to make way for a traffic safety island. *From the “Historic Downtown Detroit Lakes” walking tour booklet, provided by the Becker County Museum

DOWN TO BUSINESS | PAGE 21

BLANDING’S DEPARTMENT STORE: THE STORE THAT HAD IT ALL

Arnold "Beans" Benson owned Benson's Cafe, on the north side of Washington Avenue, from 1948 until 1966. He was known for being a good cook, baker, and practical joker. Video still from Becker County Historical Society's “Museum Road Show,” TV3, aired September 2010

BENSON’S CAFE: SERVING UP SMILES

Not many people knew Arnold Benson’s real first name — everybody always just called him by his nickname, Beans.

Beans would wake up at 4 a.m. every day to start baking the rolls, pies, donuts and other desserts for the day, and then, after an afternoon nap, would keep on working until 8 p.m. His homemade beef, pork, ham and meatballs were staples at the cafe, and Beans would also make a vegetable of the day and fresh soups to go with his main courses. He seldom used a written recipe.

Known for being a practical joker, Beans once stuck a piece of cardboard inside a regular customer’s pancake, just for a laugh, and another time he tricked one of his salesmen into making an ‘emergency’ sales call to a mortuary.

When kids came into the cafe, he’d wiggle his ears at them and make funny faces. He was a well-liked guy.

Customers got used to seeing his kids around the cafe, too, as they regularly helped out. In an episode of “Museum Road Show” aired on TV3 in September 2010, Vern Benson, the son of Beans, recalls peeling piles of onions in the cafe’s kitchen as a boy — decked out in swimming goggles and a noseplug. He also remembers being in the cafe in November of 1963, sitting in a front booth with a friend and listening to the radio, when the news broke that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated.

Beans had a cafe on a side street off Washington Avenue prior to opening Benson’s Cafe, which he owned from 1948 until 1966, when he sold it to become a cook at the Graystone Hotel, according to Vern in the video. For awhile, the building was used as a saloon and pool hall; today, it’s the home of D.L. Tobacco.

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Blanding’s was “the Walmart of Detroit Lakes” long before there was such a thing as Walmart, according to Richard Blanding, a former owner of the store.

In a Becker County Historical Society “Museum Road Show” video by TV3, originally aired in October 2010, Blanding describes how customers could do “all your shopping under one roof ” at his family’s store.

Blanding’s sold food, clothing, dishware, hardware, furniture, shoes… you name it. At one point they even sold coal and wood to the railroad companies, and had a separate storage unit for dynamite.

In 1906, the store had a dressmaking department with six women on staff who handmade dresses tailored to each customer. After that, the store modernized and implemented a ready-to-wear dress department.

THE LAKE END: KIDDIELAND, THE PAVILION, SANDWICH HUT AND MORE

The southernmost end of Washington Avenue, from about where Midwest Printing is now down to the lake, used to be a hub of activity for the people of Detroit Lakes, especially kids and teens.

Kathe Schaffler, a 1964 Detroit Lakes High School graduate, says the Red Hen, where the servers would bring a tray of food out to your car and hang it from the driver’s side window, “was a big thing back then. It was a drive-in. A lot of kids worked there.”

Another popular food joint, the Sandwich Hut, was right next door to the Red Hen, and A&W and Dairy Queen were in that same area during this era, too.

All along that strip were places to see and do fun things: there was an outdoor roller rink, the baseball field, the City Park and rec center (where there were frequently concerts and activities for kids), the City Beach, Kiddieland, Walter’s Tackle — which had fish in the window that all the kids liked to stop and see — and, of course, the Pavilion, where big dances were held every weekend, all summer long.

The Pavilion was built in 1915 and was originally used for graduations and community events like the Northwest Water

Blanding’s history goes back to 1887, when Richard’s grandfather, Arthur Blanding, and a partner started Blanding & Smith china shop. They had success and expanded their offerings, and eventually that business evolved into the Blanding’s that many people still remember today. The business closed in 1979.

“Mass merchandising changed the face of retailing, and we decided that Walmart and Pamida and Kmart were a little bit strong for us to compete with,” explains Richard in the video.

“Blanding’s, I remember, had everything,” recalls George Thibault, who grew up in Detroit Lakes. “They had a hardware store, they had a grocery store, they had ready-wear clothing…

It was a popular place.”

THE HANGOUT: NELSON DRUG STORE

Nelson Drug Store was a place where kids used to go to get malts and hang out, recalls George Thibault, who was a teenager in the early ‘50s in Detroit Lakes. There was a soda fountain in there, and even after the store moved a block south from its original location, “they kept their fountain, so you could still go and get your malted milks and ice cream and sundaes and stuff,” he says.

According to information in the files at the Becker County Museum, Edwin F. Nelson opened Nelson Drug Store in 1928, and operated it until his retirement in 1960.

In 1948, the business was relocated to Washington Avenue and Holmes Street, where Mainstream Boutique is today.

Blanding's Department Store was a popular shopping spot for many years, offering all sorts of household goods and apparel all under the same roof. Video still from Becker County Historical Society's “Museum Road Show," TV3, aired October 2010

Carnival. It saw a heyday of sorts in the 1950s and ‘60s, as rock ‘n roll entered the mainstream and some big names, including Bobby Vee and Louis Armstrong, came to town to play.

Nelson Drug Store is pictured in the 1950s. Clearly visible behind the store are the smokestacks from the city’s coal-fired power and steam plant. The plant provided steam heat to buildings downtown, and the steam whistle that was always activated at specific times of the day acted as a signal for workers and kids alike, letting everyone know it was time for lunch or dinner. In 1959, an antenna was installed on the 200-foot smokestack for a Civil Defense radio system.

A Sandwich Hut luau in 1969. From left to right are: Bonnie Leitheiser, Renee Royce, DeeDee Drake and Nancy Sutter. Photo from the Detroit Lakes '50s - 60s Memories Facebook page

Bob Wilson, whose father worked at the plant in the 1950s, wrote on the Detroit Lakes 50s - 60s Memories Facebook page that, “All the coal had to be shoveled off of box cars, no hopper bottoms back then.

Then it had to be shoveled into the boilers, which heated water into steam, which turned the turbans to produce power. Not an easy job.”

Photo courtesy of the Becker County Museum

•

DOWN TO BUSINESS | PAGE 23

The oldest retail business downtown:

to work jointly in the business. He was a dedicated owner, manager, jeweler, gemologist and watchmaker. He’s retired today, but recognized for his extensive involvement in the jewelry industry as a registered jeweler and past-president of the Minnesota Watchmakers and the Minnesota Jewelers Board of Directors.

Ruth was the bookkeeper for the business for several years, but her most devout position was as wife and mother to their four children — Steve, Lynnette, Roger and Cheryl. All the children have been involved in the business over the years. ow in its 76th year in its downtown location, Roger and his wife, Anita, own Price’s Price’s Fine Jewelry is the oldest retail business Fine Jewelry today. Roger started in the in Detroit Lakes that still occupies the same business during junior high, learning building as when it first opened. goldsmith skills from his grandfather and It all started with the Northern Pacific Railway and its father, who mentored him and instilled a obsession with time. strong work ethic and family values.

Lynnette Price, who works at the family jewelry busiAnita was a part-time employee of the shop while in high ness today, explains that the railway was a great company school, and a relationship later developed between her and to work for, but it insisted that its employees always know Roger. They began dating some years later and married in the time: “You had to have a railroad-approved watch,” 1996, after she completed her college degree in elementary she says. “You couldn’t get a job without an approved, education. Roger went on to graduate from Minneapolis working watch.”

Technical Institute with Lynnette’s father, Jerry an emphasis on jewelry Price, told her that Price’s manufacturing and repair. was a small shop that He now holds the title of often couldn’t get parts for “Master Goldsmith.” He is watches in need of repair. highly respected in the jew“Established compaelry industry for his eye for nies had first priority,” superior craftsmanship in she explains. Her father diamond setting and goldhad the right specialized smith work. tools and equipment, “so Roger and Anita are the he started making his own third husband-wife team to (tiny) watch parts, with a oversee the family business. magnification eye loupe.”

They have three children, Clarissa Price in Price’s Jewelry store in its earlier days. The view is Going further back, Kelvin, Breanna and Kylee. from the front door facing the outer garden. Clarissa and Kenneth Jerry’s father, Kenneth Although the firm has were the first husband-wife team to run the store. Submitted Photo Price, launched the firm in changed in many ways Detroit Lakes in 1943. (And through the years, Anita going even further back, his father, Sylvester Price, gradusays it has always focused on good customer relations, fine ated from the Bradley Institute as a watchmaker in 1898, craftsmanship, quality jewelry, accurate appraisals and and he passed his skills down to the family). trustworthy repairs.

From the beginning, Price’s has been a family-run “The cornerstone of our business is to be honest and business, according to the firm’s website and interviews relational,” Anita says. “We’re in a small enough town with family members. to know enough people, but a big enough one to have Kenneth and his wife Clarissa were the first husgenerational experience.” band-wife team, and Jerry bought into the company as a Multiple generations have come to Price’s to get their teenager — with $200 he had saved from his engagement rings, for example, because it’s Story by Detroit Lakes paper route. a tradition in their family, she says.

NATHAN BOWE Jerry married Ruth Hanson in 1952 Technology and business methods have nbowe@dlnewspapers.com and they became the second Price couple changed over the decades, but as it has

Price’s Fine Jewelr y

N

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Anita Price in the store’s showroom, which has been redone several times over the years. Photo by Nathan Bowe / Tribune

been from the start, relationships are the key to success at Price’s.

“Back in the old days, young people would want to get married, but didn’t have the money. My grandparents would work with them and always find something they could afford,” says Lynnette. “There’s something very sweet with the old stories.” •

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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:

There was a lot of roadwork in Detroit Lakes in 2015, with construction on Washington Avenue, Highway 59 and Highway 10. An underpass was installed near the Highway 10 intersection. In 2016, a frontage road was put in to connect downtown to the big box stores west of town.

Tribune File Photo The flagship Zorbaz in Detroit Lakes is celebrating 50 years this year. Tribune File Photo The giant Slipper Slide at Kiddieland was a favorite family activity for years in Detroit Lakes. Former employees recall having to wax the slide at the start of every summer season.

From the Detroit Lakes 50s - 60s Memories Facebook page

Modern times

T

The Last 50 Years

Floan has lived in Detroit Lakes for nearly his entire life, graduating from Detroit Lakes High School in 1966.

He recalls Washington Avenue, south of Willow in the 1970s, as a key example of all of this change. One business he remembers vividly is “a notorious dive bar,” the Green Door. He says it sat right where the new Fairfield Inn and Suites is now.

“The fire department burned it down in 1974 or so,” recalls Floan, explaining that the business had just gone too far downhill to be saved.

That area saw quite a bit of turnover in the last five decades. A couple of pizza places occupied the space for a while. The Park Cabins, which sat just north of the corner until very recently, were a remnant of the resort-like configuration of hotels and cabins that once sat there. The Park Cabins were recently torn down for the new Fairfield Inn.

he last 50 years of business in downtown Detroit Lakes has been a time of great change. This is the era when the Washington Square Mall was constructed, Highway 10 was rerouted, and big box stores started pushing more development northwest of the downtown area.

New businesses have popped up through the years, and some are still flourishing, while others were lost to the times. In very recent years, some key spots in town have seen new construction, with 2018 being a record-breaking year for city building permits.

Fred Floan, Local Historian “The thing that would stand out to me most would be the number of buildings and separate businesses that A little farther north on Washington, where Subway and were around that have now disappeared,” says Fred Floan, Dominoes now sit, is where Kiddieland sat until it closed thinking back on the last 50 years. “I guess it’s down in 1993, Floan says. Some of the rides pretty common for most towns because with were purchased and refurbished some years Story by the way people are buying now… You can’t later and were moved to Cormorant, where KAYSEY PRICE have little mom-and-pop shops anymore.” kprice@dlnewspapers.com they still whirl up every summer.

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The thing that would stand out to me most would be the number of… businesses that were around that have now disappeared.

Across Forest Street was an A&W drive in, Dairy Queen, and, eventually, Miguel’s. Just north of that was even more fun for a short time, a trampoline park called Jumping Joy. This area is also where DDalls, Burnside’s Charhouse and Bar, and Quality Bait and Tackle sat before being

knocked down last year to make room for a new development currently in the works, which will house apartments and a Sanford Accessories store.

On the east side of Washington Avenue, Floan says the biggest change was when Sanford came in, replacing a residential area.

THE INTRODUCTION OF WASHINGTON SQUARE MALL We’ll have a downtown retailing district that’ll be the envy of most, if not all cities our size.

From a 1985 Detroit Lakes Tribune Editorial The Washington Square Mall has been a staple of downtown Detroit Lakes for more than 30 years. As the project was under Washington Square Mall opened in 1986, making a significant impact on the look and feel of construction, an editorial piece in the local downtown. Here, an early architectural drawing showed what the mall would look like once it newspaper called the development, “dreams opened. From a 1985 issue of the Detroit Lakes Tribune, from the Tribune archives and idle talk coming to fruition.”

“We’ll have a downtown retailing district that’ll be the expansion of the city’s retail business community,” wrote envy of most, if not all cities our size,” wrote Mike Meyer, the Tribune in 1985. “The project is expected to attract then-general manager of the Detroit Lakes Tribune, in the 25 to 30 new retail stores to downtown Detroit Lakes and 1985 editorial. generate 225 new jobs.”

After a fire destroyed a few Those new stores were leased of the stores along Washington in droves, with a third of the Avenue, a development comrental space leased only a few ● The mall was built around existing buildings, pany, Ryan Development, Inc., months after the groundbreakand has some interesting quirks. There is a little came in and decided to build a ing ceremony. courtyard within the mall, for example, located mall that would “wrap around” “A mall in a downtown is behind Mattson’s Barber Shop. The space isn’t the remaining stores on the west very, very unique,” Mall Manager actually part of the mall; it’s a green space for side of the street.

Dawn Olson says, adding that an apartment above and is private property. The A groundbreaking ceremony most communities choose to space even has a little tree growing in it. on Oct. 14, 1985, set the building build malls on the outskirts of ● Some of the buildings that the mall was built process in motion and, a little town, in a development area, around have basements and apartments above. over a year later, on Nov. 12, which can “kill the downThe basement below Glik’s is used for mall stor1986, the 116,000-square-foot town.” But she says having the age, and the apartments above are abandoned, as they’ve been considered too old and costly mall opened its doors to the Washington Square Mall in the to fix up. public. heart of Detroit Lakes helps to “The $9.4 million downtown create a vibrant city center: “That ● There’s a rumor that the theater is haunted. redevelopment project (the mall was quite the foresight of the The mall manager says just about every movie theater employee claims to have seen ghosts. itself was estimated at a cost of development company, to build $6,286,000) represents a major a mall in a downtown.”

DID YOU KNOW?

DOWN TO BUSINESS | PAGE 27

THE LINDRUD’S FIRE

Lindrud’s Variety Store was a favorite in downtown for many years, remembered fondly for its creaky wooden floors and a coin-operated horse that stood outside the store for children to ride on. Located at 828 Washington Avenue and owned by Bernie Lindrud, the store was destroyed in a fire on June 14, 1984. At the time, it was called the largest fire in the history of the city, according to a newspaper article that came out right after the fire. Arson and burglary were later tied to the fire, which began in the basement. Lindrud’s was a complete loss, as were many other businesses, including the Eagles Club, Irvine Law Office, Diamond’s, Lady’s Unique and Woolworth’s. Photos from the Detroit Lakes 50s - 60s Memories Facebook page

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DOWN TO BUSINESS | PAGE 29

AHEAD OF THE S-CURVE: HIGHWAY 10 GETS REALIGNED

Years of planning and construction came to an end in 2010, when the Highway 10 realignment, which took out the old S-curve, was completed. The town had a fresh look and flow, with ample space for brand new business expansion.

“I think the way that the city acquired properties and put together larger tracts of land for redevelopment so we ended up with Downtown Crossing and McKinley Plaza, it turned out good for business, and visually for the community,” says Larry Remmen, Detroit Lakes’ community development director.

An aerial view of downtown Detroit Lakes before the 2010 Highway 10 realignment project that removed the S-curve seen here. Tribune File Photos

DOWNTOWN CROSSING

The Caribou Coffee store that opened in 2013 in the Downtown Crossing development in Detroit Lakes, had the second-highest opening week sales of any store in the chain.

LAKES LIQUOR

Separate from Downtown Crossing, but opening just east of there in the same year, Lakes Liquor moved to its new location in 2012.

City leaders toyed with the idea of renovating and expanding the old municipal liquor store attached to the city offices, but ultimately decided a Highway 10 location would make the most sense.

When the construction project was estimated out during the proposal stage, it was thought a new 10,500-square-foot liquor store would cost about $2.2 million. In order to pay for that project and continue to provide the income it already did at the time, liquor sales needed to increase by about 15 percent per year.

“We make decisions that’s hopefully in the best interest of Detroit Lakes to grow,” G.L. Tucker, city council member, said during the planning stages. “In my mind, the only decision is to build a new liquor store.”

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Downtown Crossing was the first redevelopment property to finish construction in 2012, after the highway realignment.

One of the first businesses to open its doors in the new strip mall was Miguel’s, and soon after, all the storefronts were open.

Downtown Crossing is home to a number of eateries, like The Brygge, Cherry Berry, Caribou Coffee, Miguel’s and Jimmy John’s. It also houses two phone companies and salon and spa-type businesses, like Great Clips and Marvelous Nails.

The outlier that has no other business like it in the strip mall is O’Reilly Auto Parts.

For the most part, the storefronts haven’t changed hands much over the past several years.

The city toyed with the idea of renovating and expanding the old municipal liquor store before ultimately decided a Highway 10 location made the most sense.

Alderman Bruce Imholte agreed, saying it needs to be looked at as a business and not a city operation: “One, it’s a monopoly, and two, people are never going to stop buying booze. They just aren’t.”

MCKINLEY PLAZA

Burger Time was one Detroit Lakes business that didn’t survive the Highway 10 realignment. The burger joint closed up shop, with intentions to build new in a different space, but another Burger Time never came to fruition.

McKinley Plaza followed closely behind Downtown Crossing.

Opening in 2016, it quickly reeled in businesses like Dairy Queen, the owner of the ice cream eatery not wanting to pass up the opportunity to have a drive-through.

“The drive-through will be new to us,” Lee Kensinger told the Tribune in 2016, right before the new location opened. “I think that will be the biggest change from the other store. Up to two-thirds of business goes through the drive-through.”

The plaza is also home to businesses like Papacitos Burritos, Apex, The UPS Store, the Nail Bar, McKinley Nutrition and Snap Fitness.

The property still has a couple empty storefronts, which means there is still room for businesses to grow in the area.

McKinley Plaza sets itself apart from Downtown Crossing by offering second-story apartments. The developers took the area’s housing shortage into consideration when building.

MOVED OR MISSED

Some businesses moved locations during the Highway 10 realignment, like Floral Impressions, Orton’s Gas Station, and KFC. A few businesses didn’t survive the change, though — the most notable to many being Burger Time.

After 22 years in business in Detroit Lakes, the burger joint decided to close up shop at the end of 2011. Don Insley, the restaurant’s manager, told the Tribune then that if Burger Time were to ever reopen, it would be in a newly constructed building, meaning it would take time.

But Burger Time never reopened, and has been missed by many ever since. •

The McKinley Plaza opened in 2016. It is one of the redevelopments that was made possible after the Highway 10 realignment project.

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On the

horizon

What’s next for downtown Detroit Lakes A recent bird’s eye view of downtown Detroit Lakes in the early evening. Tribune File Photo

“We also have incentives in place, like loans and tax increment financing, and we do a lot of things with other entities, making sure we have a suitable workforce — that requires training opportunities and affordable housing,” — Roman philosopher Seneca says Remmen.

Detroit Lakes constantly strives to improve he future of Detroit Lakes is in the hands of its its assets, from the Highway 10 realignment to downtown residents, acting through their representatives on redevelopment, from the upcoming West Lake Drive the city council. improvement project to new parks and trail improvements “We have a history of progress and a future of opporacross town. tunity,” says Community Development Director Larry “We don’t just leave our assets to their own devices, we Remmen. “We like to be proactive, progressive and work on improving them,” Remmen says. prepared for opportunities.”

The Highway 10 realignment project, for instance, led Detroit Lakes has been fortunate in its location, in to the Downtown Crossing, McKinley Plaza and Holiday Minnesota lakes country, within an hour’s drive from the Station projects, he says.

Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area. But the city has also There is money available for building facade improvehelped make its own luck by being ready to fling open the ments downtown, and the Norby Flats project, offering door when opportunity knocks. retail on the bottom and apartments on top, will mean “We want to provide the proper foundation so we’re that the hole in the downtown retail sector left by Norby’s ready for business growth and have infrastructure in department store going out of business won’t remain place,” Remmen says. unfilled for long.

And the city wants to have amenities in place to attract New housing has been going up, including the 30-unit and retain businesses and employees — everything from Apex Townhomes, the 55-unit Stonebrook Apartments industrial parks to good roads to quality and the 76-unit Pelican Landing assisted Story by schools to parks. Things like the community living building.

NATHAN BOWE and cultural center and Detroit Mountain Taken together, there are a lot of things nbowe@dlnewspapers.com are great assets, as well, he says. that make Detroit Lakes an attractive

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

T

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community to live, work, raise kids and retire in. “We have amenities that are important to people,” Remmen says.

“We try to be prepared for opportunities and create our own opportunities.”

Remmen considers even vacant property, like the former Kmart store, to have a silver lining.

“I’m not overly concerned about the Kmart site,” he says. “There’s been a lot of interest expressed, something will happen there. It’s an asset — it has value.”

Online shopping has had a big impact, but local retail isn’t going away — although it’s going to change, Remmen says: “The retailers that will be successful still have

WEST LAKE DRIVE

A big project coming up in Detroit Lakes will be the redevelopment of West Lake Drive along the city’s mile-long beach. A design plan was approved by the city council last year, but individual elements of the plan still require city council action.

The possibilities for development include: ▶ A two-level parking deck that would stretch across most of the existing Lakeside Tavern parking lot and replace the Holiday Haven motel. A rooftop deck would overlook the lake, and special features like awnings, goose-neck lighting and quality materials would help the parking deck blend in with its surroundings. ▶ Three or four large “mixed use” complexes that combine retail shops and housing could replace older cabin-style motels, a coin laundry and individual houses. ▶ Peoples Street and Forest Street could extend into the fairgrounds and tie into a new street that connects to West Lake Drive.

brick-and-mortar locations, and an online presence…

People also like to order their stuff online and just go pick it up. Walmart, Target and others are changing the way they do business to address that.”

Detroit Lakes came out of the great recession of 20082009 in better shape than a lot of Minnesota cities, losing just 2 percent of its stores, and in 2015 it was punching way above its weight for cities its size.

It ranked No. 17 among all outstate cities, with 127 stores generating $194 million in retail sales and consumer services — three quarters of that total coming from retail sales.

▶ A multi-use trail could run roughly between the new developments along the beach and the fairgrounds.

Promenades would lead to a central plaza in the center of the fairgrounds complex. ▶ The city bathhouses on Rossman and Legion Road could be remodeled or replaced, with enhancements like splash pads for kids at the Legion and Pavilion. ▶ There could be a wider sidewalk along the beach, a multi-use trail along the side of the street, and additional green space, small parks and streetscaping amenities. ▶ The city boat launch off Rossman Avenue could be closed to motorized boats, with the launch for motorized boats relocated to an area near the bathhouse on the Pavilion end of the beach. ▶ Possible improvements to the Pavilion, which is slowly sinking on one end, or it could be torn down and replaced, using some of the original elements in an aesthetic way.

These are just some highlights. To see the full 70-plus page plan, visit www.plandetroitlakes.com.

An artist’s rendition shows what a new multi-use trail might look like along a streetscaped West Lake Drive. Graphic by RDG Planning and Design

PAGE 34 | DOWN TO BUSINESS

NORBY’S

When Norby’s Department Store closed its doors last summer after 112 years as a prominent Washington Avenue mainstay, the community was naturally concerned about what that might do to the downtown business district.

Fortunately, the property was bought up fast, and the new owners’ plans to honor the building’s past, while keeping an eye on the future, have been largely met with approval by the community.

The new owners are restoring the exterior of the building back to its original look of more than a century ago, and are also gutting and completely reworking the space inside so that it can be used in the same way it was back then, with shops along the street level and apartments upstairs.

Under the name of Norby Flats, the property will consist of 12,000-square-feet of commercial space and 13 efficiency, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments. The interior design is being driven by the architecture of the building, with its brick walls, columns and unique spacing.

The owners, operating under the name of Norby Flats, LLP, include four partners, three of whom are associated with Goldmark Commercial Leasing out of Fargo.

One of those partners, Jim Buus, president and managing broker at Goldmark, told the Tribune in April that there

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DOWN TO BUSINESS | PAGE 35

was already at least one committed tenant for one of the spaces, and the partners felt confident that the rest of the space would get leased out quickly. There had also been a number of calls already about the upstairs apartments.

Buus said work on the commercial space was expected to be complete by early summer 2019, while the apartments should be ready by late summer.

A little history of the building The buildings that became the Norby’s store were originally built for the John H. Smith Company in 1887; Smith later partnered with Arthur Blanding and E.G. Holmes to form Blanding & Smith, but by 1898, they had parted ways, and Blanding had started a partnership with L.J. Norby. Brothers L.J. and Gustav Norby established their own store in 1906, L.J. having split with Blanding in order to do so. (Blanding continued to run his own department store for many years.) The business originally offered retail goods, as well as a grocery department on the south

Plans for the new Norby Flats project call for retail space on the ground level and apartments upstairs. The new owners are restoring the building back to how it looked more than 100 years ago. It’s seen here in mid-April, in the midst of the removal of the brick facade that had defined the look of the building since 1959.

Tribune File Photo

end of the building. By 1914, Norby’s had expanded to 75 feet of storefront, and it eventually became a two-story facility with a brick facade concealing its original structure as three separate buildings. •

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