Columbia Park

Across the sprawling 180 acres, Columbia Park beckons. It’s a Northeast Minneapolis gem, nestled along Central Avenue. Columbia Park has been a community cornerstone for nearly 130 years. The park offers something for everyone. From a dog park to an archery range and an 18-hole golf course, it’s a recreational haven. Let’s journey back to 1892. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board envisioned an ice rink on Sandy Lake. Land was being developed rapidly, and the park board saw an opportunity. They purchased 144 acres, including most of Sandy Lake, for a hefty $208,000. That’s over $6,000,000 today. Neighbors, eager for a new park, petitioned the board, and the sellers even chipped in $20,000 for improvements. The deal was sealed. In December 1892, 400 years after Columbus’s voyage, Columbia Park was born. This acquisition sparked the idea of the Grand Rounds, a parkway encircling Minneapolis. The following summer, a bandstand graced the park, providing seasonal entertainment. Ideas for the park’s future swirled. An arboretum, a resort, athletic fields, and a golf course were all considered. In the meantime, the lowlands were used for hay production. Over the next 15 years, Columbia Park expanded by another 31 acres. Sandy Lake, initially thought to be spring-fed, began to shrink. By 1910, it was more marshland than lake. In 1914, the city installed storm sewers, effectively draining the lake. This has led to occasional spring flooding in the park’s lowlands. In 1912, plans emerged to connect Columbia Park to the Grand Rounds. Two years later, 33rd Avenue was renamed St. Anthony Parkway, becoming the first east-west route north of Lowry Avenue. This Northeast section of the Grand Rounds was finished in 1924, marked by a grand parade. The golf course at Columbia Park has an interesting history. It started with six holes and sand putting greens in 1917. By 1922, it boasted a full 18 holes with grass greens. Its popularity soared, leading to the construction of a clubhouse in 1925, later named “The Manor”. In 1930, Superintendent Theodore Wirth envisioned a road connecting Columbia Parkway to 33rd Avenue. This included a picnic shelter, athletic fields, and an indoor pool along Central Avenue. The road would cross the Soo Line Railway tracks on the unique Columbia Park Bridge, one of only two steel, ribbed-arch bridges in Minnesota. Sadly, the Great Depression derailed Wirth’s plan. The Northeast Lions Club gifted the park its first picnic shelter in 1956. This was a first for the park system, featuring coin-operated electrical outlets and hotplates. In the late 1960s, the golf course was lengthened to stay competitive. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing became popular winter activities. In the 1990s, Columbia Park housed the park system’s first golf learning center and a new playground. More recently, efforts have focused on mitigating flooding and improving the park’s ecosystem. This includes replacing the storm sewer system, controlled burns, and planting native vegetation. These improvements promise an enhanced experience for all visitors to this beloved Minneapolis park.