ELWELL
A Century of Reinvention
Elwell Park is a small park with a long and layered history. Located along 6th Street SE in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, it has been rebuilt, reimagined, and restored multiple times over more than a century.
This premise of this site has been an open-air school, a neighborhood playfield, a replacement tot lot after Interstate 35W destroyed the original park, and eventually a distinctive public art space shaped by artists, residents, and students.
Here, we trace that evolution—from early history to the 1999 transformation and the recent restoration—showing how a neighborhood has continually redefined this space.
The Original Elwell Park
Before the Park
A place for healing and care
Before the park we see today, the area was home to the Trudeau School, part of Minneapolis’ early “open-air school” movement for children vulnerable to tuberculosis.
Students spent much of their day outdoors, even in winter, with a focus on fresh air, nutrition, rest, and regular health care. The school closed in 1938, just before the site transitioned into recreation.
Trudeau School, 4th St SE and 9th Ave SE
Original Elwell Park
The First Elwell Park
A neighborhood playfield (1940–1960s)
Elwell Field (located at 5th Ave SE and 9th St SE), later known as Elwell Park (9th Ave SE, between 4th and 5th Streets SE), was created in 1940 after years of neighborhood advocacy. It featured open space, mature trees, and traditional playground equipment.
Within two decades, it would be removed to make way for Interstate 35W.
Loss + Replacement
Interstate 35W and the 1968 tot lot
After the original park was destroyed by freeway construction, neighborhood residents successfully advocated for a replacement.
Land was leased from Northwestern Bell Telephone Company, and a smaller tot lot was created on 6th Street SE—the foundation of today’s park.
