Click here to view an interactive metrics link for the median sale price of homes in Lynnhurst: http://northstarmls.stats.10kresearch.com/infoserv/s-v1/f1Ka-qH4
With its park-like atmosphere, Lynnhurst is a top choice for families with income to spare. Situated in southwest Minneapolis at the southern edge of Lake Harriet, Minnehaha Creek bisects the Lynnhurst neighborhood, offering residents two great options for recreation and relaxation. The 120-square-block neighborhood retains the natural beauty that drew land speculators more than 100 years ago, and the blocks of beautiful older homes, independent shops, restaurants and coffee houses, as well as a neighborhood school, beautiful parks and convenient location make Lynnhurst one of the most coveted neighborhoods in the metro area.
Lynnhurst extends from Lyndale Avenue to Penn Avenue and from 46th Street to 54th Street. It gets its name from the neighborhood park, located at the intersection of West 50th Street and West Minnehaha Parkway. The park was named for its location in the Lynnhurst Planning District, which was most likely named for the abundance of linden trees in the area, and offers playing fields, a hockey rink, basketball court, playground and a whole lot more.
HOMES WITH WELL-KEPT YARDS
Throughout most of the 19th century, Lynnhurst was a rural area of pastures and rolling fields east and south of Lake Harriet, and there was even a barn built on the 4700 block of Fremont Avenue South to house the cows needed to provide milk to the new neighborhood. About 80% of the housing in Lynnhurst was built before 1940 and ranges from compact bungalows to large, architect-designed dwellings. Today, Lynnhurst is comprised of mainly single family homes, mainly in the arts and crafts and prairie styles, with a large number of colonial, tudor and romantic revival houses, as well. Proximity to beautiful parks, and the fact that there were no railroads or industrial areas nearby, made the Lynnhurst district very desirable in the 1930s and 1940s, and the homes built in the area were of high quality and marketed to the professional class of the time.
INDEPENDENT & UNIQUE BUSINESSES
Some duplexes and small apartment houses were built along Lyndale, Bryant and Penn Avenues South, with business nodes at the streetcar stops at 46th/Bryant, 50th/Bryant, 50th/Penn and 54th/Penn. When the streetcars stopped running in the 1950s, the area of Lyndale Avenue south of Minnehaha Creek became the neighborhoods first automobile-centered commercial strip. Today, the majority of businesses are located at W. 50th St. and Lyndale Ave. Drop in a malt shop, coffeehouse or boutique.
PLENTY OF SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES
Residents are proud of their schools, which include Burroughs Community School, Washburn High School and Ramsey Middle School. Through parent involvement, there is a very strong sense of community. This follows through to the houses of worship, which include Mount Olivet Lutheran Church and Temple Shir Tikvah.
LIBRARY HONORS MILLING HISTORY
Set near Minnehaha Creek, Washburn meets the needs of Southwest Minneapolis in a picturesque neighborhood. Opened in September 1970, Washburn Library (5244 Lyndale Avenue South) began with a footprint of 14,451 square feet (and approximately 18,000 books. Designed by Brooks Cavin, an architect who studied under Walter Gropius and Eero Saarinen, Washburn reflects mid-century modernism. Named for William D. Washburn,, who was a founder of Washburn-Crosby Milling Company and a United States Senator, Washburn Library’s public art includes a millstone, honoring Minneapolis’ heritage as a grain milling center in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 2014, a six-week long update to the building resulted in an open floor plan, more space for children and teens, new furniture and shelves, including technology tables for the public computers, and more electrical outlets for powering portable electronics. Joining the millstone in the external landscape, the update to the Washburn added a sculpture by Ann Wolfe, Mother and Child, and a large and bright whimsical mural by In Virginia Bradley on the domed ceiling of the children’s area.
LAKE HARRIET OFFERS RECREATION
Lake Harriet Park on the northern edge of the neighborhood is home to more than three miles of skating, biking/walking trails, two swimming beaches and a bandstand with the popular eatery Bread & Pickle. The trail and parkway system, part of the Ground Rounds National Scenic Byway, connects with Bde Maka Ska on the north end of the lake, via William Berry Parkway, and with the Minnehaha Creek trail system at the southeast side of the lake.