Streetcars in East
Calhoun: A Brief History -
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| Photo of streetcar crossing bridge at 36th Street and East Calhoun Parkway | Photo of the intersection of Hennepin at 31st Street, showing streetcar tracks winding up Hennepin Ave. toward downtown. Morris and Christie Food Market still occupies this corner. The Granada Theatre is now the Suburban World Theatre, and that Dodge dealership is now the Magers & Quinn Bookstore. |
The streetcar line went north from Lake Harriet on a private section of right-of-way, passing under the William Berry Parkway bridge and running alongside Lakewood Cemetery. When the car line reached 36th Street, it crossed 36th Street on the bridge pictured below. Once the streetcars crossed 36th Street, they continued on their own right-of-way to 31st Street. The streetcar right-of-way ran alongside the alley between Irving and James Avenues. Once the streetcars reached 31st Street, they turned east to Hennepin, then turned north on Hennepin to head downtown.
As any resident could tell you, the streetcar bridge at 36th Street and East Calhoun Parkway is long gone. In fact, the bank on the southern side of the street has been graded back to create a more gently sloping hill. After 1954, Lakewood Cemetery annexed what was once streetcar right-of-way. (The MTM's Como-Harriet streetcar runs on tracks that lie more than 50 feet over from where the original tracks lay.) On the north side of 36th Street, however, it is possible to see where the bridge met the slope once it crossed 36th. Behind the brown apartment building, you can still see the level grade that was once streetcar right-of-way. Moreover, if you continue hiking north along this former right-of-way, you will encounter the remains of a former streetcar station. The old station is at the end of a cul-de-sac called Conlaris Way, which is located just off Irving Avenue between 35th and 34th Streets, adjacent to St. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church. At this station there is a staircase, platform, and stone retaining walls. Most of the station is obscured by the trees and plants that have overgrown much of the right-of-way, but you can spot the station's handrail at the end of Conlaris Way.
The right-of-way that used to run along the alleyway between Irving and James Avenues is completely gone. It has been understandably absorbed into the backyards of the residents who live there. Cracks in the asphalt on Hennepin Avenue still tend to reveal streetcar tracks that were never removed.