Preserve Island Park Village Hall

Two blocks from Lake Minnetonka and adjacent to Swenson Park, atop a slight hill, pridefully stands the  historic and charming Island Park Village Hall. In a style reminiscent of an old New England style church, it was built as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in 1936. 

Island Park Village Hall was a part of everyone’s life. It was the heart and soul of the community, the central gathering point for events big and small.
Residents went to the Village Hall for meetings, to vote, to go to church, to the firemen’s dance, to hear guest speakers talk about community events, for potluck dinners, and to hear politicians give their pitches for votes.

​Christmas programming where families sang Christmas carols and children recited verses and poems. Santa came wearing rubber fireman’s boots with his red suit. The Island Park Community Church held its services here. 
The building was used for weddings, funerals, birthdays, the voting station, and as a tornado shelter too. Upstairs in the loft is where Judge Edwards held court and each month council members met.

Of all things, Village Hall may be best known for being the home of its beloved Island Park Volunteer Fire Department. Their purpose to fight fire and protect public life, and create neighborly social spirit.  The annual Fireman's Dance was a must-attend event.
Island Park Village Hall's storied past and architectural history so rich, it has been nominated to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

​Let's not lose this treasured community and national landmark to neglect and oversight. Please, support Island Park Village Hall Preservation Society's effort to preserve and enhance this historical property, for the benefit and enjoyment of our community, for now and for generations to come.
To learn more about:
  1. Island Park Village Hall's storied history, click here.
  2. Island Park Village Hall's treasured future, click here.
  3. ​How you can support, click here. 

Let's not erase a piece of our storied history.

When we care about preserving our architectural heritage, we are saving the stories of those buildings, and we honor the memory of what they represent.
If you tear down an old building that has survived the challenges of economic downturns, the devastation of weather, or the inevitability of urban sprawl, then future generations will never be able to breathe in its significance, and it will be forever lost. It’s not to say we shouldn’t improve on the past – historical buildings typically need to be renovated to ensure it stays in excellent shape – but to reduce it to rubble, is erasing a piece of our history.
In an increasingly fast-paced, anonymous and placeless form of urban development, the individual character of each community is a precious identity. This identity helps to create a sense of stability and enables an understanding of how this unique character, itself a product of incremental development over time, can provide a direction and inspiration for the form of future improvement.
Across America, citizens appreciate historic and architectural character as being essential to the identity and unique character of their communities. They support historic preservation because to do so is essential to cultural, social, economic and environmental sustainability.

Let's preserve Island Park Village Hall.