Parks

Linden Hills Park

Linden Hills Park is a short distance west of Lake Harriet and south of Lake Calhoun. It occupies 7.85 acres at 43rd St. W and Xerxes Ave. S in the heart of the Linden Hills neighborhood. There’s much to do at the park!

Park amenities: Baseball/softball fields, tennis courts (NEW in 2013), chess tables, playground, wading pool, soccer fields, basketball court (NEW in 2013), ice skating & hockey rink (December – February).

Linden Hills Park Recreation Center

3100 W. 43rd St. (43rd St. & Xerxes Ave.), 612-370-4913

Park Director: Nelson Evenrud

Email Address: lindenhills@minneapolisparks.org

Recreation Center Amenities:  Multi-Purpose Room, Kitchen, Lounge, Meeting Rooms, Arts and Crafts Room, and Restroom Facilities .

Rentals:  Rooms and fields are available for rent

There’s much to do at Linden Hills Park! Enjoy the wading pool, NEW tennis courts, NEW basketball courts, playground for kids, baseball fields, ice skating & hockey in the winter months. Or, bring a picnic, take a walk, and enjoy the gardens.

Recreation Center Hours

School Year Hours (Labor Day – Memorial Day):

  • Monday – Friday – 3:00 – 9:00 pm
  • Saturday – 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
  • Sunday – 12:00 – 4:00 pm

Summer Hours (Memorial Day – Labor Day):

  • Monday – Friday – 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
  • Saturday – 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
  • Sunday – 12:00 – 4:00 pm

Program Information

We offer morning, afternoon, release day and summer Recreation Plus+, a school-age childcare program.  In addition, a variety of year-round programs and events are offered for all ages.  For more information, contact us at 612-370-4928, visit www.minneapolisparks.org or pick up information at the recreation center.

Sports: Team-based sports programs (Kindergarten-12th grade) are offered through a collaboration with SWAC (Southwest Activities Council) and Pershing Park.  Preschool and school-age skill building sports programs are offered through Linden Hills Park.

Lakes Southwest CSA (Community Service Area):  Linden Hills works with Pershing Park to provide a broader range of programs and events within close proximity. Through the Lakes Southwest CSA, we are able to provide the community with more program options, while stretching resources.

 

Historical Overview

  • Land for the park was acquired November 5, 1919 for $32,549.
  • In  1921 the park was dedicated as Linden Hills Park, named for the linden trees in the neighborhood. Prior to 1921, the park had been referred to as Oliver Park, named for the subdivision in which is was situated.
  • The parkland as originally acquired was wetland. An initial plan included dredging this wetland south of Lake Calhoun in order to create a lagoon for the neighborhood, which connected to the lake. Following a lengthy and contentious debate, it was determined that an athletic field and parkland would be more desirable for the neighborhood and less expensive.
  • In one of the most ambitious plans to create a neighborhood park anywhere in the city, in 1923, park crews built a 3,600-foot pipeline from the park site to Lake Calhoun to drain the water.
  • With the draining completed in 1924, construction of the park and park building began. When completed, Theodore Wirth called the new park building one of the most attractive in the city.
  • When the storm sewers in the neighborhood were constructed, the peat bed on which the tennis courts had been built dried out, causing severe cracking of the concrete. In 1938, the entire tennis courts, plus about ten feet of peat, were removed by federal work crews, and replaced with sand and gravel.
  • The tennis courts were replaced in 1939 after the fill had settled.
  • In 1972, as Minneapolis pursued an ambitious program of rehabilitating its parks, Linden Hills Park got a new recreation center.
  • In 2013, the tennis courts and athletic courts were completely rehabilitated, due in large part to a grass roots neighborhood fundraising campaign led by Sara Chechik, Denise Griep and Patrick Sarver, called LOVE at Linden Hills. Support also came from USTA local and national chapters, Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, and Hennepin County Youth Sports Grants.

(Source:  Parks, Trails and So Much More, written and compiled by David Smith, copyright Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, 2008)

Other Linden Hills Area Parks

  • Beard’s Plaisance – 45th St. & Upton Ave. S.: Playground – NEW in 2012, picnic shelter, tennis courts, sledding hill.
  • William Berry Park near Lake Harriet Bandshell – Playground – NEW in 2012, picnic accommodations, near the Bandshell, boat rental, Bread & Pickle.
  • Pershing Park – 48th St. & Chowen Ave. S., 612-470-4928: Tennis courts, kids’ swimming and wading pool, baseball fields