The Glendale area of prospect park

Glendale is best known for the public housing development, Glendale Townhomes, built in 1952, the last full year of the President Truman administration. It's also the site of a dozen single-family homes, the green space of Luxton Park, and the Luxton Community Center. Glendale Townhomes are an exceptional example of mid-century American public housing comprising 184 single-family units and administered by the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA).

Glendale Townhomes is the oldest public housing in Minneapolis, home to multi-ethnic, multi-generational families and communities living in Southeast Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was built in 1952 to provide low-rent accommodations to WWII Veterans facing homelessness. Glendale Townhomes span 14.5 acres of public land with a population of at least 600, where 50% or more are under children under 18.

Glendale is currently home to Southeast Asian, Somali, Native American, African American and European American families. The Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP), administered by the Prospect Park Association from 1992-2012, contributed significant funding to support Glendale, and NRP funds made it possible to reopen Pratt, where many Glendale children attend elementary school.

In 2015, Glendale Townhomes faced a serious threat to its existence. The MPHA proposed replacing Glendale Townhomes with a privately owned mixed-use high-rise development. Residents of Glendale created "Defend Glendale" to save their homes and prevent the private sale of public housing. Residents of the Prospect Park opposed the increased density of high-rise buildings citing livability and sustainability criteria that have destroyed other public housing complexes in large cities.

In 2018, To support Glendale residents and help save Glendale Townhomes, Prospect Park Association supported the historic designation of Glendale Townhomes. In 2020, the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Committee voted to approve Glendale’s historic designation nomination. Nevertheless, during the pandemic of 2020, the future of Glendale Townhomes was still under threat, from the politics and policies of MPHA and the Minneapolis City Council.

In 2021, the Prospect Park Association Board of Directors approved a four-point document "Unified Project Design Standards" that specifically named Glendale Townhomes in its first point as a neighborhood asset: Preserve Glendale Townhomes as Public Housing for Residents.

At present (2024), the MPHA continues to resist the inevitable: that Glendale Townhomes will persist as was amply evident during the May 13, 2023 community celebration "We're Still Here: An Exhibit of Glendale Townhomes 70th Anniversary 1952-2022".

• History of Glendale
• Glendale at 70 - "We're Still Here" 2023 celebration.

GLENDALE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION

See these links for more information.

• Glendale Townhomes: An Assessment of National Register Eligibility, Hess, Roise & Company, 2015
• Glendale Neighborhood History
• "Glendale Townhomes in Prospect Park: Proposed 13-acre Sale of Public Housing to Private Developers" - report by Prospect Park Association Glendale Committee
• Glendale Townhomes historic designation nomination application.
• MPHA Glendale Information
• Prospect Park Association "Unified Project Design Standards"

Luxton Park, part of the Minneapolis Parks System, is a 4.5-acre recreation area with a basketball court, community gardens, picnic areas, a soccer and softball field, wading pool and walking path. Luxton Community Center lies at the center of the park.