Cahill School in 1935. Photo: Edina Historical Society
Red Rover at recess, Chicken à la King at lunch and lessons of elementary school quickly become memories as we move forward, but for two of Edina’s beloved schools, the buildings themselves are memories. As Edina grew during the 1920s, a controversy developed about where to build a new school. As a result, two schools opened in 1926: Morningside at W. 42nd Street and Grimes Avenue as well as Wooddale on 50th Street. Morningside students moved to Wooddale after third grade. These classic brick schools were landmarks in Edina for more than 50 years.
In the 1970s, both schools closed due to declining enrollments (Morningside in 1977; Wooddale in 1980). Children still fill these sites in the playground and fields of Wooddale Park and at Golden Years Montessori but without September’s surge of back-to-school energy. Facebook pages for the schools keep their history fresh and their former students connected.
Laura Westlund is an arts writer and editor in the Twin Cities.
