Robbinsdale Revisited

Gone to the Movies, Part 2

Episode 33: We trace the rise and fall of the Historic Terrace Theater, the lavish million-dollar movie palace that became a symbol of suburban luxury and innovation in the 1950s. The episode explores how the ambitious Volk brothers transformed movie going with elegant design, personal customer service, and nonstop reinvention as the theater adapted to changing audiences, Hollywood trends, and the decline of neighborhood cinemas. We remember the magic of the Terrace and its lasting place in the history and identity of Robbinsdale.

Gone to the Movies, Part 1

Episode 32: We explore the history of movie theaters in Robbinsdale and the greater Twin Cities, focusing on the Volk brothers and their chain of “luxury” neighborhood cinemas. This episode traces the evolution from the small 1926 Robin Theater to major mid-century landmarks like the Riverview and the elaborate Terrace Theater, highlighting their architecture, innovations, and cultural impact. The story also captures how these theaters reflected changing times—competing with television, adapting to suburban growth, and ultimately becoming beloved symbols of a bygone era.

Accolades for Adelaide

Episode 31: Adelaide Walker Robbins helped shape Minnesota from its frontier days through the early twentieth century, serving first as a teenage Civil War nurse before becoming a teacher, writer, church leader, and civic builder the communities of  Willmar and Robbinsdale. Married to our town's founder Andrew B. Robbins and sister of Lumber Barron Thomas B. Walker, she spent decades helping establish churches, schools, homes, and cultural organizations while raising a family and remaining active in public life well into her later years.

Amazing Amy

Episode 30: We trace the life of Amy Robbins Ware, a fiercely independent Robbinsdale woman whose work carried her from art studios and library clubs to the battlefields of World War I France. Through her letters and personal writings, we discover a woman driven by duty, creativity, and a stubborn insistence that women’s contributions deserved to be remembered. Her story touches everything from wartime service and architecture to peace activism, local history, and the changing role of women in the early 20th century.

How it Was

Episode 29: Did you ever say “My, how I’d like to have lived in the good old days.”? No cares or worries, no electric lights, no gas or oil to heat with, no vacuum cleaner, no automatic washer or dryer, no electric refrigerator or deep freeze, no radio or T.V. and but few telephones, no automobile or airplane, no atomic bomb. If they didn’t have all of these, what did they have, and how did they go about laying the foundation for the life that is ours to enjoy today.  This episode of Robbinsdale Revisited explores the early settlement of Robbinsdale, blending biography with diary excerpts that capture the rhythms of daily life in the late 1800s. It highlights how the Shumway family worked alongside neighbors to build the village, support one another, and establish their church.