Neighborhoods of Northfield - Curvilinear North Ridge
By the mid-20th century, curvy, winding streets and cul-de-sacs found their way to Northfield Neighborhoods. These neighborhoods were developed outside the city center grid, predominantly on the northern and western edges, reflecting the trends of the times. The curvilinear street follows the natural lay of the land while providing safer residential areas. The design of the loops, cul-de-sacs and winding roads slow traffic and discourage short-cuts. In Northfield, they were also built with aesthetics in mind, creating green spaces, parks, and nearby walking and biking trails.
The northern edge is home to the North Ridge, Liberty Park, and Prairie Hills Neighborhoods, developed in the early 1980s through the early 2000s in several phases. The naming of the streets followed the urban planning custom of honoring 20th century local civic leaders, educators, and families who played an important role in the community. How many do you recognize?
The North Ridge Neighborhood is on the far east side of this northern area bordered by Lockwood Drive on the east, North Avenue on the south, and Zanmiller Drive on the west. The neighborhood consists of single-family homes, twin homes and townhomes. John North Park is situated between Lockwood and Zanmiller Drives and backs up to the townhomes on Meldahl Lane to the north.
Lockwood Drive is named for Ephraim Lockwood, an early drygoods merchant who is known for the Lockwood Opera House. Built in 1873 in the heart of downtown, the opera house served as an important cultural center for decades. Lockwood Drive is a primary north-south road that intersects with North Avenue which marks the Rice County and Dakota County border line. North Avenue was named for the founder of Northfield, the abolitionist, lawyer, and land speculator, John Wesley North.
The northern end of this cluster of streets contains Hackerson Ct, Gill Lane, and Kimble Ct. Hackerson Ct is named for the Laverne A. Hackerson (1915-2005) family, longtime residents who were active in the community. Laverne served on the city council and as mayor. Laverne’s son Dick (1941-2022) is remembered for his winning design for Northfield’s High School official mascot. Gill Lane is named for Tom Gill, owner of Tom Gill Construction. He built homes and was involved in residential development projects, such as the North Ridge Addition. Kimble Ct at the end of Gill Lane is a cul-de-sac named for the Kimble family who have a long history with Carleton College beginning with Gregory A. Kimble (1917-2006), a graduate of Carleton and distinguished American experimental psychologist. Graham L. Kimble (1930-2016) taught mathematics and played an important role in Carleton’s entrance into the age of computing (1964-1982). Graham’s wife Sheila (1939-2022) served as Assistant Dean of Women and later Assistant Dean of Students.
South of Kimble Ct are cul-de-sacs Nelson Ct, Simione Ct, and Wilson Ct. The name source for Nelson Ct is not recorded in public city documents but most likely honors the owners of the land, Arnold and Jeanette Nelson. Simione Ct (SEE-me-own-nay) is named for the Simione family. Michael Simione is remembered for faithfully serving St. Olaf College for decades managing their food and dining room services as well as serving on Northfield’s city council and as mayor. Wilson Ct is named for Dr. Warren Wilson and his wife Myrtle who served the Northfield community as well as both college communities as a respected physician and volunteer in local civic affairs.
South of Hackerson Ct are Grundhoefer Ct, Eklund Ct, and Covey Ct. The Grundhoefer family left their mark on Northfield through Marvin’s (1927-2020) legal practice and civic work as president of the Chamber of Commerce and special municipal judge. His son Joe transformed the Corner Bar into Grundy’s and later Grundy’s Reub ‘N’ Stein. Eklund Ct honors the multi-generational family of farmers, civic, and church volunteers. The last cul-de-sac is Covey Ct (CUH-vee) which honors the Covey family who likewise were active in civic work and community volunteerism. Keith Covey served on the City Council and as mayor. Covey Ct lies across from John North Park.
These courts open unto Zanmiller Drive which runs from North Ave to Gill Lane. Rudy Zanmiller (1905-1990) is the namesake for this street. He established the Zanmiller Funeral Home in 1934 supporting Northfield families until 1966. Butting John North Park are the townhomes and single-family homes on Meldahl Lane (pronounced MELL-dawl). The Meldahl family were notable residents, civic figures, and alumni of St. Olaf. Many families such as the ones in this area who were honored with streets bearing their name were immigrants who owned and worked the land that eventually became home to churches and residential neighborhoods of Northfield.