Ramsey County History – Winter 2013: “Preserving a ‘Fine Residential District:’ The Merriam Park Freeway Fight”

Preserving a “Fine Residential District:” The Merriam Park Freeway Fight 
Authors: Tom O’Connell and Tom Beer

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, planning for the construction of the vast interstate highway system across the United States included an exit from Interstate 94 at Prior Avenue in St. Paul along the projected route connecting downtown St. Paul with the center of Minneapolis. Residents of St. Paul’s Merriam Park neighborhood formed a lasting community organization, the Merriam Park Residential Association, led by J. Douglas Kelm and Fr. Francis J. Gilligan, to fight the construction of this particular exit. This article analyzes the position of the Minnesota Department of Highways, represented by Deputy Commissioner Frank Marzitelli, and various local groups who wanted the exit built along with the arguments from the anti-exit supporters. It  explains how in 1961–1962, Merriam Park residents successfully fought the construction of the exit by enlisting the help of Archbishop William Brady and several well-connected political leaders, who negotiated a settlement of the dispute. This was one of the few times that a local community group was able to materially alter federal highway plans in a significant way.
PDF of O’Connell & Beer article