4232 Grimes Ave S
Morningside, Edina, MN, USA

Hanchett/Quale Family Moved In

There was a family who bought the house from the Emerson's in the early 1970s & then sold it to Hanchett/Quale Family in 1976.

The family moved in January 1976. My mom began to restore the original woodwork that had been painted over & started removing the shag carpet that had been laid over the hardwood floors.

Some photos of the 1910 yellow house from 1970s through the years, including the 100 year old silver maple that Mr.Emerson tried to take down but it just kept growing.

*Silver maple was removed around 2016. LOved that tree! And that shade! And the easy green lawn. No tree could be replanted due to the maples extensive roots surrounding the 100+ year old clay main drain & it being near the gas line.

Aerial Photography in 1937

The following images show the Morningside Neighborhood and 4232 Grimes Ave South in 1937.

Commons Club Will Give Dance

Article showing Waldo Emerson, 4232 Grimes Avenue

Vacancies Loom at Morningside

Vacancies Loom at Morningside. The article mentions B.T. Emerson, the previous owner of 4232 Grimes Ave S.

Engagement Annoucement

Engagement announcement - Mr. and Mrs. Byron T. Emerson, 4232 Grimes Ave South, Morningside, announce the engagement of their daughter, Miss Mary Elizabeth to Mr. George Blair. The wedding will take place in October at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Emerson.

4232 Grimes Ave S, Morningside, Edina, MN, USA

The Emerson Family (built house)

Mr. Waldo Emerson visited his childhood home when he was 94 years old sometimes in October 2007. Suit & bowtie and all. He told us about growing up in this old yellow 1910 house.

He explained how is father built this house, how he was progressive in ideas and built the house to have forced heat - thus the iron 1908 Chicago made floor/wall air vents in the upstairs bedrooms. His father also installed a gravity water plumbing system that drew water up from the well into the clawfoot bathtub & toilet on the second floor.

Mr. Emerson explained how Morningside mayors & "important people" would meet with his father in their living room to conduct Morningside & then sometimes Edina business. Otherwise the house was an apple & pear orchard.

He told a story about the 100+ year old Silver Maple tree that was planted in the front yard that they tried to cut down unsuccessfully around 1925. So the tree grew shorter than most silver maples & with a big mouth (the tree sadly couldn't be saved after many attempts & we removed it in 2016). Our neighbor Ray who had lived in Morningside since 1950s said "Now Morningside has too much sky".

Waldo Emerson & his daughter Sue toured the house & said everything was exactly as they remembered it. The dark walnut wood trim that my mom restored. The original windows & lead paned transepts. The maple floors. The sunroom that they added on in the 1930s for his mom, which she later used as a bedroom. Even the "trendy" aluminum enclosed porch they added in the 1950s (which still exists - we plan to restore the porch to the original state soon).

It was such an honor to meet Mr.Waldo Emerson & his daughter Sue. I want their stories to live on.