Marty Carlson is a regular contributor. He lives in Kenwood.
The year 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone for Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church, located on the north arm of Lake of the Isles in Kenwood.
The church was originally founded by Congregationalists from Lowry Hill, but relocated to its current site after the original building at Franklin Avenue and Dupont, across from the Scottish Rite Temple, was destroyed by fire in 1922.
The “new” building was designed by the architectural firm Hewitt & Brown, the same firm that designed nearby St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral and Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church.
Construction began in 1925 and finished in 1929, but the high cost combined with the market crash that year bankrupted the congregation.
The building sat vacant until 1936, when it became home to a newly formed Lutheran congregation that is now preparing to celebrate its 90th anniversary.
The first photo, from 1925, shows the ceremonial laying of the cornerstone, presided over by then University of Minnesota President Lotus Coffman.
On Nov. 16, 2025, current Lake of the Isles pastor Arden Haug staged a re-creation of the photo, with Ward 7 Council Member–elect Elizabeth Shaffer standing in as the visiting dignitary.
