This building was constructed in 1920 to house a new milk-processing plant. It grew into a huge business in just a few years. By 1924, profits from the sale of high-quality milk, cream, butter, buttermilk, cottage cheese and ice cream were over $3 million dollars a year. The business employed 418 people and had 175 delivery routes that served over 50,000 customers a day. An early annual report described the creamery as “the most modern milk distributing plant in the Northwest.” During the 20′s and 30′s Franklin Co-operative Creamery teamed with the Minneapolis Park Board to sponsor 166 baseball teams. They provided uniforms, referees and trophies. They also supported basketball, hockey, ski-jumping events at Wirth Park, and the famous speed-skating races at Powderhorn Park.
The company’s slogan was, “Cows with Conscience.” In the years following World War II, refrigerators replaced ice boxes, and small neighborhood stores gave way to large supermarkets. People wanted convenience, and shopping habits changed. In 1960 the name of the business was changed to Franklin Creamery, and home delivery of milk ended. Not long after, the business that proudly called itself “A Good Neighbor to Minneapolis” closed. The last 40 years have seen other tenants and owners: a Harley-Davidson dealership, a photography business, a medical supply company, and a religious publisher.
