An icon of summer and annual warm weather tradition for Minnesota families since 1947, the Roseville Dairy Queen is currently closed with no current plans to reopen. As famous for its design and neon sign as it is for twirl-topped cones, the treat stop on Lexington Avenue N. was the oldest operating DQ in the state until it shuttered last year.
As many area Dairy Queens opened for spring, Roseville did not return for the chain’s annual free cone day promotion on March 20.
The Roseville Reader reported that the building’s owner, the same company that operates the Lexington Plaza strip mall where it’s located, is on the hunt for a new franchise holder to preserve the space as a Dairy Queen. So far, no plans to reopen the stand for the 2025 season could be confirmed.
Whether this location is the oldest Dairy Queen in the state has been a point of contention. Rochester and Roseville both saw openings of the Illinois-originated company in 1947. The Rochester location went up for sale in March 2024 and remains closed. That made the Roseville location with its white walls, blue trim and large, slanted windows the grand dame of soft-serve in all of Minnesota.
It predates Roseville’s incorporation as a city — that would come in 1948 as the city grew dramatically during the post-World War II housing boom. The building’s designer’s name has been lost to time, but history buffs have long praised the sleek look emblematic of the era and that the building has remained mostly intact.
In the years since, Dairy Queen has also grown as a company, from small ice cream treat stands around the Midwest to an international chain operated by independent franchisees.
In 2010, the Roseville DQ landed on a list of most endangered buildings by the Minnesota Preservation Alliance, which said the building was in danger of being demolished. Facebook fan pages sprang up in support of the business and it was saved from the wrecking ball.
In the meantime, there is another Dairy Queen treat stand farther north on Lexington Avenue that is open for the season. Plus, Adele’s Frozen Custard in Excelsior, Conny’s Creamy Cone in St. Paul and White Bear Lake’s Cup and Cone have opened for the season to lick that nostalgic ice cream craving.
