Flying Red Horse on Mobil station roof at the intersection of Flying Cloud Drive and West 78th Street in 2004

History

In 1926, the State of Minnesota built Highways 5 and 169 — now Flying Cloud Drive and West 78th Street — with the road design forming a Y, which the locals referred to as the "Wye." In the early 1930s, a local businessman established a Texaco gas station and the Wye Café in the middle of the intersection.

Shortly after the gas station and café began operating, the gas station affiliation was changed to Mobilgas, and the company's red-winged Pegasus branding was added to the roof of the building.

In 1972, the Jesse Schwartz Sr. family bought the business, which they ran until selling it in 2008. When they sold the business, the Schwartz family removed the Flying Red Horse from the building.

Community Landmark

For decades, the neon-illuminated Flying Red Horse was a beacon for travelers, pilots flying in and out of Flying Cloud Airport, visitors and residents. It became so iconic that the City of Eden Prairie declared the Flying Red Horse an official landmark in 1977.

In 2013, the Schwartz family donated the Flying Red Horse to the City of Eden Prairie. The refurbished and repurposed Flying Red Horse monument was installed adjacent to its original location at the intersection of Flying Cloud Drive and Town Center Place in February 2025. It now serves as a reminder of Eden Prairie’s past and provides a place for future generations to make new memories.