EDEN PRAIRIE
COMMUNITY GUIDE 2026
The Flying Red Horse Returns
In the heart of Eden Prairie, passersby can revel at the city’ s iconic Flying Red Horse sign.
The community monument, which lived atop a Mobil gas station and the Wye Café for decades, now stands 12.1 feet tall and 16 feet wide at the intersection of Flying Cloud Drive and Town Center Place. Restoration and installation took place following the sign’ s refurbishment.
In the 1930s, local businessman W. Gordon Smith founded a Texaco gas station and the Wye Café at the Y-shaped intersection of Flying Cloud Drive and West 78th Street. The station affiliation changed to Mobilgas shortly after operations began, and the unique red winged-horse branding was installed on the building’ s roof.
Jesse Schwartz Sr. took over management of the station following Smith’ s death in 1955 and purchased the business in 1972 with his family. In 1977, the illuminated Pegasus was declared a landmark by the city after decades of recognition as a beacon for pilots, visitors and residents.
The business was sold in 2008, leading to the removal of the iconic sign. In 2013, the Schwartz family donated the Flying Red Horse to the city after it sat in storage for several years.
In June 2024, the Eden Prairie City Council approved a restoration project for the community monument. The project was funded through a state grant and the city’ s Capital Improvement Fund.
The freshly restored Flying Red Horse monument was installed at the intersection of Flying Cloud Drive and Town Center Place in February 2025, placed above a sign reading“ Eden Prairie Town Center.”
The former Mobil gas station site at 8061 Flying Cloud Drive— where the flying horse once stood— is now home to a Davanni’ s restaurant and is adjacent to the sign’ s new location.
Restoration of the Flying Red Horse monument not only commemorates Eden Prairie’ s rich history but also celebrates future generations.
2026 | EDEN PRAIRIE COMMUNITY GUIDE | 29