Star Tribune Letters: Theodore Wirth, Father Of City Park System
In his letter to the editor, grandson Theodore J. Wirth describes his grandfather's contributions to and love for the Minneapolis park system. An excerpt follows:
He was a Swiss-born landscape architect with a vision to transform Minneapolis into a "garden city." Grandfather was 42 years old when he arrived on Jan. 10, 1906. He committed the rest of his life to his newly adopted city.
He designed recreation opportunities into his beautiful landscapes and put his plan in motion to place a park within six blocks of every child that would live in the rapidly growing city (he came very close to achieving that). He was able to expand, embellish and refine the park system to nearly three times the expectation -- to become known as the best in the nation by 1928.
Grandfather shared credit with park commissioners and considered the talented and trustworthy staff as family. A June 23, 1935, article quoted Wirth, "You see it isn't a one man job we have done here. It has been the fruit of marvelous co-operation all along the line -- from park commissioners down to the ... laborer[s], and I think the people of Minneapolis appreciate what they have."
Full letter available at the Star Tribune website.