Theodore Wirth coined the phrase "Parks are for People". Public access to all
parks and all park buildings was a big part of the Wirth philosophy. He would
have approved when hundreds of people took advantage of this rare opportunity
to visit the historic Theodore Wirth Home and Administration Building on
Saturday, October 8, 3954 Bryant Avenue South in Lyndale Farmstead Park.
Grandson Theodore J. Wirth (Ted), a park builder like his grandfather and his
father, hosted this event for the Minneapolis Parks Legacy Society.
People were waiting at the door for several hours before the tours began.
They were greeted at the front door by Boy Scouts who explained Theodore
Wirth's impact on our legacy of parks and recreation. They also told the story
of Wirth's revolutionary plan to have playgrounds within six blocks of every
child's home in Minneapolis.
Tour guides throughout the house explained the rich history of the Wirth era
(1906 - 1947) in Minneapolis.
Wirth's office and his drafting room were furnished to recreate their earlier
visual character. Ted, who spent many summers staying with his grandfather,
told about his grandfather's work days in those rooms. Within those walls and
on those drafting tables Theodore Wirth implemented his DREAM ... That
Minneapolis should be known as a Garden City and become the Number One Rated
Park System in the Nation. People enjoyed seeing and learning about how and
where our parks were created.
Because of Wirth's outstanding accomplishments, he gained international
acclaim for Minneapolis and for himself.
Wirth's dream is the legacy of today's Minneapolitan's.
But there is so much more to know about Wirth's influence on the Minneapolis
Park System..
Ted Wirth established the Minneapolis Parks Legacy Society. In 2002 the
Society accomplished recognition for the Theodore Wirth Home and Administration
Building to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
One of the Society's goals is to protect this historic home and take
responsibility for accurate interpretation of the historic era of Theodore
Wirth that has been identified and recognized by the National Park Service.
Using the park board's agreements with the Stevens House and the Ard Godfrey
House as the precedent, the Society has asked the Minneapolis Park Board for
permission to create an interpretive learning center within the building - as a
service to the public - at no cost to the Park Board.
We thank all of you for coming to the Wirth House!
Joan Berthiaume
Co-founder
Minneapolis Parks Legacy Society
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