Theodore Wirth

Theodore Wirth (1863–1949) was instrumental in designing the Minneapolis system of parks. Swiss-born, he was widely regarded as the dean of the local parks movement in the United States. The various titles he was given included administrator of parks, horticulturalist, and park planner. Before emigrating to America in 1888, he worked as a florist and landscaper in Zurich, London, and Paris. He married Leonie Mense, the daughter of his employer in Glen Cove, Long Island, before taking a job as superintendent of parks in Hartford, Connecticut in 1896, where he developed the first municipal rose garden in the country.

Several Minneapolis recreation areas bear his name, including the Wirth Lake, which is in Theodore Wirth Park. At , it is by far the largest park in the Minneapolis park system. The Theodore Wirth House-Administration Building is on the National Register of Historic Places because "it was built as a home for Theodore Wirth, an international figure in the field of park design" and "his administration offices within the building were the actual location where Theodore Wirth designed or redesigned the award-winning Minneapolis parks." Wirth left his legacy in Minneapolis and via his three children: Conrad L. Wirth became director of the National Park Service; Walter L. Wirth was superintendent of parks in New Haven, Connecticut, and superintendent of the Salem, Oregon, Regional Parks System. The third son, Theodore, enjoyed a distinguished career, attaining the rank of admiral in the U.S. Navy.