Pioneer Information
Wirth was born in New Orleans to a family of illustrious landscape architects and horticulturalists including father Conrad Wirth, director of the National Park Service, grandfather Olaf J. Olson, leading supplier of plants and garden materials, and grandfather Theodore Wirth, celebrated Minneapolis Parks Superintendent. Ted Wirth began his own career in landscape architecture in 1950, receiving a B.S. in Landscape Architecture from Iowa State University and soon after starting a position with the Kentucky State Parks Division. Wirth later worked with the National Park Service, and during this tenure was responsible for planning and development of the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. In 1961, he established Wirth Associates in Billings, Montana.
Wirth specialized in the design of parks and recreation facilities and designed more than 350 sites throughout the United States and internationally, including Minneapolis’ Boom Island Park, South Dakota’s Custer State Park, and the 1.5 million-acre Asir National Park in Saudi Arabia. Wirth held many professional memberships including the National Recreation and Park Association, the Council of Park and Recreation Consultants, and the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). Wirth was elected an ASLA Fellow in 1978 and served as the organization’s national president from 1982-1983. In his later years, Wirth relocated to Minneapolis and became dedicated to promoting the legacy of his family and its role in shaping the Minneapolis Park System. Wirth raised funds to republish his grandfather’s book, Minneapolis Park System, 1883-1944, designed the Theodore Wirth Interpretive Statue Garden, and developed a plan to restore his grandfather’s home and offices, located in Minneapolis’ Lyndale Farmstead Park, for public access and education. Wirth died in Minneapolis at age 82.
