History of Victory Memorial Drive

Excerpt from the History, Historic Preservation and Historic Interpretation Report, prepared for the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board:

"Because of the entry of the United States into World War I in 1917, [Theodore] Wirth's initial plan was not carried out. Instead in 1918 he proposed a new design that would pay tribute to the military personnel of Minneapolis and Hennepin County. Charles M. Loring, the past president of the Board of Park Commissioners, had already proposed that trees be planted along several of the city's parkways as a memorial to local soldiers and sailors. Amplifying this theme, Wirth conceived of a Victory Memorial Drive, which he described in the 1918 Annual Report: "In formal gardening there is nothing more beautiful than long parallel rows of stately trees. If planted far enough apart to permit each tree to become a fully developed specimen, they will in time become giants of strength and beauty. What better or more noble symbol of the strength and character of our victorious soldiers could be chosen to serve as a memorial to the fallen heroes and noble defenders of our liberty? Glenwood-Camden Parkway, between Lowry Avenue and Camden Park, a distance of three miles, lends itself well for the creation of such a Memorial Drive."