Fair Oaks

One of the largest homes in Minneapolis in the 1880s, it was built by William D. Washburn. His brother Cadwallader Washburn founded the Washburn Crosby Mill, which later became General Mills, the home of Gold Medal Flour.

William, an early parks advocate, donated land for Minnehaha Parkway. He later sold his estate to the Park Board in 1911 for $250,000, the value of the land alone. The buildings themselves were worth $400,000 at the time. In 1915, after both Washburns passed away, the Park Board took control of the buildings as well as the park.

Though the castle-like three-story mansion was once considered for use as the Park Board's offices, how to put it to good use as a park structure was never resolved. The board denied the first petition to raze the house in 1916. Several community and civic groups used the house into the 1920s, but one by one, buildings were removed. First the greenhouse, then the barn, and finally the mansion itself was razed in 1924, against the protests of many. The last significant element of the estate to go was the wrought iron fencing that once surrounded the site. It was sold for scrap iron to support the war in 1942.

Though several grand plans for the park have been developed over the years, it has changed little since the buildings were removed. It remains one of the few parks in Minneapolis to retain a quiet pastoral feel in the style of late nineteenth-century parks. Of the entire estate, the oaks themselves have proven to be... "the fairest of them all."

Fanciful gardens into maintainable parkscape

The Washburns maintained not only the beautiful mansion, but an elaborate estate with gardens supported by a greenhouse. The gardens were described as having an ornamental pond fed by artificial water.

The postcard below likely shows this pond. Exotic and tender tropical plants like "elephant ears" visible in the image would have been grown and over-wintered in the greenhouse.

Once the greenhouse was razed, the tender plants would not have survived and the elaborate gardens likely began to fade. It is not known when the rustic bridge, fountain, and pond itself was replaced by a simple and maintainable parkscape consisting of mostly grass and trees like we see today.

The Minneapolis Park System provides parks of many styles, offering places to play, picnic, stroll and reflect. , Visit www.minneapolisparks.org to stroll away the day!

The 125th Historical Markers Project , Celebrating 125 Plus Years of Inspiring and Unusual History of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board