The Concourse Fountain (Northeast KC)

A ground-jet fountain on The Concourse — the two-block level greensward that George Kessler engineered into the bluffs of North Terrace (now Kessler) Park in Kansas City’s Historic Northeast, begun in 1896. The setting is Kessler’s; the fountain is not. The present fountain was designed in 2001 by David Swartz of Water’s Edge Aquatic Design and dedicated July 26, 2002, built inside the basin of the 1939 North Terrace Park Concourse Pool — a shallow sailing and casting pool that preceded it.¹²³

History

[!warning] Corrected 2026-07-31 This page previously dated the fountain to approximately 1900 and described it as a Kessler-era dedication. That is wrong. The Concourse — the leveled greenspace — began construction in 1896 under Kessler’s plan; the fountain dates to 2001-02, and its earliest water-feature predecessor to 1939. The 1900 date is not supported by any source located.

The Concourse (1896-1906)

Kessler Park was first established as North Terrace Park, one of the original planned parks in Kessler’s 1893 proposal for the Kansas City Parks and Boulevards System; the bluff land was acquired in 1895 and the park renamed for its designer in 1971.³ Because the terrain was rugged, Kessler designed The Concourse as a two-block-square level green space. Construction began in 1896, when one of the north bluff’s valleys was filled with dirt excavated from below — dug by horse-drawn plows, belted into wagons and dumped into the valley — producing a broad level expanse with a panoramic view of the Missouri River.²³ In 1906, pedestrian walkways were built and the surrounding ground landscaped with trees and grass.³

The Concourse itself was planned as the showcase boulevard of the Historic Northeast neighborhood — once one of KC’s most-prestigious residential districts. The neighborhood thrived in the 1890s-1920s as KC’s first wealthy suburban district + began to decline by mid-20th century.

The casting pool (1939-1980)

The first water feature on the site arrived in 1939: the North Terrace Park Concourse Pool, a shallow rectangular pool ringed by a low stone wall, used for sailing small boats and as a casting pool for fishing.¹²³ It was popular through the 1940s with fishermen practising their casting.¹ In 1980 small sprayers were added — a spray ring plus several jets spraying inward and upward — giving the pool a new identity.³ (The City of Fountains Foundation dates the sprays loosely to “the 1980s.”)¹

The present fountain (2001-2002)

The Concourse Fountain as it stands was designed in 2001 by David Swartz of Water’s Edge Aquatic Design, built inside the existing 1939 pool basin with the surrounding space finished in concrete, and dedicated July 26, 2002.¹²³ The Foundation records it as installed and first turned on in 2002; Clio dates installation to 2001 and dedication to 2002.¹³ (Note: the Foundation’s page spells the designer both “David Schwartz” and “David Swartz”; KC Parks uses “Swartz.”)¹²

Original commission funding for the 2001-02 rebuild is not established.

Architecture + materials

[!warning] Corrected 2026-07-31 This page previously described “limestone basin with central column … classical late-Victorian design vocabulary.” No source supports that; the fountain is a modern interactive ground-jet installation with no basin sculpture or column.

The fountain sits inside the retained basin of the 1939 pool, its surround finished in concrete, with the original low stone wall still present. It has 15 vertical jets, adjustable in height, spraying up through metal grates at ground level — an interactive design that lets visitors run through the water.³¹² It is one of three Kansas City fountains that run year-round.³

Current status

Operating year-round.³ The claim that the fountain is subject to ongoing restoration efforts by Historic Northeast preservation organizations and KCMO Parks is not supported by any source located.

Cultural significance

The Concourse Fountain is one of the most-significant fountains east of the central business district + a defining element of the Historic Northeast neighborhood’s preserved character. The neighborhood has weathered substantial mid-20th-century decline but retains significant historic architecture; the Concourse Fountain anchors its surviving civic infrastructure. (Editorial assessment; not a sourced claim.)

Memorials in the area of The Concourse honour U.S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton, President John F. Kennedy, and William Royster — a Northeast resident, city councilman, and grandson of Nathan Scarritt. In 2006 the iron bridge at the Concourse’s south edge was named for Dr. Alice Berry Graham and Dr. Katharine Berry Richardson, the sister founders of Children’s Mercy Hospital, who lived in the Northeast.²

Restoration efforts

Historic Northeast preservation organizations + the Friends of Cliff Drive have led periodic restoration efforts for the fountain + the broader Concourse landscape. Preservation funding remains a recurring challenge.

Visiting

• Address: The Concourse, St. John Avenue and Benton Boulevard, George Kessler Park, Kansas City, MO¹²
• Best time to visit: Year-round — this is one of three KC fountains that never shuts off³
• Public access: Free; 24-hour public space

Sources

Footnotes

1. City of Fountains Foundation — “The Concourse Fountain.” https://cityoffountains.org/the-concourse-fountain/ — asserts: designed in 2001 by David Schwartz of Water’s Edge Aquatic Design, installed and first turned on in 2002; several water jets with adjustable spray heights; the original water feature at the location was a shallow pool built in 1939 known as the Northeast Concourse Casting Pool, used to sail small boats and as a casting pool, popular with fishermen practising casting in the 1940s; a few small sprays of water added in the 1980s gave the pool a new identity; location The Concourse, St. John Avenue and Benton Boulevard; designer given as “David Swartz, Water’s Edge Aquatic Design”; owner KCMO Parks & Recreation Department; installed 2002. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

2. Kansas City Parks and Recreation — “The Concourse Fountain” (https://kcparks.org/places/the-concourse-fountain-2/) and “Concourse Park” (https://kcparks.org/places/the-concourse/) — asserts: the fountain is at Benton Boulevard and St. John Avenue in George Kessler Park, designed in 2001 by David Swartz of Water’s Edge Aquatic Design, with several adjustable-height water jets, installed 2002, restored by Water’s Edge Aquatic Design; it replaced a shallow pool built in 1939 used to sail small boats and as a casting pool, with small sprays added in the 1980s; The Concourse is at Gladstone and Benton Boulevards, construction began 1896, originally a deep valley filled with tons of earth brought by horse-drawn wagon from the areas below being developed as Cliff Drive to create a broad level expanse with a panoramic view of the Missouri River; tennis courts were added and a sailing and casting pool constructed in 1939, water jets added several years later, and in 2002 it was completed as a fountain; memorials nearby to Thomas Hart Benton, John F. Kennedy and William Royster (councilman, grandson of Nathan Scarritt); in 2006 the iron bridge at the Concourse’s south edge was named for Dr. Alice Berry Graham and Dr. Katharine Berry Richardson, founders of Children’s Mercy Hospital. (kcparks.org returns HTTP 403 to plain automated fetches; full text read directly via Firecrawl 2026-07-31.) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

3. The Clio — “The Concourse Fountain,” entry 155329. https://theclio.com/entry/155329 — asserts: once the site of a shallow pool constructed in 1939, the Concourse Fountain was installed in 2001 and dedicated July 26, 2002; it contains 15 vertical ground-level jets, adjustable in height, spraying through metal grates to create an interactive space; it was designed by Water’s Edge Aquatic Designs and built inside the existing pool basin with the surround finished in concrete, the original stone wall still present; it is one of three Kansas City fountains that run year-round; Kessler Park was first established as North Terrace Park in Kessler’s 1893 parks proposal, the bluff land acquired 1895, renamed Kessler Park 1971; Kessler designed The Concourse as a two-block square level green space, construction starting 1896 with a bluff valley filled by horse-drawn plow and wagon; pedestrian walkways and landscaping added 1906; the 1939 North Terrace Park Concourse Pool was a shallow rectangular pool surrounded by a low stone wall used for sailing small boats and casting; in 1980 small sprayers were added, a spray ring plus jets spraying inward and upward. (theclio.com returns HTTP 403 to plain automated fetches; full text read directly via Firecrawl 2026-07-31. The entry reproduces historic images credited to Missouri Valley Special Collections, KCPL, and to the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Commissioners.) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²