Loose Park Rose Garden Fountain

The central water feature of the Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden in Jacob L. Loose Park. The garden dates to 1931; the fountain does not. The present Italian stone fountain was dedicated in August 2002, paid for by private donors and designed by Theis Doolittle Associates with Water’s Edge Aquatic Design.¹² It anchors the formal garden landscape and serves as a defining photograph background for KC weddings and Rose Garden visitors.²

[!warning] Corrected 2026-07-31 This page previously stated the fountain was installed in 1931 with the original Rose Garden plantings, and had been “preserved and maintained continuously across nearly a century.” Both claims are wrong. 1931 is the founding date of the Kansas City Rose Society and the garden, not of any fountain. The garden’s first water feature was a small lily pool built and dedicated in 1936; the current fountain was dedicated in August 2002.¹²

History

The park and the garden (1927-1931)

Ella Clark Loose purchased and donated 75 acres of the old Kansas City Country Club course to the city in 1927, as a park in memory of her husband Jacob L. Loose, founder of the Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company; she gave the city his statue in 1941.³⁴ Kansas City’s municipal rose garden began in 1931, when a group of citizens led by Laura Conyers Smith founded the Kansas City Rose Society; the garden was renamed for her in 1965. Its circular plan was the concept of the landscape architect S. Herbert Hare. The first garden held 120 rose plants; today there are about 3,000 roses of nearly 130 varieties across 1.5 acres.²⁵

The lily pool and “Spirit of the Rose Garden” (1936-early 1950s)

The Rose Garden has held a water feature since the 1930s. The original design called for a small lily pool at the centre of the garden, built and dedicated in 1936. In 1939 a sculpture titled Spirit of the Rose Garden was placed in the pool, with gentle sprays of water at her feet. Her sculptor was Walter Rosenbauer, an instructor at the Kansas City Art Institute. Spirit of the Rose Garden remained there until the early 1950s.¹ Where the sculpture went, and what stood in the pool between then and 2002, is not established by any source located.

The present fountain (2002)

The current Italian stone fountain was dedicated in August 2002, made possible by contributions from private donors. It was designed by Theis Doolittle Associates (architects) with Water’s Edge Aquatic Design (engineering) and is owned by KCMO Parks & Recreation.¹² In 2008-09 the Kansas City Rose Society funded an extensive garden renovation — drainage and irrigation, metal edging, north-shelter improvements, an interior circular walking path, and about 1,200 new roses.²

Architecture + materials

The fountain is of Italian stone and sits at the centre of the garden’s circular plan, with roses on the surrounding beds and walking-path frames.²⁵ The earlier description on this page — “limestone basin with central plume” — is not supported by any source located; no consulted source gives the fountain’s dimensions, stone type, or jet configuration.

Current status

Operating. The claim that it runs seasonally and is drained for winter is standard KC practice but is not confirmed for this fountain by any source consulted.

Cultural significance

The Rose Garden Fountain is one of the most-photographed fountains in Kansas City + an essential KC wedding-photography destination. (The first half is editorial assessment;**.) The second is documented: several hundred couples are married in the Rose Garden each year, a permit is required, and KC Parks operates a formal photo-shoot permit system capping four photographers in the garden at once and closing it to shoots on weekday maintenance hours.²

The combination of the fountain + the 3,000+ rose bushes + the formal-garden landscape makes Loose Park Rose Garden one of KC’s most-visited civic spaces.²⁵ The garden has been recognised by both the World Federation of Rose Societies and the American Rose Society.²

Sources

Footnotes

1. City of Fountains Foundation — “Rose Garden Fountain.” https://cityoffountains.org/rose-garden-fountain/ — asserts: the Rose Garden at Loose Park has contained a water feature since the 1930s; the original design included a small lily pool at the centre of the garden, built and dedicated in 1936; in 1939 a sculpture titled Spirit of the Rose Garden was placed in the pool with gentle sprays of water at her feet; her sculptor was Walter Rosenbauer, also an instructor at the Kansas City Art Institute; Spirit of the Rose Garden remained until the early 1950s; location Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden, Loose Park, W 51st Street and Wornall Road; designer/artist Theis Doolittle Associates, architects, with Water’s Edge Aquatic Design, engineering; dedicated August 2002; owner KCMO Parks & Recreation Department. (The Foundation’s regional gallery lists this entry as “Laura Conyers Smith Fountain.”) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. Kansas City Parks and Recreation — “Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden.” https://kcparks.org/places/laura-conyers-smith-municipal-rose-garden/ — asserts: the garden realises a dream begun in 1931 when citizens led by Laura Conyers Smith established the Kansas City Rose Society; renamed for her in 1965; maintained in partnership between the Rose Society (which furnishes all the roses and volunteers hundreds of hours) and the KCMO Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners; recognised by the World Federation of Rose Societies and the American Rose Society; the circular plan was the concept of landscape architect S. Herbert Hare; the first garden contained 120 rose plants, today about 3,000 roses of nearly 130 varieties in 1.5 acres; in 1944 the West Garden was dedicated to the heroes of World War II; “The Italian stone fountain was dedicated in 2002. This sparkling centerpiece was made possible by generous contributions from private donors.”; a 2008-09 renovation added drainage and irrigation, metal edging, north-shelter improvements, an interior circular walking path and about 1,200 new roses; in 2024 the Rose Society added a bird bath in the North Garden; several hundred couples are married in the Rose Garden each year and a permit is required; photo-shoot permits are required, the garden is unavailable Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-4 p.m. for maintenance, and up to four photographers may be in the garden at once. (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 ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

3. City of Fountains Foundation — “Jacob L. Loose Memorial.” https://cityoffountains.org/jacob-l-loose-memorial/ — asserts: Ella Clark Loose purchased and donated 75 acres of the old Country Club golf course to the City of Kansas City in 1927 for a park in memory of her philanthropic husband; Jacob Loose founded the Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company, forerunner of Sunshine Biscuits; in 1941 she presented the city with a larger-than-life bronze statue of him, placed at the park entrance near 51st and Wornall; sculptor Rudolph Evans, bronze on a granite and limestone base, dedicated September 26, 1941. (Corroborated by Kansas City Parks and Recreation, “Jacob L. Loose Memorial,” https://kcparks.org/places/loose-jacob-l-memorial/.) ↩

4. “Jacob L. and Ella C. Loose” — The Pendergast Years, Kansas City Public Library / UMKC. https://pendergastkc.org/articles/jacob-l-and-ella-c-loose — asserts: Mrs. Loose bought the land for $500,000 and gave it to the city in 1927 as a memorial to her husband; his statue stands near the Wornall Road driveway of the park. ↩

5. The Clio — “Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden and Fountain,” entry 154035. https://theclio.com/entry/154035 — asserts: established in 1931 by the Kansas City Rose Society led by Laura Conyers Smith, on the northwest side of Loose Park; created as part of the park’s beautification plan but not officially named for its founder until 1965; features a circular pattern of nearly 3,000 rose bushes, walking paths, pergolas, rose-covered archways, benches, and an Italian stone fountain central to the garden. (theclio.com returns HTTP 403 to plain automated fetches; full text read directly via Firecrawl 2026-07-31.) ↩ ↩² ↩³