Hillside Fountain

Designed by landscape architect Robin Frye, this multi-tiered waterfall is made of limestone blocks and was installed in 1998. Built into the hillside of Brush Creek Greenway, Hillside Fountain provides a tranquil stop in the eastern portion of Brush Creek Trail. This waterfall is located behind the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Center on the south side of Brush Creek. Across the river to the north is the Spirit of Freedom Fountain and Brush Creek Amphitheater.

Following a devastating flood of Brush Creek in September 1977, civic leaders took action to minimize future flooding. After several years of advocacy, the Kansas City Parks Department partnered with the Corps of Engineers to implement flood control measures and beautification efforts, primarily near the Country Club Plaza. Between 1991 and 1995, Brush Creek was made deeper and wider, low bridges were replaced, water pumps and fountains were installed, and the first portion of the Brush Creek Trail was constructed. 

In 1998, the year after Kansas City’s FOCUS Comprehensive Plan was accepted, a redevelopment plan was proposed for the Brush Creek Corridor. The plan addressed community issues and investment opportunities, including residential and commercial development, as well as further beautification. An eastward extension of the existing Brush Creek Trail was also proposed to connect the Plaza to the Cultural District, which includes a concentration of cultural, educational, and recreational institutions, carries a history dating back to the Civil War, and is home to several neighborhoods that have some of the highest populations of residents with African ancestry in the nation.

Brush Creek Trail is now a 4.1 mile paved pedestrian path that runs along Brush Creek from the west end of the Country Club Plaza to the confluence of Brush Creek at the Blue River. In addition to several fountains and parks, visitors along Brush Creek Trail can view some of Kansas City’s most prominent cultural institutions such as Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center, Kauffman Legacy Park, Gates BBQ, and the Country Club Plaza shopping district. The trail is also within close proximity to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Donald J. Hall Sculpture Garden, the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center, Kemper Museum, Kansas City Art Institute, UMKC, Rockhurst University, and Loose Park.

Hillside Fountain, City of Fountains Foundation. Accessed November 2nd, 2022. https://cityoffountains.org/hillside-fountain/.

Brush Creek Trail, Kansas City Parks & Recreation. Accessed November 2nd, 2022. https://kcparks.org/places/brush-creek-trail/.

Applied Urban Research Institute. Brush Creek Corridor Land Use & Development Plan, City of Kansas City, Missouri. December 1st, 1998. Accessed November 2nd, 2022. https://www.kcmo.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/1397/636958606982530000.

Kansas City, MO Real Estate & Demographic Data, Neighborhood Scout. Accessed November 2nd, 2022. https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/mo/kansas-city.