Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden and Fountain

Established in 1931 by the Kansas City Rose Society, the award winning Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden and Fountain are located at the northwest side of Loose Park. The garden was created as part of the park’s beautification plan but not officially named for its founder until 1965. It 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. The Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden offers educational opportunities, sponsors events, and continues to be a popular, tranquil destination for residents and visitors alike.

The municipal rose garden in Loose Park was established in 1931 by the Kansas City Rose Society, led by Laura Conyers Smith. The 1.5 acre, circular garden was designed by landscape architects Hare & Hare as part of the park's beautification plan and contained 120 rose plants. Today, there are nearly 3,000 roses of nearly 130 varieties. The garden also contains stone trellises, which were originally made of iron but replaced in 1940, and pergolas featuring commemorative plaques. In 1989, Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden was afforded the highest national honor by the American Rose Society, the Bronze Achievement Award.

As a native to Oregon near Portland, the City of Roses, Laura Conyers Smith grew up with an appreciation and fascination for roses. After becoming a member of the American Rose Society and inheriting a rose garden in 1929, Mrs. Smith researched how to properly care for the plants. She would invite friends for a cup of tea and listen to a series of radio shows put on by the ARS; it was during the last show that municipal rose gardens were discussed and the idea to create one in Kansas City was considered. The following week, on May 9, 1931, the Kansas City Rose Society was formed. A month later on June 7, the first unit of the rose garden at Loose Park was dedicated. It was officially named the Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden in 1965.

The first water feature in the circular garden was a small lily pool donated by the Kansas City Garden Club in 1936. Three years later, a friend of Smith donated “The Spirit of the Rose Garden,” a female figure sculpted by Kansas City Art Institute instructor W. Wallace Rosenbauer. The statue was placed in the middle of the pool with sprays of water at her feet and remained in place until the early 1950s. A modern fountain made with vertical steel poles that sprayed water, representing blossoming flowers, was donated by the Oscar D. and Florence L. Nelson Fund and dedicated in 1980. 

The Rose Society proposed raising funds for a new fountain and restoration of the grounds at the turn of the century. Dedicated in 2002, the Year of the Rose, the classic bowl style fountain was designed by Bowman Bowman Novick, Inc. and is made of buff-colored stone from Vincenza, Italy. The renovation of the pool along with new sidewalks and lights were also done at the time. The restoration of the garden's features, however, wasn’t completed until 2014. In 2018, the garden was awarded the Garden of Excellence by the World Federation of Rose Societies.

In partnership with the Parks Department, Kansas City Rose Society continues to sponsor and maintain the garden. Rose Day and a Rose Show are held annually by the KCRS, typically on the first Sunday in June. 

Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden, KC Parks. Accessed July 8th 2022. https://kcparks.org/places/laura-conyers-smith-municipal-rose-garden/.

Laura Conyers Smith Fountain, KC Parks. Accessed July 8th 2022. https://kcparks.org/places/smith-laura-conyers-fountain-2/.

Our History, Kansas City Rose Society. Accessed July 8th 2022. https://www.kansascityrosesociety.org/our-history.html.

Smith, Laura Conyers. Our History, Kansas City Rose Society. Accessed July 8th 2022. https://www.kansascityrosesociety.org/our-history.html.

The Garden Story, Kansas City Rose Society . Accessed July 8th 2022. https://www.kansascityrosesociety.org/the-garden-story.html.