Fort Worth Botanic Garden
Also known as: Rock Springs Park; Municipal Rose Garden; Harry J. Adams Memorial Garden
Why it's listed
Fort Worth Botanic Garden's historic core is a 33-acre district just north of Interstate 30 in west Fort Worth. It grew from Rock Springs Park, bought in 1912 and improved from 1929 under City Forester Raymond C. Morrison, with designs by the Kansas City firm Hare and Hare. The centerpiece is the Municipal Rose Garden of 1933, built by laborers hired through a federal relief program. Reddish-brown Palo Pinto sandstone and flagstone appear throughout. A hipped-roof overlook shelter leads down a rose ramp with a water cascade to formal parterres, a large pond, a colonnade and an oval rose garden with a gazebo. South of it, the informal Rock Springs area has winding flagstone trails, small waterfalls and lagoons. Highway construction in the early 1950s destroyed a lagoon and dried the springs, and a pump now moves the water. A small stone shelter cut off by the realignment of University Drive is included, making the district discontiguous. The district counts 20 contributing resources.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is significant as a designed landscape by the noted firm Hare and Hare, centered on the formal Municipal Rose Garden built in 1933 with relief labor under City Forester Raymond C. Morrison. It combines Italian and French Renaissance-influenced formal design with a rustic water-garden area, tied together by Palo Pinto sandstone and flagstone. The form also covers the garden's public role and the controversy over its creation.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 08001400, listed January 29, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd., Fort Worth |
|---|---|
| County | Tarrant County |
| Listed | January 29, 2009 |
| Reference number | 08001400 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Hare and Hare (landscape architects, Kansas City, Missouri); built under City Forester Raymond C. Morrison |
| Architectural style | Other / landscape; 20th Century Revivals / Italian Renaissance, French Renaissance |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Entertainment/Recreation |
| Level of significance | National, State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a park and horticultural facility. The Rock Springs springs dried up after 1950s highway construction and now flow with a pump. Alterations to the rose garden are described as minor. |
| Acreage | 33 |
| Coordinates | 32.73850, -97.36184 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 08001400.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5472380
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.