The Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden, located in Loose Park, has been the backdrop for first dates, quinceañeras and weddings for nearly 100 years.
The public garden was established in 1931 by the eponymous Laura Conyers Smith, a Kansas City socialite and lover of roses who also founded the Kansas City Rose Society chapter. The first garden had nearly 120 rose plants; today, there are around 3,000 roses and nearly 130 varieties in the 1.5 acre garden.
Earlier this month, the Kansas City Rose Society, the nonprofit that cares for the gardens, launched its Save the Pillars campaign to restore the stone structures encircling the grounds. The volunteer-led group says it wants to raise $20,000 dollars by Dec. 31 to help it reach its goals.
Laura Dickinson, president of the Kansas City Rose Society, says the organization has consulted with stone masons: Of the 64 pillars, 12 are in critical condition and need immediate attention.
"The pillars are in trouble," Dickinson told KCUR's Up To Date. "They were built in 1940 so they're getting really old, and they're starting to lean."
She says the group's ultimate goal is to raise $2 million over several years to create an endowment for the pillars.
"People enjoy the beautiful roses in the summer, and they enjoy the beautiful landscape with the pillars in the winter," Dickinson says. "And it's a quiet, restful space for everyone in the city."
- Laura Dickinson, president of the Kansas City Rose Society
