The Water Gardens...and why you should never go there.
- Michael Jay Tucker's explosive-cargo
- Jun 29
- 4 min read
Last time I had us on the way to see the Water Gardens in Fort Worth. And, oh, not to keep you in suspense. So, let’s get it over with.
Don’t go there. Ever. As in Never. As in Don’t Even Think About It, Bro. And Sis.
Let me explain.
We thought it was gonna be great. We had this vision of the two of us, strolling about, on a hot summer city afternoon, hand in hand, enjoying the refreshing spray of several wonderfully designed fountains. We thought of it as an marvelous oasis of coolness, full of refreshing spray and gentle breezes, where you could hear children laughing and lovers sighing...
It would be, we thought, “...an oasis in the concrete jungle of the center of town. The park features three pools of water: the aerating pool, the quiet pool, and the active pool with water tumbling down a series of terraces down to a small pit.” That’s what is says on the Architecture in Fort Worth website, after all. And if you can’t trust architecture, what can you trust?(1)
Apparently, nothing.
About the photos: First, a picture of the Active Fountain. It is way scarier than it looks in this picture. You can’t see how steep the sides are or how fast the water is running. But, believe me, it is dangerous.
Second, because the photo above doesn’t really convey just how frightening the Fountains are, I modified it with Adobe Photoshop. This version doesn’t look much like the original, but it does speak, I think, to how scary it is to be there.
Finally, and third, Martha having lunch a few days later. This is a much happier snap than the other two :-)
Okay, background: in the early 1970s, the city decided it needed a Water Garden downtown. The idea was green-lighted and the fountains were designed by the famous architects Philip Johnson(2) and John Burgee (3). Both men are talented and important, and have made significant contributions to the field of postmodern architecture.(4)
What they came up with was a site with three different fountains and grassy knoll. One of the three fountains, actually a pool, is supposed to be a calming and mediative experience where you sit near still waters and enjoy the peaceful setting. The other is a spray pool that cools the area on a hot day. And, the final fountain, is the “active” pool, which is supposed to resemble a mountain stream.
It is also, I think, flat-out deadly, and it’s why I advise you not to go near it...particularly if you have children.
The “active” fountain is a deep pit with water flowing down its tilted sides. The water eventually ends up in a pool at the bottom of the installation. There is a series of slab-like steps that are supposed to allow you to climb down to the pool. But if you have the slightest problem with mobility, or if you’re wearing high heels, don’t try it.
But there’s more, and here’s why I say it is dangerous. If you slipped from one of the steps, or from the ledge around the the top of the fountain, you would not be able to stand up or prevent yourself from sliding rapidly down the concrete embankment of the pool. You would slip all the way to the bottom and possibly knock yourself unconscious along the way. At the bottom, you would then drown. If, that is, you weren’t already dead of a cracked skull or some other fun thing like that.
And...guess what? It’s already happened. Back in 2004, four people...a father and three children... “were drowned after being pulled down by the pumps at the center of the Active Pool.” (5)
Supposedly the problems with the pump has been addressed, but that leaves the danger of falling and sliding down the embankment. Or, at the very least, in falling around the installation. And, apparently, people regularly do just exactly that. While I haven’t been able to get details on when and how such incidents occur, the Fort Worth radio station FMX 94.5 reported in October of 2024 that the city has “paid thousands of dollars in claims to visitors injured [at the Water Gardens]”(6)
In fact, if you do a little searching on the web, you soon find out that at least some people are aware of the dangers posed by the Water Gardens, and discuss those hazards in some considerable detail. (My favorite may be a poster who signs him/herself Pendell. S/He described his visit to the Gardens, and concluded that they were almost “comically dangerous.” [7] He, or she, had a good point.)
In other words, it isn’t a secret from the world.
It was, however, news to us.
But, not to worry. We would very shortly find out all about it. For better or worse...
More to come.
Footnotes:
1. Architecture in Fort Worth, http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/water.htm
2. Philip Johnson, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Johnson
3. John Burgee, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Burgee
4. Postmodern Architecture, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodern_architecture
5. Fort Worth Water Garden, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Worth_Water_Gardens
6. “The Haunting Hidden History of the Fort Worth Water Gardens” Chrissy, FMX 94.5, October 17, 2024 https://kfmx.com/have-you-been-to-this-deadly-texas-fountain/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
7. “Visited the Fort Worth Water Gardens which is one of the most comically dangerous places I've ever seen in my life,” Pendell, 2023, https://cohost.org/atomicthumbs/post/1585598-i-looked-up-what-act
You can also see some commentary on the 2004 drownings at the Fort Worth Architecture site here: https://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=209
Copyright©2025 Michael Jay Tucker
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