DFW News App

Texas Garden Clubs claims to own about 10 acres of land at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)
” data-medium-file=”https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/CAS_Botanic_Garden-11-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C240&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/CAS_Botanic_Garden-11-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C624&ssl=1″ tabindex=”0″ role=”button”>
The city of Fort Worth is poised to file a lawsuit against a state organization claiming ownership of a section of land inside the Fort Worth Botanic Garden grounds. 

Texas Garden Clubs, Inc., a nonprofit organization with more than 8,000 members, says it owns 10.291 acres within the 120-acre garden property. The botanic garden is owned by the city of Fort Worth and has been managed by the Botanical Research Institute of Texas through a public-private partnership since 2020. 

The garden club routinely meets at the botanic garden, where it has been headquartered since 1959. In 2011, the nonprofit’s headquarters building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, according to the club’s website. 

The ownership claim is based on a December 1959 agreement between the club and the board president of the park commission. However, the agreement was not authorized by Fort Worth City Council, according to June 25 council meeting documents. 

Fort Worth staff have attempted to resolve the issue of ownership since 2019 but without success. Now, they’re prepared to take legal action. 

City Council voted June 25 to authorize the city attorney’s office to file a lawsuit against the club, although staff clarified that doesn’t necessarily guarantee the city will sue. 

“We certainly agree that Texas Garden Clubs has a tremendous legacy here, both for the state and for the city of Fort Worth,” Assistant City Manager Jesica McEachern said. “Filing of this lawsuit does not preclude us from being able to resolve this in a manner notwithstanding, and we will continue our efforts to do that.” 

Texas Garden Clubs President Lee Haines Taylor, along with several club members, asked council to vote against the authorization, saying the organization’s headquarters is “both a tribute to those who have gone before us and a version of what we want to bequeath to all those who follow us.”  

“We have enjoyed 65 years of existence in the botanic gardens, working closely with the park and recreation department all these years, and we hope to continue uninterrupted for many more years to come,” Taylor said at the meeting. 

She said the city donated the land to the garden club, and it doesn’t make sense that they would take the land away now. 

Reyne Telles, the city’s chief communications officer, told the Report that the land was not given to Texas Garden Clubs under the proper authority, so the city is simply trying to reclaim it. 

“There’s just a genuine interest in making the property whole and being able to develop it as the city and/or the botanic garden sees fit,” Telles said. “If you own a house, and somebody says they own the living room, you’re going to try to work that out and get around it.”

Currently, there are no concrete plans to develop the land, he said. 

McEachern added in a statement to the Report that the Fort Worth Botanic Garden Master Plan, which council adopted in February 2023, outlines future potential development of the land as part of the botanic garden. The plan includes maintaining the Texas Garden Clubs building to allow the organization to continue operating out of its legacy building. 

Addressing Taylor and the other garden club members at the council meeting, Mayor Mattie Parker said city staff will remain in “very close contact” with the organization to explore options to resolve the conflict. 

“(It) is our intention to absolutely continue to work with you and your members, not only to protect the legacy there in the botanic gardens, but also enhance your experience and be an integral part of the future we have in the botanic gardens,” Parker said. 

Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org or @bycecilialenzen. 

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.