lake at forest hill cemetery

Although George Kessler gets most of the credit for beautifying Kansas City with its beloved boulevards and parks, his vision was furthered in no small part by father-and-son landscape artists Sid and Herbert Hare. While Kessler was working closely with the city in a political capacity in the 1890s, Sid Hare was challenging the idea of what burial grounds should look like in his term as superintendent of Forest Hill Cemetery. Hare saw the potential to be not just a resting place for the dead, but a botanical garden for the breathing visitors. The lake, and other additions to Forest Hill, became trademarks of Hare’s lavish landscape design. He and his son would go on to work closely with J.C. Nichols in the development of the Country Club Plaza and Mission Hills.