For five years, the City of Fort Worth has been at odds with the state garden club over which party rightfully owns a section of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.
In October, the city filed a lawsuit against Texas Garden Clubs (TGC) Inc. to resolve the ownership dispute. However, as of late December, a hearing date had not been set for the case, according to Fort Worth Report.
Texas Garden Clubs, founded in 1928, began seeking a permanent home for its headquarters in the 1950s and reportedly received multiple offers from competing cities in the state. TGC leadership claims that the City of Fort Worth invited the club to put down roots at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, receiving letters from the mayor, Chamber of Commerce, and Fort Worth Art Center directors.
In late 1958, the club entered an agreement to construct a permanent office building on 10.29 acres within the 120-acre Botanic Garden. One year later, the city executed a deed granting the property to the garden club.
In 2011, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, according to the organization’s website.
However, current city leaders claim the city council did not authorize the property deed and is, therefore, invalid. The deed was signed by the board president of the park commission at the time, J.A. Tadlock, with a comment from the notary agent stating that Tadlock was acting on behalf of the city. According to the city’s legal filing, this procedure did not comply with city and state laws governing the sale of parkland.
“The Park Board did not own the property, it was owned by the city. Therefore, the park board did not have authority to convey the property,” the filing states, per Fort Worth Report. “The December 9, 1959, transaction is no more than a document signed by the president of the park board. Neither the park board nor the City Council approved the conveyance (of) the property.”
Attorneys for TGC are contesting the city’s claim.
“An assertion that the deed was some one-off or mistaken transaction that was made without knowledge or approval by the city is contrary to the facts,” the attorneys wrote in the filing, per Fort Worth Report. “These were carefully drafted documents, and for more than 60 years, the recorded deed and (Texas Garden Clubs’) ownership have been uncontested by the city.”
“I’m disappointed that the City Council felt like the only choice it had here for a partner of 70 years was to sue it,” TGC attorney Jim Bradbury said, according to Fort Worth Report.
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said in a June meeting that she is open to exploring different avenues to end 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 garden, but also enhance your experience and be an integral part of the future we have in the botanic garden,” Parker said, per Fort Worth Report.