Rock's Lake, on acreage between Troost and the Paseo, 63rd and Meyer, was owned by William L. Rock, a nurseryman and florist in Kansas City more than 50 years. His greenhouses were on the 18-acre field beside the lake. The greenhouses, eventually 20 in all, were just south of the city limits, and no city water was available at the time. The lake, formed by damming Town Fork brook, was the source of water for the plants and flowers. Mr. Rock built a windmill, along with a large wooden water tower, for use in pumping water from the lake. Mr. Rock's first floral shop was in a corner of Morton's Confectionery at 1024 Main, in 1897. Soon he moved to 1116 Walnut where he remained until 1912. That year his floral company, Rock's Inc., was established at 1108 Grand, with a 20-year lease in the Mason Building. At the age of 84, in 1947, Mr. Rock closed his business and retired. The colorful window displays at the Grand Avenue shop are remembered. After Mr. Rock's retirement, an editorial in The Star read: Grand Avenue has lost its boutonniere, its perennial nosegay. That window of fine flora, in good arrangement, Rock's Flowers at 1108 Grand is bleak these May days, after having been an emphasized point of beauty on the thoroughfare 37 years. The J.C. Nichols Company bought the Rock property and remaining greenhouses at the 63rd Street location in 1946. The lake and dam had been destroyed long before to make way for Meyer Boulevard. The greenhouses, where up to 52 persons had been employed, were razed. Today the Landing shopping center occupies the site. The postcard was published by the Southwest News Company, and printed in Leipzig, Germany. Kansas City Times. March 11, 1983
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