18The Square That Refused to Leave

You're standing in the ghost of Waco's original town square. For a century, City Hall sat in the middle of it and the whole city traded around it. The 1953 tornado battered the neighborhood, urban renewal finished the job in the '60s — and of everything that stood here, only the 1930 Art Deco City Hall survived. So Keep Waco Beautiful gave the spot back to the public as Heritage Square: pergolas, engraved bricks honoring mayors and schools, and these fountains. The big one honors Frances Sturgis, who founded the beautification group itself — a fountain for the woman who made pretty things official city business.

And yes: one morning in 2019 the city woke up to find somebody had dumped soap in it overnight and the whole thing had foamed over like a bubble bath. The city drained it, refilled it, and shrugged — it happens from time to time. No investigation. Waco knows a good prank when it mops one up.