Rains reveal 12-foot-deep hole at Tucson Botanical Gardens

Staff members discovered the hole after a visitor walking along the Porter Patio on Monday felt some bricks give way, said Tana Jones, communications director for Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way.

The hole, about 12 to 15 feet deep and 2 feet in diameter, was dug long before the garden was established.

Geologists who examined the site have determined it was a hand-dug hole covered by concrete that eroded over the years.

"The rain was probably the proverbial straw that broke the concrete's back," Jones said. "The rain alone didn't do it, but with time and the rains of late, it came together to create the problem."

The hole will be filled with a rock-and-concrete mix and then covered again with concrete and brick.

Botanical gardens staffers don't believe it was used as a well, guessing that it might have been dug for storage. "We had no idea that was under there," she said.

It's unknown how old the hole is, Jones said. The property was privately owned by the Porter family until 1974. The city of Tucson leased it to the gardens until deeding the property over in 1985.