The title complexes, catena-poly[[aqua(1,10-phenanthroline-kappa(2)N,N')cobalt(II)]-micro-benzene-1,4-dicarboxylato-kappa(2)O(1):O(4)], [Co(C(8)H(4)O(4))(C(12)H(8)N(2))(H(2)O)], (I), and catena-poly[[[(di-2-pyridyl-kappaN-amine)copper(II)]-micro-benzene-1,4-dicarboxylato-kappa(4)O(1),O(1'):O(4),O(4')] hydrate], [Cu(C(8)H(4)O(4))(C(10)H(9)N(3))].H(2)O, (II), take the form of zigzag chains, with the 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate ion acting as an amphimonodentate ligand in (I) and a bis-bidentate ligand in (II). The Co(II) ion in (I) is five-coordinate and has a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal geometry. The Cu(II) ion in (II) is in a very distorted octahedral 4+2 environment, with the octahedron elongated along the trans O-Cu-O bonds and with a trans O-Cu-O angle of only 137.22 (8) degrees.