Existing comment:
History of the Japanese Friendship Garden:
1915-1955:
In Balboa Park the year 1915, San Diego opened its Panama-California Exposition.
Designed to call attention to San Diego and bolster the economy, the Exposition highlighted archeological and anthropological displays as well as advertised the agricultural potential of the southwest.
One of the popular exhibits was a Japanese Teahouse located just north of the Botanical Building in an area that is now occupied by the Children's Zoo.
The Teahouse was a one-story building with an open verandah where visitors to the Exposition could sit, sip tea, and enjoy a garden landscaped in a manner few had seen other than from photos of Japan.
There was a Japanese Garden adjacent to the "Teahouse," which could be described as plants, stone lanterns, bronze cranes, and a winding stream squeezed into a small space so small that everything was foreground. While the garden lacked a sense of depth or of "borrowed" scenery from afar, details were carefully executed by the gardeners who were well versed in the techniques of bonsai and ikebana. The overall harmony of elements was sacrificed as effects were compressed for space. In Japan, there are often fences or walls surrounding the Garden, but in Balboa Park at that time, there was neither fence nor wall to help create and define areas or moods.
For nearly 30 years, the Teahouse and garden were operated and maintained by the Asakawa family, who continue to this day as active members of the San Diego community. Though a beautiful symbol of the strong cultural and commercial ties that linked two of the world's leading nations, the Teahouse and garden were eventually closed.
1955-1990:
In 1955, key citizens of San Diego gathered, and formulated a plan for restoring a Japanese garden in Balboa Park on an expanded site. As the first tangible symbol of this effort, the City of Yokohama presented the City of San Diego with a snow lantern in 1956. Following that in 1958, they presented the Friendship Bell, which can now be found on Shelter Island.
The San Diego Yokohama Sister City Society, whose members worked with the City of San Diego to identify the current site of the garden, acquired a Japanese Gate. They installed it just to the north of the Organ Pavilion. In 1968, they dedicated the gate as the Charles C. Dail Memorial Japanese Gate in order to honor the extraordinary commitment by the people of San Diego. The gate was near the entrance to the eleven acres set aside in Balboa Park, the eventual construction and restoration site of a Japanese garden.
In 1977, after hearing the plans by many San Diegans to re-establish a Japanese garden, Yokohama gave San Diego 100 Cherry Blossom trees that now blossom at the Wild Animal Park.
During 1977 and 1978, a series of public conferences were held to make plans for the new garden. These events allowed the general public to get involved in the designing of Balboa's new garden.
The next step was to design a master plan. For this task, the Society called upon the architectural firm of Fong & LaRocca Associates. Takeo Uesugi, the Landscape Architect and Japanese Garden Design Consultant, was to help them in planning and designing the garden. In 1979, the Department of Parks & Recreation and the City Council's Public Facilities & Recreation Committee approved the Japanese Garden Master Plan for Balboa Park.
Plans approved, the Society had a professional feasibility study completed to determine if sufficient financial support was available. Not only did funds have to be identified from San Diego, but also from sources throughout the United States and Japan. The study showed that support for the project was strong, so with the cooperation of Mayor Pete Wilson and the City of San Diego, the new Japanese Friendship Garden was under way.
1990-1999:
The initial Master Plan was designed so that the garden could be constructed in five phases, with the first opening in August of 1990. While planning for the second phase, the Master Plan was changed and the phase system was discontinued. In September of 1999, a major Improvement Project was completed. The design team for this project was led by Professor Takeo Uesugi.
The Improvement Project included:
* A plaza at the upper entrance of the garden including a Tea Pavilion.
* A Garden Study Center to focus on the skill and techniques of Japanese gardening.
* An expanded and enhanced entire upper garden.
* An expanded garden staff.
* A 10,700 gallon koi pond and waterfall.
* A Bonsai Garden.
A key goal in the renovation was to assure every element of the Garden can be seen and fully enjoyed by all its visitors. The garden is intended as a place of learning for all. It will be an ever changing garden, rather than static as many other gardens.
The improvement project took two years of planning. The Garden was closed to the public for approximately six months and re-opened September 21, 1999.
Major grants awarded to the Japanese Friendship Garden came from the City of San Diego, Kyocera International, Inc. and Kyocera Corporation. |