Jardin+Japonés+2

In 1899 the current president of the San Antonio Water Works, George W. Brackenridge, donated land in an abandoned limestone quarry to the city. In 1917 and 1918 the City Parks Commissioner Ray Lambert used prisoners to build Japanese walkways and buildings to decorate the area. A Japanese-like “torii gate” was built by a Mexican-born artist named Dionicio Rodriguez. A few years later a man named Kimi Eizo Jingu built a small tea restaurant and some small ponds. The garden prospered until the Japanese scare stared when the Second World War did. Kimi and his family were evicted out of the city and the garden was renamed the Chinese Sunken Gardens.

In 1984, the Garden was restored its original name and a ceremony was held commemorating the Jingu family. Even with that, the gardens remained unattended to. There were a few proposals to build an upscale restaurant to attract some visitors, but none ever took flight. The park began to decay and the free admission brought vandalism and graffiti to the complex. Recently the city has raised money to start to restore the park due to numerous complaints from the public. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and became a Texas Civil Engineering Landmark due to the mining history of the park. With the recognition and the restoration that’s taking place, the park seems to be on the path to its old glory. Jackson Lee

Links [|MySA] [|San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau]