San Antonio Japanese Tea Garden

The San Antonio Japanese Tea Garden, or Sunken Gardens in Brackenridge Park, San Antonio, Texas, features pathways lined with towering cliffs of flowers and lush gardens.

The restored gardens feature lush year-round garden and a floral display with shaded walkways, stone bridges, a 60-foot waterfall and ponds filled with Koi. Also known as the Chinese Tea Gardens, Chinese Sunken Gardens and is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

3853 N St Mary's St, San Antonio, TX 78212
Official Website: Japanese Tea Gardens

In 1879, William Loyd, an Englishman, who had some experience in cement manufacturing, visited San Antonio. While here, he went on a hunting trip just north of the city, where he came upon the rock quarries belonging to the City of San Antonio, which were on a tract of land granted to the City by the Queen of Spain. After analysis of the rocks proved his belief that these were natural cement rock duly suited for manufacture of Portland Cement, the original plant of the "Alamo Portland and Roman Cement Company" was built in 1880. This was the second company plant built in the United States and the first built west of the Mississippi River.

The cement taken from the Alamo Plant was used in the construction of the Texas State Capitol building in Austin which was at the time the largest public building in the United Statps. In 1907, because the quarry was on leased city property, situated off the railroad and the site was inadequate for growth, the plant was relocated. In 1915, with the advent of the Commission Form of Government, Roy Lambert became the first Park Commissioner, In 1917, Commissioner Lambert envisioned a flower garden in the quarry pit left by the cement company. After surmounting problems such as lack of funding he interested a select group of local businessmen in the project and with their help raised the $7,000 necessary to pay for the total cost. The labor problem was solved with City prison labor.

In the gardens was a Mexican Village, consisting of a Mexican restaurant and a group of four houses; however, since the area had an oriental motif, it was named the Japanese Sunken Garden and a young Japanese couple, Mr. & Mrs. Jingu from California, were invited to manage the tea room. Mr. & Mrs. Jingu raised a family of several children, but when World War II began, Mrs. Jingu, then a widow, was forced to move because of public prejudice. The name was then changed to Chinese Sunken Garden. Later, the Chinese designation was dropped leaving it the Sunken Gardens. Recently, the name was restored and now stands as the Japanese Tea Gardens.