San Antonio – When folks talk about San Antonio, the first thing that comes to mind is the Alamo or the Riverwalk. Now if you’ve been there and done that, there’s a park on the north central side of the city that has quite a bit of history as well. Brackenridge Park takes up over 349 acres and it started in 1899. “Brackenridge was formed out of an abandoned rock quarry,” said Mary Jane Verette. “The whole park was, and it’s multiple land grants that created between all of this facility that you see.”
Mary Jane is an 8th generation Texan and the President and CEO of the San Antonio Parks Foundation, a group that looks after 270 city park and 5 county parks. “The city of San Antonio works hard to have a park within a 10-minute walk,” said Mary Jane. “It’s a goal of the city.”
Their crown jewel is Brackenridge and the one of the shiniest diamonds in this park is the Japanese Tea Garden. “We feel like we’re stewards of this very special place,” said Mary Jane. “That is a respite for people to come and enjoy and be at peace right in the middle of the city.”
Since 1919 this old rock quarry has been home to this one of kind setting and while it may seem odd to have Japanese Garden in the middle of the Lone Star State, San Antonio has been a melting pot for people for a very long time. “We celebrate each other,” said Mary Jane. “We celebrate everyone’s culture, and it’s such a spirit of community that makes it very special to me. I think you would say that San Antonio is not a melting pot. It’s a salad.”
The vibe at the Japanese Tea Garden is always peaceful. Here you’ll find a plethora of people just enjoying the scenery, making lasting memories, and marking special occasions. “I’ve seen everything on those benches from happiness to sadness, tears, senior citizens to proposals,” said Mary Jane. “I’ve seen it all up here, and I think it’s so wonderful because those memories as you get older are what you have.”
In 1916, it was Park Commissioner Ray Lambert who had the vision of what an old rock quarry in central Texas could turn into. “He and his engineer used prison labor to craft all of these stone arches and the structures that you see, the pathways using the rock that came out of the quarry,” said Mary Jane. “When you look up at the pavilion, you’ll see city public service timbers were repurposed. They found the structure of the actual pavilion, and they used palm fronds from elsewhere in the park to build the roof on top of the pavilion.”
One of the collaborators of the park was Japanese born artist Kimi Jingu. Jingu moved his family to the Alamo City after he served in the U.S. Army during World War 1. In 1926, his family was invited to live at the gardens to maintain it and run a teahouse next to it. Things were going well for the Jingu family until the attack on Pearl Harbor. “In 1942, the family was evicted as a result of anti-Japanese sentiment,” said Mary Jane. “So when the family was evicted, the city renamed this garden to the Chinese tea garden, and I have found out since that, that was quite common throughout the country. At the time, I wouldn’t have known that. I was very surprised.”
The Gardens were subsequently renamed and the sign at the entrance to the gardens still reflects that name. “That was built during the time that a Chinese family was running the little lunch restaurant area up that we have up here,” explained Mary Jane. “And it was built by Dionicio Rodriguez. So it is a significant piece of art built in 1942. And so it has a long history. It’s written up in several books, but it is a historical piece of ‘Faux Bois’ that you see so many places in San Antonio and it simply is a nod to the time in 1942. When we look back at history and we say, how do we move forward? We acknowledge the complex histories of all public parks. This is no different. And you move forward into the future by recognizing the past.”
The park fell into disrepair over the years but was brought back to prominence, and the original name returned along with the daughter of Kimi Jingu. “In 2008 when the garden was reopened, Bonnie Connor and Mayor Cockrell brought the family back and for the renaming of the garden and the opening of the garden that was all restored, and we immediately began restoring the Jingu house,” said Mary Jane. “And so in 2011, the Jingu House opened, and Mabel Jingu now in Koji actually came back for the opening.”
Today the teahouse is back with snacks, bobo teas, and of course a few cocktails if you want to sit and savor the setting of this serene spot. But the main attraction is the gardens, full of color, full of life, and full of lore making it well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List. “We always want to be stewards and take care of it and do everything in a proper manner to take care of this sacred place,” said Mary Jane. “You feel the history when you’re in here and you feel the serenity as it should be.”