The Japanese Tea Garden Grew From an Old Quarry

The Japanese Tea Garden began with a hole in the ground. The Alamo Cement Company quarry closed in 1908. City parks leader Ray Lambert then saw a garden in the cut stone. Prison workers shaped paths and arches in 1917 and 1918, and donated plants softened the bare walls.

A family gave the garden its heart. Kimi Eizo Jingu and his family moved there in 1926. They cared for the grounds and served guests in the Bamboo Room. Their home and tea room made this a gathering place, not just a city project.

In 1942, during wartime anger toward Japanese Americans, the city forced the Jingu family out. It also changed the name to the Chinese Tea Garden. San Antonio brought back the Japanese Tea Garden name in 1984. The restored Jingu House now helps tell the family's part of the story.

The quarry still sets the scene. Stone walls rise around ponds, bridges, paths, and a waterfall. The garden is lovely on its own. Knowing the Jingu story also shows why this place deserves to be remembered with care.