LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Waterfront Botanical Gardens on Thursday broke ground on Louisville's first public Japanese garden. The $22 million Japanese Garden will occupy two acres and will be built over the next 24 months, officials said in a press release.
What You Need To Know
- Waterfront Botanical Gardens broke ground on Louisville's first public Japanese garden
- The garden will include a traditional Japanese Tea House, a Zen garden and a zig zag bridge over a small lake
- The space will also include a bonsai garden with 30 trees
- Waterfront Botanical Gardens is free and open to the public
The garden will include a traditional Japanese Tea House, designed to introduce the Japanese tea ceremony, one of the most prestigious and symbolic rituals in Japanese culture.
Also planned for the Japanese Garden is a summer house, a Zen garden, and a zig zag bridge over a small lake. The Cornelian cherry tree, a type of flowering dogwood, will be featured in a few areas of the garden.
Landscape designer Shiro Nakane was on hand to celebrate the ground-breaking with elected officials and over one hundred botanical garden supporters, board members, staff and donors. Mr. Nakane spoke not only of the distinctive design of Japanese Gardens, but also about the bridging of cultures that takes place when a Japanese Garden is constructed outside of Japan.
"The apparent admiration and esteem enjoyed by the Japanese garden throughout the world is presumably attributable to the recognition of its universal artistic merits, which transcend all racial, religious, and cultural differences," Nakane said.
The space will also include a bonsai garden, with 24 trees donated by the late Tommy McCurry and an additional 6 trees donated by the Chicago Botanic Garden.
The bonsai garden has been sponsored the Graeser family in honor of their parents, Emil and Nancy Graeser. “We are deeply grateful to the Graeser family for their ongoing support in providing vision and resources to bring the gardens to life, and in honoring their parents, Emil and Nancy Graeser, who have been big supporters of our project since the beginning.” said Kasey Maier, president and CEO of the Waterfront Botanical Gardens.
Waterfront Botanical Gardens is built on a 23-acre former landfill in Louisville at the intersection of River Road and Frankfort Avenue. The space is free and open to the public. For information on events, parking and accessibility, visit their website.