Half day at the Huntington Library

Return of an Icon  

The wait is over! After a year-long closure and a $6.8 million renovation, the historic Japanese Garden has reopened, marking its centennial as one of the most beloved and iconic landscapes at The Huntington. Completed in 1912, the nine-acre site, with its picture-postcard views of koi-filled ponds, distinctive moon bridge, and historic Japanese House, has attracted more than 20 million visitors since the institution opened to the public in 1928.

Now several new elements enhance this “magical place.” Among the new features visitors will see is an authentic ceremonial teahouse, situated on a ridge above the existing Japanese House and set within a traditionally landscaped tea garden. A newly created waterfall cascades down the slope, visually connecting the tea garden to the ponds below.

Restoration of the Japanese House, a structure built in Japan around 1904, showed elements such as the distinctive curves of the roof line, an elaborately carved ornament atop one of the gables, and original plaster and wood finishes have been restored, giving the house a dramatically different appearance, but one more authentic to the building’s past.

A Storied Past

The Japanese Garden is among the oldest and most elaborate of its kind in America. Begun in 1911, it was inspired by widespread Western fascination with Asian culture.  In 1968, The Huntington added the Zen Garden and a bonsai display that was expanded in 2010.