SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Japanese Tea Garden’s 107-year-old pagoda has been restored after a two-year restoration project started.
On Tuesday, September 27, a ceremony was held celebrating the upgrades that have been added to the building which include new carpeting and wood. The pagoda has undergone minor repairs throughout the years and the current project was its full restoration performed by the Recreation and Park structural maintenance crews. The building made its first appearance at the World’s Fair in 1915.
Carpenters replaced rotting wood that was located within the pagoda’s structure with 100-year-old salvaged redwood. The building’s five roofs were re-shingled and its walls were given a fresh coat of paint adorned in traditional bells and giboshi.
This $2 million restoration project is part of a renovation project meant to revitalize part of the Japanese Tea Gardens. The next portion of the project will be to restore the pagoda’s bridge and redesign the surrounding landscape. That portion of the restoration project is said to be completed by 2023.
Visitor attendance has increased significantly up to 187 percent since the Mayor of San Francisco passed legislation to waive Golden Gate Park specialty garden admission fees for residents and veterans.
Mayor London Breed said in a statement that “the Japanese Tea Garden’s pagoda is part of the fabric of our City and tells a story about the rich Japanese history and culture that exist here in San Francisco.”
