Watch CBS News

Fairmount Park's Japanese House Restores Its 1957 Landscape Design

By Steve Tawa

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A jewel in the heart of Fairmount Park is looking even nicer this summer. The Japanese House and Garden has honored its heritage with a landscape restoration job harkening back to its original design.

The project recaptures the design principles of the original 1957 work by Tansai Sano, the landscape architect from Kyoto.

"We're considered the most authentic Japanese site outside of Japan," says Kim Andrews, executive director of Friends of the Japanese House and Garden. She says they raised $75,000 to include some new and restored garden elements.

"It involved hauling away a lot of pond sludge," she tells KYW Newsradio. "We deepened the pond, we rebuilt the masonry banks, we expanded the size of the island to save our beautiful red pine, and we restored the waterfall."

Today, children launched folded-paper origami boats and fed the koi -- large, colorful, freshwater carp -- in the pond that adds to the serene mood next to the Japanese House.

japanese house pond _tawa
(Children launch origami boats and feed the koi in the pond of the Japanese House and Garden. Credit: Steve Tawa)

-----

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.