Eugene J. de Sabla, Jr., Teahouse and Tea Garden facts for kids

The Eugene J. de Sabla, Jr., Teahouse and Tea Garden is a special historic garden in San Mateo, California. It's known for its beautiful Japanese design. This garden is the only one left that was designed by Makoto Hagiwara, a very famous Japanese garden designer. It was built around 1907 and is now listed as a historic place.

Discovering the Garden's Early Days

The land where the tea garden sits has a long history. It was once part of a large estate called El Cerrito, which means "Little Hill" in Spanish.

Who Owned El Cerrito First?

In 1853, a wealthy merchant named William Davis Merry Howard bought the estate. After he passed away, his wife, Agnes Poett, inherited it. She hired a gardener named John McLaren.

John McLaren's Famous Work

McLaren later became very famous as the superintendent of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. While working there, he teamed up with Makoto Hagiwara. Hagiwara is best known for creating the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, which you can still visit today!

A Japanese Influence Arrives

After Agnes Poett died in 1893, her husband, Henry Pike Bowie, owned the property. He traveled to Japan and became an expert on the country. When he returned, his interest in Japan started to influence the garden. However, the biggest changes happened when Eugene J. de Sabla Jr. bought the estate in 1906.

Eugene de Sabla's Time with the Garden

Eugene J. de Sabla Jr. was a very important person in California's history.

Building a Power Company

He was a businessman who helped start PG&E in 1905. This company still provides electricity and gas to many parts of California today.

The Tea Garden Comes to Life

A year after starting PG&E, de Sabla bought the El Cerrito estate. By 1907, fancy parties were already being held at the tea garden. We don't know the exact date the garden was built, but it was likely around 1907. The teahouse itself was built a couple of years later.

Makoto Hagiwara's Special Touch

It's not clear how de Sabla met Hagiwara. However, at that time, Hagiwara was looking for new projects. He had left his job at the Golden Gate Japanese Tea Garden because of unfair rules against Asian people in San Francisco. This allowed him to design many private Japanese-style gardens across northern California. The de Sabla property is the only one of these private gardens that still exists, making it very special.

A Popular New Style

Hagiwara became popular because the Midwinter Fair he helped organize in 1894 made Japanese-style gardens very trendy. The older Victorian garden style became less popular. Even after de Sabla sold the property to the wealthy St. Cyr family in 1919, the garden continued to host many social events.

The Garden's Journey Through Time

The St. Cyr family owned the property until 1940. They also hosted many important local events there.

Changes to the Estate

Eventually, they sold the estate to a builder. He sold off the contents of the main house and divided the large estate into smaller areas for homes. This was a common thing that happened to big estates back then.

A Garden Saved

However, the builder, David Bohannon, decided not to turn the garden area into houses. He wanted to sell it as it was. Even famous child star Shirley Temple was interested in buying it, but the sale didn't happen.

New Owners, New Life

Instead, an army veteran named Eri Richardson bought the garden in 1946. He studied Japanese architecture and added some new features to the garden. He then sold it in 1949. Since then, the property has been sold several times. Many owners have offered tours of the house and garden to the public.

Becoming a Historic Place

In 1988, a San Francisco businessman named Achille Paladini and his wife Joan bought the estate. They worked hard to bring the historic garden back to its original beauty. Because of their efforts, the property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

What the Garden Looks Like

The tea garden is described as a "Higurashi-en," which means "a garden worthy of a day of contemplation." It's also a "Shin-style hill garden."

Size and Surroundings

The garden is almost one acre in size. The original estate was much larger, about 35 acres, when de Sabla bought it. Many different kinds of trees surround the garden. Some of these were planted by McLaren when he worked on the estate.

Special Features

The garden also has a small, man-made mountain. It's partly made of volcanic rock from Japan. A stream flows from this mountain, creating a waterfall that empties into a lake filled with colorful Koi fish. You can also find lanterns, a Buddha statue, a bridge, and a special stone basin called a tsukubai.

The Teahouse

Tiny electric lights light up the garden at night. A bamboo fence with a special roofed entrance surrounds the entire property. The teahouse is on the west side of the garden. It was later made into a larger home with a guest house and garage. The teahouse itself is one story tall. It has sliding shoji screen doors and plaster walls with wooden beams. Inside, you can see a scroll, incense, and beautiful flower arrangements.

Images for kids

• 

  A view of the garden.