Rosicrucian Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rosicrucian Park |
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Rosicrucian University building in the Park
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| Location | 1660 Park Ave, San Jose, California |
| Created | 1927 |
| Operated by | Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis |
| Website | www.rosicrucianpark.org |
Rosicrucian Park is a unique place located in San Jose, California. It serves as the main center for a group called the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC) in North and South America. The park is like a campus filled with interesting buildings, museums, and peaceful gardens.
Park History
Rosicrucian Park was started in 1927 by Harvey Spencer Lewis. It began as a single piece of land and grew into a large area, covering almost an entire city block. Over the years, many important buildings were added.
The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum opened in 1932. A special building for looking at stars, the Planetarium, was built in 1936. A research library, where people can study, opened in 1939. The Akhenaton Shrine, a place for quiet reflection, was completed in 1949.
In 2004, the beautiful Peace Garden was added to the park. It was officially opened by Christian Bernard, a leader of the Rosicrucian group. In 2013, plans for a new Alchemy Museum were announced. Alchemy is an old practice that tried to change ordinary metals into gold. This new museum will even have a working alchemy laboratory! In front of the new museum, there is an Alchemy Garden with four sections, each representing one of the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water.
What You Can See at the Park
Rosicrucian Park covers nearly a whole city block. It has several fascinating places to visit. These include the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, the main office building for the Order, the Rosicrucian Planetarium, and the peaceful Rosicrucian Peace Garden. There's also the Rosicrucian Research Library and the Grand Temple. In the center of the park, you'll find a fountain plaza and lovely gardens.
Near the Research Library, there's a beautiful rose garden. You can also see a giant dawn redwood tree outside the library. This tree was planted in 1950 to remember Harvey Spencer Lewis, who founded the park. Its seedling came all the way from China!
The park also has the Akhenaten Shrine. This shrine is named after Akhenaten, an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. It holds the ashes of Harvey Spencer Lewis and other important leaders of the AMORC group.
Most of the buildings in Rosicrucian Park look like ancient Egyptian temples. This design honors the group's connection to Egyptian history. You'll also see cyperus papyrus plants, which are like the plants that grew along the Nile River in ancient Egypt, used in the park's landscaping.
Park Pictures
Here are some photos of the buildings and statues you can find inside Rosicrucian Park.
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Tree side
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Park pillar
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Statues
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View on the park
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Walkway
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Statues
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Park flower
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University building
