Canandaigua in Ontario County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Japanese Garden & Tea House
Photographed By Anton Schwarzmueller, June 22, 2019
1. Japanese Garden & Tea House Marker
Over a six-month period in 1906, a crew of seven Japanese workers led by landscape designer K. Wadamori, sculpted what was previously a one-acre apple orchard into an authentic Japanese Garden.
They transformed a gently-sloping lawn into a garden of rolling hills, pools, and winding brooks, building the hills from the soil removed to create the pools.
William Hornaday, in his Masterpieces in Garden-Making, a tribute to Mrs. Thompson’s gardens, writes that “a vale of paradise cannot be to mortal eye and brain any more perfect; or one degree more exquisitely beautiful, than Sonnenberg’s Japanese Garden in July, 1916.
The same crew of Japanese workers returned in 1908 to build the Tea House, which was modeled after a tea house in KYOTO, Japan. The Tea House served as a gathering place for Mrs. Thompson’s guests and a playhouse for visiting children.
This beautiful garden is a favorite of many staff and volunteers at Sonnenberg, and they often visit the garden seeking solace from the daily workload.
Restoration and replanting continues as we work to return the Japanese Garden to its former splendor.
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Location. 42° 53.933′ N, 77° 16.177′ W. Marker is in Canandaigua, New York, in Ontario County. Marker can be reached from Charlotte Street near Howell Street. Marker is on the grounds of Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 151 Charlotte Street, Canandaigua NY 14424, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Rock Garden (within shouting distance of this marker); Sonnenberg Gardens (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Peacock House/Aviary (about 600 feet away); Moonlight Garden (about 600 feet away); Old-Fashioned Garden (about 600 feet away); Blue & White Garden (about 600 feet away); Pansey Garden (about 600 feet away); Japanese Garden (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Canandaigua.
Also see . . . Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park. Park website homepage:
A non-profit organization, Sonnenberg operates in cooperation with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and relies solely on visitor admissions, memberships, donations, wine and gift center sales, and special events to preserve public access to the site. – Quoted
Photographed By Anton Schwarzmueller, June 22, 2019
2. Tea House & Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 13, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 23, 2019, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York. This page has been viewed 126 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 23, 2019, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.
