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Seike Japanese Garden
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After a lengthy period of negotiation and fundraising, and the help of a $250,000 grant from the State of Washington, the City and the Foundation reached an agreement to purchase the garden from the Port of Seattle in 2005. The Port purchased the garden, located at the site of the former Des Moines Way Nursery, in 2002 from the Seike family as part of its expansion of Sea-Tac Airport. Shinichi Seike immigrated from Ehime, a southern Japanese island, in 1919 and ran an import/export business in Seattle. In 1929 he purchased 13 acres near Des Moines Memorial Drive and moved into a farmhouse with wife Kameno, daughter Ruth, and sons Ben, Toll, and Hal. The family was interned during World War II, along with over 100,000 other Japanese Americans. All three sons served in the military. The middle son Toll was killed in action in France while serving with the distinguished 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated military unit in U.S. History. Many Highline area Japanese American families lost their property during the internment, but the Seikes were fortunate in that, ironically, a German-American family managed their property in their absence. Upon their return to the Highline area, Shinichi Seike started a nursery in 1947. The nursery store was opened in 1953 after sons Hal and Ben earned Horticulture degrees from Washington State University. In 1961 the family began construction of a Japanese Garden as a memorial to their brother and to capitalize on their proximity to Seattle's 1962 Worlds Fair. The family hired Shintaro Okada, a garden designer from Hiroshima, to assist with planning and construction. Mr. Okada arrived in December of 1960; construction began in January of 1961 and was complete by June. A gala opening was held on June 25 to promote the garden. A twenty-five cent admission fee was collected to benefit Children's Hospital, and anyone wearing a kimono was admitted free. Garden club tours were available by appointment, but the garden was opened to the general public several times a year until about 1973. Due to increasing theft and vandalism, the garden was closed for about 10 years, and was reopened in 1983. The garden remained a Highline "best kept secret" for nearly two additional decades. A classic “pond-and-mountain” style garden, the project was originally built at a cost of around $75,000. Today, in addition to the state grant, the new budget included over $100,000 contributed by the City of SeaTac, which brought the total budget to around $350,000. Design work for the relocated garden, began in fall of 2005; contractors were chosen in early 2006. The project was divided into three parts, with Royal Construction doing the land clearing and rough grading, Turnstone Construction relocating the major stonework and building the new water feature, and Big Trees, Inc. relocating the most significant plants. The City of SeaTac Parks Dept. acted as general contractor, managing the three other contractors and performing all other work. Demolition by City of SeaTac Parks Dept. crews began in February, and was continued by Turnstone Construction and the City through early June. Relocation of the pond and mountain stonework by Turnstone began in early March. Each stone was tagged with an identification number and photographed from several angles, and then stored until the shell of the pond was poured. The mountain alone originally required 350 tons of stone and over 100 yards of topsoil to create. Concurrent with the stone removal came the transplanting of the garden’s beautifully pruned pines and maples, and a twenty-foot Ginkgo tree raised from seed. Many of the plants are from Shinichi Seike's personal collection, including a gnarled laceleaf Japanese maple now over 100 years old. The larger plants were dug, balled, and carefully wrapped in burlap by Big Trees. These trees, and other salvageable shrubs, were stored in nursery beds while the new site was being prepared. Because many of the trees and shrubs used to screen the garden had long since grown beyond transplantable size and because of budget constraints, only the key specimens could be relocated. Clearing and grading of the new site by Royal Construction began in late February, with excavation of the pond following shortly after. Rough grading of the mountainside and paths completed the clearing and grading phase. In early March a survey team staked out the shoreline and major garden elements such as lanterns and bridges. Framing and forming the pond shell came next, followed by placing of steel reinforcement and sleeving for utilities. A crew of eight poured the pond shell and waterfall in less than a day. A waterproofing material was applied next, followed by placing the stones within the pond shell. Next the built elements including bridges, concrete pilings, lanterns, turtle, and crane were installed. Additional concrete was then poured to fill all voids and cover the waterproofing. The final pour was meticulously textured to create a more natural look. The original pond’s water was supplied by an artesian well, and many of the stones along the shoreline bear the rust colored stains of 45 years of exposure to mineral water. The new re-circulating pond is a 6-inch waterproofed gunite shell topped with an additional 2 inches of textured concrete. State of the art pumps and filtration will greatly improve water circulation and quality.
The larger plants were reinstalled by
Big Trees in late March, followed by placement of stonework on the
mountain. Stones around the waterfall were carefully secured into
position, and supporting and retaining stones placed around them.
The staircase stones were installed next By balancing the complexity of the project with the weight of our budget constraints, the result will be a garden that in places perhaps more closely resembles Opening Day 1961 than the mature garden purchased by the Port in 2002. A number of modifications have also been necessary to accommodate turning what was primarily a residential garden into a public facility. The ultimate goal always remained a faithful recreation of designer Shintaro Okada's intent, and the result is the preservation of a significant local horticultural, cultural, and historical amenity. The entire process went remarkably smoothly, thanks primarily to excellent communication between all of the contractors. In particular the planning and project coordination by Turnstone was exemplary. Project Superintendent C.G. Hartness did an amazingly accurate job of documenting the existing garden, and his photos and sketches paid off time and time again when questions arose on how to position a particular stone or tree. Special thanks are also due to Don Brooks of Seattle Parks’ Kubota Garden, who has helped us resolve countless design issues, and to Roger Chouinard of SeaTac Parks, who juggled all his usual duties while simultaneously acting as Project Manager on both the Seike relocation and another major city project across town. Considerable thanks are also due to the following for their efforts in preserving the Seike Japanese Garden: Rep. Bob Hasegawa (the prime sponsor who formally requested the project to be included in the Capital Budget); Reps. Dave Upthegrove and Shay Schual-Berke; Senator Margarita Prentice (Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee) and Senator Karen Keiser; Rep. Hans Dunshee (House Capital Budget Chair), Rep. Sharon Santos, and former Rep. Velma Veloria. In addition, the project would not have succeeded without the active support of the City of SeaTac, particularly City Manager Craig Ward and Parks Director Kit Ledbetter; the City of Burien, principally former Councilmember Stephen Lamphear and former City Manager Gary Long, and the Port of Seattle, specifically Commission member Paige Miller and staff members Diane Summerhays and Marlys St. Laurent, Murase Landscape Architects, and the Seattle Parks Dept. Finally, we wish to thank the Seike family for their support and advice during the relocation. Hal Seike has been very gracious in explaining the history and significance of the garden and its various individual elements, and brother Ben kept a watchful eye on us through much of the construction, always ready to offer advice when needed, but never interfering. Just to be able to pause to reflect in the Seike’s lustrous little gem of a space during the planning phase was an immense privilege. So thoughtfully designed, so meticulously cared for. But of course the story won’t end with the Grand Opening ceremony. Now we have a garden, and a garden needs gardeners. Especially Japanese gardens, which demand particularly high-maintenance. And much remains to be built. The entry path will need stonework, plantings, and irrigation. Signs should be created telling the story of the garden. Funds must be secured for fencing and additional infrastructure, for a new entry gate, and for a thousand other details. Please contact the City of SeaTac or the Foundation to find out how you can help. And whether you choose to garden with your hands, your checkbook, or both, remember to tell the story of this amazing little garden. Ultimately, the stones, the pond, and the pines are all replaceable, but the story of the Seike Japanese Garden is something quite unique that now belongs solely to the Highline Community.
Contacts Email: rchouinard@ci.seatac.wa.us
Michael Brown (206) 766-8300 Email: michaelb@jbdg.com
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Highline SeaTac Botanical Gardens * 13735 24th Ave S, SeaTac, WA * (206) 391 4003 |
