Seike Garden
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The cities of Burien and SeaTac are in the process of exploring ways to preserve an important historic Japanese garden just off State Route 518 on Des Moines Memorial Drive. The SeikeG arden was built in 1961 as an attraction for visitors to the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle. A consultant from Japan designed the garden and oversaw its construction with the Seike family, who owned the Des Moines Way Nursery for over 55 years.
The Port of Seattle's third runway project at Sea-Tac International Airport required the Port to purchase the nursery property,including the garden, and the Port plans to auction as surplus the plants, garden rockery and bridge elements as a collection or individually."It would be a tragedy for this beautiful garden to disappear," Burien Mayor Wing Woo said."The garden not only is a cultural asset to King County but also is historical. Japanese immigrants played an important role in the early development of our state.
"Burien and SeaTac have requested that the Port work with them to relocate the garden collection to the nearby Highline Botanical Garden. That garden collection was also relocated due to the third runway expansion. Burien Council member Stephen Lamphear led the successful effort to save the Elda Behm garden collection and move it to the Highline Botanical Garden site in SeaTac. He noted that it took a lot of cooperation, volunteer time, patience and money to save that garden collection."Rescuing the Seike Japanese Garden is important to the history of Puget Sound's Japanese community and to the Highline community," Lamphear said. "Like the Kubota Garden in southeast Seattle, this garden is too important to be bulldozed."
"Every reasonable effort must be made to rescue and relocate this garden."SeaTac's Assistant City Manager Craig Ward said,"The Highline Botanical Garden is the natural home for this collection. The Port of Seattle, Burien and SeaTac share an interest in beautifying the area around the airport and in preserving its cultural heritage. "The Japanese Garden offers the opportunity to highlight Japanese settlers'contributions to this region and beauty their culture embraces.
"Both cities will be making contact with grant and private funding sources and are requesting interested parties call them to enlist support for preserving this important piece of cultural history in the Highline area. The Seike family was one of many Japanese families farming in Highline and the Kent valley in the early 1900s. They, like many families in the Northwest, were sent to an internment camp during WorldWar II. After the war, they returned to their property and developed the family nursery business. People interested in supporting the effort to save the garden should call the City Manager's office in either
Highline SeaTac Botanical Gardens * 13735 24th Ave S, SeaTac, WA * (206) 391 4003
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