By
Seattle Times breaking news reporter
The Seattle Japanese Garden in the Washington Park Arboretum will temporarily close this summer to restore a retaining wall on the north side of the garden in the traditional Japanese “Ishigaki” style.
The garden will fully close between June 22 and July 27, Seattle Parks and Recreation said in a news release. It will then reopen with regular scheduling, but the north section of the garden will stay closed through November while the new wall is built and the surrounding landscape areas are restored.
During the project, a deteriorating basalt retaining wall will be replaced with a new granite wall in the “Ishigaki” style — a traditional Japanese landscaping technique that stacks dry stones. Construction will also include new stairways, an accessibility upgrade and restorative planting.
Suminori Awata, a 15th-generation master stonemason from Japan who also worked on the Portland Japanese Garden, will be tapped to bring his craftsmanship to the restoration, the parks department said.
“While we understand the timing may be inconvenient for some visitors, this project is a rare opportunity to bring authentic Japanese stone masonry to Seattle,” Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent Michele Finnegan said.
Once the garden reopens in July, visitors will be able to watch Awata work on the restoration in the north garden at certain times.
Otherwise, they should expect heavy machinery and construction inside the garden, but minimal impacts outside the garden, including Lake Washington Boulevard and Arboretum roadways, the parks department said.
After the garden fully reopens in November, it will close for its regular winter maintenance from December through February.
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