Kubota Gardens

Bridge in Kubota Gardens. CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Kubota Gardens is a living legacy of community-based resiliency and stewardship that started with Fujitaro Kubota (1879-1973), a self-taught gardener who crafted a cultural center out of swampland. He expanded the estate, slowly turning the logged-off swamp into a 20-acre oasis studded with waterfalls. Kubota and his family were confined during World War II at the Minidoka internment camp, but he and his loved ones were able to return in 1945, resulting in the restoration of the garden.  

In 1981, the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board designated the park as a historical landmark. After his death, Kubota’s legacy was carried on by the Kubota Garden Foundation in 1989 in the spirit of fostering Japanese heritage while honoring first-generation Japanese immigrants.  

More Information:
Website
Location:
9817 55th Avenue South, Seattle, WA | Google Maps
[47.5133132,-122.2664458]
Greenway Trust Priority Area:
Map Categories:
,