Japanese Anderson Gardens: A Brief Construction and Design History

1635 West Saint Paul Avenue,Milwaukee WI 53233

11 August, 2021

Description

Please join us in welcoming Tim Gruner, Anderson Japanese Garden (AJG) Curator, as he details the history of AJG's construction and explores Anderson Japanese Gardens is a beautiful, outdoor setting that inspires the mind and energizes the soul. Their twelve-acre landscape of streams, waterfalls, winding pathways and koi-filled ponds have been rated one of North America’s highest quality Japanese gardens for nearly twenty years. Construction of Anderson Japanese Gardens began in 1978, when Rockford businessman John Anderson was inspired by a visit to the Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon. With the ongoing assistance of renowned Master Garden Craftsman and designer Hoichi Kurisu, the Andersons’ swampy backyard along Rockford’s Spring Creek was transformed into a Japanese-style landscape. From groundbreaking until the present, the placement of every rock, alignment of every tree, and layout of all paths have been made with careful consideration by Mr. Kurisu and his teaching. In 1998, John and Linda Anderson donated the Gardens as a supported organization to the Rockford Rotary Charitable Association. It now exists as a not-for-profit entity and continues to grow and change to this day.