Here's a little-known Philadelphia factoid: According to
Sukiya Living, a bi-monthly journal of Japanese gardening, the
Shofuso Japanese House and Garden in Fairmount Park is the third-ranked Japanese garden in all of North America. And yet according to Shofuso's Executive Director, Kim Andrews, the historic site is so underfunded that it doesn't even have its own on-site storage or office space. But thanks to Andrews, that's all about to change.
After recently penning a 10,000-word grant proposal for the Pew Center's
Heritage Philadelphia Program, Shofuso was awarded $184,300 to historically restore two run-down "comfort stations" that were built as restrooms for the
1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Andrews' "most brilliant move ever," as she refers to it, involved combining the Pew Center's grant with an even larger funding source from Fairmount Park's Preservation and Development arm.
In total, Shofuso received well over $500,000. Beginning this May, that money will be used to restore both of the former comfort stations back to their 1876 glory; the historic architectural preservation team from
John Milnar and Associates will be in charge of the design.
"This is just transformational for a small organization like us," says Andrews. "It makes it so that we can fulfill our mission in a way that we've never really been able to do, ever, in the history of our organization."
And while one of the restored buildings will be used primarily as office and storage space, Andrews explains that the other will be a multipurpose classroom, where photography classes, bonsai workshops, and origami and Japanese flower arranging classes will take place. It will also be used as a staging area for weddings. "This multiplies our story exponentially," says Andrews. "Now we're literally anchored in history."
Shofuso expects to hold its grand opening for the buildings during the 2012 Cherry Blossom Festival, in April.
Source: Kim Andews, Shofuso
Writer: Dan Eldridge
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