Normandale Community College is gearing up to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of its Japanese Garden later this year on Sept. 19.

The garden began construction in 1964 at the hands of the Bloomington Affiliated Garden Clubs with the help of designer Takao Wantanabe, with the garden eventually opening in 1976. The University of Minnesota recognises the garden on its Public Gardens of Minnesota website as a place “over-flowing with Japanese garden elements” and carefully-chosen aesthetics. 

Steven Geller, Normandale’s director of media and public relations, said the garden symbolizes the college’s mission of fostering community.

“As a community college, we’re here for the community, and especially the surrounding community, and I think the Japanese garden is just such a great symbol of that,” Geller said. “It helps us get known to some people who might not even step foot on campus otherwise.”

The garden itself arden is structured around a calm pond and a narrow rocky stream, divided by a red wooden arch bridge. A traditional white and red hexagonal bentendo, a type of Japanese Buddhist temple, stands as a focal point of the garden alongside the manicured green lawns and sculpted juniper bushes. A combination of mature trees and seasonal foliage frames the landscaping. All of this artful landscaping compels Normandale to celebrate the garden as a landmark on its campus, according to Normandale officials.

Geller considers the garden an underrated gem in the area due to its humble venue.

“It’s a very unassuming location, and that’s part of why it’s been underrated,”  Geller said. “People don’t necessarily think of that as a place where an amazing, beautiful Japanese garden would be. ”

John Powell, a garden designer who helped to renovate the space in 2021 and continues to support the garden’s maintenance, said he aims to make the garden accessible to everyone. Powell added that he hopes even those without any background knowledge regarding Japanese culture can find serenity within the garden space.

“I fully feel that we need to make these gardens something for everyone,” Powell said. “I wanted it to be sublime just by looking at it, even if you don’t know anything about Japan or Japanese gardens.”

Cece Cope, the lead volunteer of Friends of the Japanese Garden, said the garden’s sense of peace and tranquility helps people paint a bigger picture.

“The garden is designed for contemplation,” Cope said. “It’s kind of like walking into a great big landscape painting, and so you’ve got those [elements] pruned in an artistic way.” 

Powell says celebrating 50 years at the garden will keep its history evergreen.

“I think it’s important to mark these milestones, these anniversaries. It’s the idea of fostering a garden within the Japanese aesthetic. We also need the next generation of gardeners, caretakers, volunteers, so that’s kind of our task,” Powell said. “It’s not just about tending to the plants. We’re also trying to tend to the people, so they can then become part of the ongoing history of the garden.”

Beyond the garden’s tranquil waterfalls, red bridges and other structures, it serves as a backdrop where visitors routinely gather to celebrate major milestones, such as weddings and graduation photoshoots. It also offers a chance for everyone to explore its rich cultural history through guided tours, giving a peaceful recreational space and educational resource.

Geller said the garden allows people to remove themselves from the noise in everyday life and be at peace with nature.

“I think it is a place that represents some of the values and things in a modern society that let us slow down, and really do things as a community and altruistically,” Geller said. “So it represents a lot of the great things about this community.”