Woodward Park is a public park located in Fresno, California, abutting the San Joaquin River, opened in 1968. It is named after the late Ralph Woodward who bequeathed a portion of his estate to provide a regional park and bird sanctuary in Fresno. The park has a multi-use amphitheatre, an authentic Japanese Garden, disc golf course, BMX course, three children's playgrounds, a lake and trails that connect to the Lewis S. Eaton Trail.
History
Ralph W. Woodward was a longtime businessman and property owner in the Fresno area. His father, Oscar James (O.J.) Woodward, was an early Fresno civic leader and banker who donated the large Memorial Fountain in Fresno's downtown Courthouse Park in 1921. Ralph Woodward created a will which included the requirement that, upon his death, one-fifth of his estate would go to the purchase of a site for a public park and bird refuge. The site was to be "selected solely by said trustees and conveyed to the City of Fresno as soon as purchased" and that the site shall be purchased "within a reasonable time." Woodward was an outdoorsman and frequently went trap shooting on the San Joaquin River. Woodward died on March 6, 1961, and his will was filed for probate. One of the executors and trustees of the estate estimated the value at $1 million.
Various options were considered for the site, but the estate trustees settled on land next to State Highway 41 and Shepherd Avenue with Friant Road skirting the eastern boundary in September 1964. The trustees purchased of land for $296,000 and the city added at a cost of $80,000 and the entire site was transferred to the city for development of a park and bird refuge, now named Woodward Park.
Features
Shinzen Friendship Garden
As Woodward was being planted and constructed, a group of Japanese-Americans, headed by local accountant Ben Nakamura, approached the city to set aside two acres of the park for a Japanese garden. A meeting between the Japanese-American group, Fresno parks department director and the son of the late Ralph Woodward produced a plan for the project and they sought to raise $250,000 in donations for it. The city had formed a sister city relationship with Kochi, Japan a few years earlier, in 1965, and looked to them to donate authentic Japanese buildings.
Landscape architect Paul Saito was hired to do the design in 1972 and construction began in 1975. Construction involved the addition of of earth and of granite boulders. On May 18, 1981, the garden was officially dedicated and a large delegation from Kochi attended the opening.
The Shinzen Friendship Garden, also known as the Shinzen Japanese Garden is a 5-acre Japanese stroll garden. The Garden was planned around the four seasons, with distinctive plantings in each area. The spring section features azaleas, camellias, crabapples, irises, flowering cherries and plums. A paved pathway connects visitors to the summer section, in which a Koi Pond is the centerpiece. Tulip trees, Chinese pistache and tallow trees are planted in the Autumn Section, where they display bright colors in the fall. A large waterfall, pines and evergreens anchor the Winter Section.
In 1989, the garden received a thatched-roofed teahouse that was built in Japan and re-assembled by Japanese carpenters on the shore of the pond. Allowing the construction of a Japanese-themed restaurant incorporated into the garden was much discussed. Proponents of the plan cited the revenue it would generate, allowing for continued improvements to the park while detractors claimed that a restaurant would violate the "quiet oasis" intent of original park benefactor Ralph Woodward. No restaurant was built and the area that it would occupy is a service yard seen from Friant Road.
The garden celebrated its 25th Anniversary on April 29, 2006, with a delegation from Kochi, Japan present. A Cherry tree was planted at the entry to commemorate this event. In 2015, the garden received over 100 bonsai specimens from the Golden State Bonsai Federation (GSBF) Collection of the former Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture in Hanford, California.
The garden is a popular spot for photography sessions also hosts events. Annually, the garden is home to a Spring Blossom Festival, a Toro Nagashi (Floating Lantern) Ceremony in August and a Shinzen Cultural Faire.
Rotary Amphitheater
The park houses a shaded outdoor pavilion, named Rotary Amphitheater, which seats 4,000 people. The amphitheatre was renovated in 2010, and has hosted performances by acts such as Deftones, Tech N9ne, and Sevendust as well as numerous others.
