{"nrhp_refnum":"04001167","name":"Chinese Sunken Garden Gate","other_names":["Japanese Sunken Garden Gate"],"category":"object","location":{"address":"Brackenridge Park, 400 N. St. Mary's St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Antonio","county":"Bexar County","state":"TX","lat":29.462783023000043,"lon":-98.47752260299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-10-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An ornamental entrance gate in faux bois (concrete sculpted to resemble wood) at the Japanese Sunken Garden, also called the Chinese Tea Garden, in Brackenridge Park, San Antonio, Texas. It was completed in 1942 and is credited to Dionicio Rodriguez, in collaboration with Maximo Cortes.","why_significant":"The gate is nominated under Criterion C in the area of Art as a unique and significant work by San Antonio sculptor Dionicio Rodriguez. It is described as one of his most exuberant works. It is also among the only known Rodriguez projects commissioned by a municipality.","narrative":"Concrete has been sculpted into the look of rough timber at the entrance to the Japanese Sunken Garden in Brackenridge Park, San Antonio. The gate was completed in 1942, when the garden was called the Chinese Tea Garden. Four tree-trunk posts with branch-like brackets carry a stack of three upturned palapa-style roofs reminiscent of a Torii gate. The surfaces show carved worm holes, knots, lichen patches and wooden wedges, and relief Chinese calligraphy translated as \"China Garden\" appears on the right post. The overall height is about 16 feet. Dionicio Rodriguez signed the left handrail, and family testimony says Maximo Cortes designed the gate. The garden occupies an old cement company quarry that became part of the park. The gate was listed for its artistic value as a work by Rodriguez, and it is among his few known commissions from a municipality. It remains in good condition, with strong colors.","period_of_significance":"1942","architect_builder":"Dionicio Rodriguez","architectural_style":"Other: Faux bois sculpture","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The gate is described as in good condition, with its tan and yellow colors still strong. Its current function is listed as Recreation and Culture / Work of Art.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.413436-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/16/9683/40968316/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/04001167.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001167/69b13a9fb7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001167/69b13a9fb7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Brownings at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SATeaGarden02.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Brownings at en.wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SATeaGarden02.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"11000513","name":"Brackenridge Park","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/texas/brackenridge-park-11000513/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40968316","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Antonio_Japanese_Tea_Garden","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7413336"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/bexar-county/chinese-sunken-garden-gate-04001167/"}