Yesterday, via Curbed + the LA Times, we heard tell of an anonymous group of Los Angeles artists who, in the dead of the night Monday, installed an 80-square-foot Japanese style tea house not far from us in Griffith Park. The structure—made from wood reclaimed from the massive 2007 fire in the park—sits on a previously abandoned concrete slab atop a cliffside path we’ve walked many times before. The view from that point was always spectacular; now this group of artists has made it truly magical.
According to the Times, the collective’s ringleader came across the spot some six years back: “I come to the park to run a lot — and I would just see it and I kept thinking we could do something with it.” He continued—”The idea of a teahouse rose to the fore early on. I’m a big fan of tea … and I’d looked at teahouse design books and I happened to visit Japan during this time, where I spent a lot of time looking at temples.”
Part of the entire project too, according to the artists, is to see how the public and the park will react.
For the public’s part, they’re embracing it with open hearts. I ran there early this morning with our dog, Owen, and, between the people who’d sought it out and those who just stumbled across it, everyone we met was overcome with appreciation for both the beauty of the tea house itself and the beauty behind the communal effort to bring it to reality.
The park, on the other hand, is rumored to have plans to dismantle the tea house. So we strongly urge you to both visit as soon as you can and sign the online petition for the city to adopt the tea house into the fold of the park, not tear it down.
Head over to the original LA Times article to view video of the Tuesday morning dedication ceremony of the tea house.
Below, some photos we took this morning of the house, the wishes made, and Owen waiting to ring the bell. Poor Isaiah. Hope he gets his cat.
