Rise And Fall Of The Great Middlegate Japanese Gardens!

For over half a century the Middlegate Japanese Gardens of Pass Christian Mississippi were a fixture on the coast. They were a beauty to behold and in the blink of an eye…they were gone! It’s a sad and compelling tale of paradise lost, how in such a short period of time things of beauty can be created then destroyed. We are not in control of our environment and therefore must live with those consequences.

https://www.niwa.org/kannon

https://www.si.edu/object/archives/components/sova-aag-gca-ref9174

hey everybody welcome back to spiking company today I’m sitting down here on the beach on Highway 90 in P Christian Mississippi almost directly across from one of what was one of the coolest uh attractions on the Mississippi Gulf Coast years ago I say attractions but it was privately owned they were locally known as the Japanese Gardens but I think the official name was the middlegate Japanese Gardens they were designed and built by Mr and mises Rudolph HEC of New Orleans Louisiana they were something to see at the time I’m going to try to get some video and some pictures of it as it is today uh there’s a couple of houses being built on that property right now I think I don’t really have permission to go in there and look up close and I’m going to get what pictures that I can from the road my neighbor Tommy is somewhat of a local historian he grew up right here in the past and I’m going to get him to explain a little bit later some of the history behind it and what he knows about it and we’re going to get some aerial shots and stuff but it was at one time a beautiful beautiful place the middlegate Japanese Gardens of Pas Christian Mississippi were established by Mr and Mrs Rudolph heck although it should be said that the original idea for the gardens belonged to Mr hex mother but it was Mrs heck and her husband that brought the idea to fruition if you will the hex were passionate about creating an authentic Japanese garden experience in the heart of Mississippi and they meticulously planned and designed the gardens to reflect the principles of traditional Japanese garden design with their dedication and attention to detail the hex transformed the gardens into a beloved attraction for locals and tourists alike the Landscapes were meticulously manicured featuring traditional Japanese architecture and a diverse array of native and exotic plants visitors could enjoy a leisurely stroll among the paths cross picturesque Bridges and admire the Serene Co ponds The Gardens also included a tea house where visitors could partake in the art of Japanese tea Ceremonies for many years the middlegate Japanese Gardens provided a unique cultural experience allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the rich traditions and Aesthetics of Japanese gardening they served as a peaceful Oasis where people could find Solace and connect with nature although the gardens are no longer in operation their legacy lives on in the hearts and memories of those who had the opportunity to experience their beauty and Tranquility under the care of Mr and M Rudolph heck well I grew up at 328 St Louis I was born in 55 so up until Camille hit 1969 we rode our bikes up and down St Louis Street and uh the Japanese Gardens was a was a popular spot with us but we we went in many times growing up uh had a had a large swimming pool that we used to go into but what we were really drawn to was the elaborate gate that was on St Louis been in there many times maybe you know hundreds of times maybe but there was a a grounds keeper that would run us off when we would get in there but uh it had a nice swimming pool uh statues it was just stuff that we just found fascinating as kids well I mean I would have to say the swimming pool again it was a large almost I guess to me it seemed like an olympic size pool but I guess cuz we were kids you know and then there was a large statue uh you know that we we uh we were fascinated with too that we’ climb on and stuff did you uh did you ever climb on that Buddhist statue many many times and I found out recently uh that it’s it wasn’t a Buddha statue it was a uh it’s a female goddess I can’t remember the name right off hand but uh we we always figured it was a Buddha statue we we were wrong all those years it was uh just it was a popular spot uh field trips for kids Garden Club uh other clubs JC’s everybody had events in it so it was real popular active place on our street you couldn’t see the place from the street except from the St Louis gate you could see it but on the sides you could not see it the bamboo was all around it uh an elaborate plants were around it that concealed from from the outside but once you got in it you could see everything perfect the heck fam Mr and Mrs heck they lived in a big house at faced 520 West Scenic Drive on Highway 90 and the the gardens were located to the north behind between Highway 90 and St [Music] [Laughter] [Music] Louis [Music] [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Music] [Music] I guess a bunch of you by now wondering well what happened to the place why did it fall into such a state of Destruction well the answer is simple it’s Mother Nature we live right here on the coast and it’s only a block right up there it’s right there where you can see that big green house they’re building there it runs that property runs from there all the way back to the next street back there in in ‘ 69 Camille uh did just severe damage to the property they brought some of it back and uh but it just never was the same and then when Katrina hit in 2005 that was that was the final nail it it basically destroyed everything including the statue there was a bronze Buddha statue that was it was almost completely destroyed it was in pieces and the people that owned it sold it to some people in California they shipped it out there and had it restored and uh got it in a Japanese Gardens out there I don’t really know the name of it but uh thank goodness that was saved but that’s what happened to it there those storms here and they come in this Katrina everything for one block was was almost flattened except for seen it drive in the past and it’s a little bit higher there those houses are up on on higher ground and they didn’t have quite as much damage but when you live on the coast like this you’re going to deal with the storms it’s just a fact of life and it’s a shame because there’s so many historical buildings and places that have been lost to hurricanes but that’s the way it is when I first thought about doing this project I wanted to do a uh a video on the ruins here because I just thought that was so interesting ever since Tommy told me about it but when I came over here and started filming and looking on the computer and realized how much of it is left it became more about I guess the the man and the woman that built it their their dedication to building something that they thought was so beautiful and I’m with them I love Japanese Gardens but I got here and I realized how much of it is really left I guess it I started thinking more about them and how much they put into it and now it’s all gone 100 years ago and now it’s all gone but they lived in New Orleans I think this was like a second home Farm or whatever but when they passed away they buried right up the street here and uh we’re going to go over there now and see if we can find that Graves let’s go and here we are took me a little while to find it got on and find a grave and I found the grave Mr Rudolph heck plot one 118 and his wife is right beside him he died in 1956 she died in 1961 just a few blocks they’re very just a few blocks down from where the uh the Japanese Gardens were and uh a small unassuming markers for uh I don’t know two people that left such a mark on the coast I wish I could have seen those Gardens when they in in uh in all their Glory said my time my neighbor Tommy did he was lucky enough to grow up right here and grow up in that in that uh uh right close to the gardens in fact that tree right over there right there that’s where Tommy’s house was when he grew up and now one of my be and now one of my best friends is buried right at the corner of where Tommy’s House sat I hope you enjoyed this little look at uh what’s left of the Japanese garden and the history behind it here in Pas Christian Mississippi and uh if you like it give us a thumbs up hit that subscribe button let’s grow this channel so I can do more of these the more encouragement I get the more I’m going to do thank y’all for coming along and we’ll catch y’all on the next [Music] one [Music] nah [Music] nah