Gilroy Hot Springs

 park, ruins, place with historical importance, spa resort, hot spring, historical building, Japanese garden

Now belongs to the State of California.
Soon to be re-opened to the public.
These night shots by Scott Haefner show how rundown the facilities were as of 2007.

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The following historical note is provided by the San Jose History Facebook Group
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The Gilroy Hot Springs, also known as the Yamato Hot Springs, was a place that allowed people to enjoy the natural whirlpools along with their beautiful surroundings that were further embellished with the construction of bathhouses.

Gilroy Hot Springs was discovered in the early 1860s by Mexican shepherd Francisco Cantua, then acquired by Jose Quintín Ortega and Ignacio María Ortega in 1865. Soon thereafter, George W. Roop purchased it and turned it into a destination mineral water resort. In its heyday up to 500 visitors per day enjoyed 5-Star dining, luxury hotel accommodations, outdoor and indoor activities including hunting, horseback riding, hiking, fishing, shuffleboard, croquet, music, dancing, parlor games, and more.
In the 1800s it was known to have the most healing waters in California. Civic leaders and business owners from the greater San Francisco Bay area and beyond were frequent visitors, including Spreckles, Marriott, Sutro, Sargent, and Phelan.

A successful local Japanese lettuce grower in Watsonville, announced he would build a Japanese garden to be designed by Nagao Sakurai, of the Imperial Palace, who was involved in the Japanese exhibit at the 1939 Golden Gate Exposition at Treasure Island in San Francisco.

Gilroy Hot Springs was a microcosm of the successful struggle of Japanese Americans to attain full ownership in the American Dream. Japanese settlers fought within the system to obtain a stake. Gilroy Hot Springs became a powerful symbol to Americans of Japanese ancestry, especially because the hot springs recalled similar physiographic features of their native land.

The Flower Growers Association celebrated its beginning here in 1939, and some of the building materials from the 1939 World’s Fair Japan Pavilion were integrated into the bathhouses and Clubhouse. A freshwater pool became a popular summer attraction in the 1950s-60s, giving a new generation lasting memories of picnics, sun, and recreation.

The earliest extant Italianate -- Victorian style structures date from the 1870s, and the earliest bathhouse dates from 1890. Other early structures are a Buddhist shrine from 1939 and a Japanese garden teahouse from that same year. The hot spring's temperature ranges from 99° to 111 °F. These springs are the site of occurrence of certain extremophile micro-organisms, that are capable of surviving in extremely hot environments.

Although it is currently closed to the public until a management plan is implemented, many of the structures have fallen victim to vandalism and the ravages of time and weather. this hidden jewel remains open for public exploration by tour appointment only, minus the use of the hot springs themselves.

Friends of Gilroy Hot Springs," a local nonprofit organization whose mission is to facilitate the reopening of the hot springs to local residents, regional visitors and tourists from afar.