Verdant green lawns, blossoms in beautiful hues and fragrances, wildflowers and prairie grass and abundant native trees greet patients, healthcare providers and guests at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, Texas. As part of the hospital’s multi-year renovation and modernization plan to transform the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio into a world-class pediatric hospital caring for children that suffer from the most life-threatening ailments, the newly opened gardens and outdoor spaces are designed to promote healing and enhance emotional and physical well-being.
El Jardin de los Niños (Garden of the Children), was made possible by a generous $20-million gift from the Goldsbury Foundation. The gift included $4 million dedicated to creating a sequence of four different themed gardens on the hospital campus, which spans nearly one city block in downtown San Antonio.
The Play Garden is designed especially for young children who are patients, or may have siblings in the hospital, where outdoor therapy, lawn games or picnicking are perfect. With soft green grass and plantings to attract birds and butterflies, the lawn welcomes lively play and exploration. The small open space is surrounded by deciduous Mexican Sycamore trees, providing shade from the harsh Texas sun in the summer, yet allow warming rays to shine through in the winter.
Next, a Prayer Garden pays homage to the Catholic roots of The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, the nonprofit organization that operates the hospital, and offers a peaceful setting for prayer and meditation.
A meandering, crushed granite path forms the perimeter of the Prayer Garden and encloses a circular gathering space at the garden’s center. Clear and colored glass panels — 2-feet wide by 7-feet tall — frame the space and provide a translucent framework for observing the garden beyond, while limestone slab benches offer seating for quiet repose. Twelve of the glass panels integrate color in reference to the 12 disciples and the 12 tribes of Israel.
The plant palette features three palm species, Arizona cypress trees with their distinctive blue-green foliage, dwarf olives and shrubs with soft-colored and scented blooms such as honeysuckle, iris and sweet myrtle. At night, the panels are lit with LED lights, changing the garden into an ethereal space of reflection.
Adjacent to the Prayer Garden, dedication panels of clear glass are etched with “Garden of the Children,” biblical scriptures and names of Goldsbury family members, in both English and Spanish.
Near the new main entrance is the Culinary Garden, where irrigated planters overflow with herbs and fresh vegetables. Visitors can view the gardens through floor-to-ceiling windows in the adjacent hospital café, as well as a dedicated space where dieticians share healthy recipes and cooking demonstrations. Tucked away in the back of the garden is a covered pavilion used for special events and gatherings.
From the café, guests can step out onto an outdoor deck, shaded by Cedar Elms, where tables and seating encourage them to sit, read, enjoy coffee or lunch and soak up the therapeutic elements of the landscape.
The only garden not accessible to the public is the Memorial Garden. During a full-scale renovation of the hospital in 2014, burial grounds of early settlers and indigenous people were discovered during construction. After meetings with descendant groups, they communicated they did not want the remains and grounds disturbed for reasons related to their spiritual beliefs. To honor their requests, the hospital created this special garden, which is a long, rectangular stretch of land blanketed with prairie grass, wildflowers and Sycamore trees.
No digging was allowed out of care and respect for the remains. Soil was added, the landscape raised and trees were planted in large mounds of dirt. A sizeable rock cairn stands tall to signify holy ground. An elevated concrete terrace overlooking the garden offers visitors intimate views and a place to connect with the natural space, and a historical plaque tells the story of the people who inhabited the area hundreds of years ago.
While visitors cannot access the Memorial Garden, patients have a view of the garden. The newly designed green space also opens up the exterior of the building to nearby Milam Park, making the hospital feel more inviting and integrated with the city.
The project team included Overland Architecture and Co’Design.
