Friends of the Shoseian look to renovate tea house

In the more than 40 years since the Shoseian Japanese Tea House opened in Brand Park, the interior has remained the same.

Now, volunteers with the Friends of the Shoseian are hoping to change that by raising $50,000 for an interior remodel that would help them do away with the facility’s current brown carpeting and florescent light bulbs.

The house hasn’t undergone any major renovation since it opened in 1974, said Meredith Gold, who is on the board of Friends of the Shoseian, along with her husband, Michael Belzer.

The stove inside the kitchen may even be from an earlier time.

“The stove looks like it’s from 1947,” Gold said.

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To meet its fundraising goal, the group hosts cultural events for suggested donations, such as calligraphy lessons, traditional tea ceremonies, stick-fighting workshops and live-music events every third Sunday.

On July 17, Friends of the Shoseian will host “Karate Kids!” in the Friendship Garden near the house, with a suggested $10 donation from parents of children who are at least 5 years old and want to participate in a two-hour karate workshop run by Sensei Sam Flores, who teaches martial arts at the Glendale YMCA.

All donations from the event go toward the interior renovation, which is part of a larger plan by the organization to increase awareness of and access to the tea house.

Although currently not open to the public on weekends, Gold said the volunteer group wants to eventually expand the hours of the Friendship Garden and potentially have a docent provide information to visitors on weekends, much like the Doctor’s House in Glendale, a Victorian home turned into a museum.

Currently, the Friendship Garden is open Monday through Thursday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., but can be reserved for private events.

Events hosted by Friends of Shoseian have attracted longtime Glendale residents who never knew the tea house existed, Gold said.

“It’s been a really great opportunity to reinvigorate the tea house and get people to come up there for various events,” she said. “It’s a lovely retreat, and it’s right under our noses.”

For more information, email friends@shoseianteahouse.com.

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Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com

Twitter: @kellymcorrigan