The Japanese Garden at Queenstown was completed in early 1970 to provide dining, shopping and recreational facilities for the residents of the nearby housing estate. The garden was destroyed in a fire in June 1978 that resulted in property losses amounting to $1 million. The Housing and Development Board rebuilt the razed garden and reopened it in July 1980 as the Ridout Tea Garden. The garden was renamed after the nearby Ridout Road (named after Major-General Sir D. H. Ridout, the highest-ranking military officer in Singapore and Malaya during the First World War) to avoid confusion with the Japanese Garden at Jurong. The rebuilt garden, which was modelled after a Japanese-style garden complete with ponds and bridges, had a tea kiosk and served more as a public park rather than as a dining and shopping area. Today, the main buildings in the garden house a fast-food restaurant and a florist.
