The Imperial Hotel / Frank Lloyd Wright / Meiji-mura Museum

The Imperial Hotel (1923-1968) by Frank Lloyd Wright was located in Tokyo.

It was the second building by Wright at the Imperial Hotel site. The first was a temporary annex he designed when the original hotel annex burned down. In 1913, after a couple years of correspondence with the hotel's owner, Aisaku Hayashi, Wright was asked to design and build a new larger structure to replace the main hotel. Construction started in 1919. As you might recall from a previous post, Antonin and Noémi Raymond worked on the project. Antonin was the project architect, and Noémi worked on decorative art design elements. Koichi Kitazawa and Kyosuke Matono were also architects working on the project under Antonin.

Rendering from 1923

Image: Old Tokyo

The new hotel, seen here, opened in 1923.

By the 1960's the hotel was in disrepair. Most notably was the deterioration of the carved oya stone Wright used for the Maya revival elements. In 1968, despite attempts to save it, the hotel was leveled to make way for a new 10-story Imperial Hotel.

However, it wasn't a total loss. The Main Lobby was dismantled and relocated to the Meiji-mura Museum Village in Aichi Prefecture, where it was restored and reconstructed. In May I took a day trip from Nagoya to see it. The architectural museum an incredible collection of buildings, bridges, trains and even factories that have been moved from all over the world.

Since the oya stone was in poor shape, many pieces were replaced.

Several of the original elements are on display.

Postcard from 1930

Image: Old Tokyo

The original lobby furniture designed by Wright and executed by Japanese furniture makers was also saved. Seen here are the Peacock chairs.

It was the Imperial Hotel that drew me out to the Meiji-mura Museum but there is so much more to explaore. Since opening in 1965 over 60 Meiji era (1868-1912) buildings from all around the world have been relocated and restored. Seen here is the Meitetsu Iwakura Substation (1912).

Kawasaki Bank Head Office (1927)

Hongo Yoshinoko barber shop (1910)

Zagyoso, the villa of Prince Saionji (1920)

Hawaii Immigrant Assembly Hall (1889) It was built as a church in Hilo but became a meeting place for Japanese people. Then it was used as a warehouse for an English-language newspaper. It was moved to the museum in 1969.