Wright's Imperial Hotel opened in Tokyo on September 1, 1923, the very day the magnitude 7.9 Great Kanto earthquake struck the city and killed well over 100,000 people; the hotel survived with only modest damage and quickly became famous, not entirely accurately, as the one major building the quake left untouched, a legend Wright himself did little to discourage even though roughly a fifth of the city's reinforced-concrete buildings weathered the quake comparably well. Wright had designed the building from the ground up to move with an earthquake rather than resist one rigidly, floating its shallow foundation on the city's soft alluvial soil and cutting the long structure into separately jointed sections. The hotel operated for over four decades before postwar Tokyo redevelopment led to its 1968 demolition, over the strong objections of preservationists; its entrance lobby and reflecting pool were saved, moved piece by piece, and rebuilt at the Museum Meiji-mura architectural park, where they still stand.
Facts
LocationUchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan 1 Architectural StyleA Wright original blending Mayan Revival massing with motifs adapted from Japanese and Central American precedent, built around a central pyramidal block. 1 Structural SystemDeliberately earthquake-resistant: a shallow foundation with broad footings floated on the soft alluvial soil rather than fighting it, interlocking timber-and-concrete framing designed to sway rather than crack, structural seismic joints roughly every 66 feet, tapered walls thicker at the base, cantilevered floors and balconies, and suspended rather than rigid piping and wiring. 1 Primary MaterialPoured concrete and concrete block, faced with carved Oya stone. 1 Building Type Commissioned ByThe Imperial Hotel company, backed by Japanese aristocracy and government figures including Baron Okura Kishichiro 1 ConstructionBuilt 1919-1923; opened September 1, 1923, the same day as the Great Kanto earthquake; demolished 1968. Current UseDemolished in 1968 to build a larger replacement hotel; the central lobby wing and reflecting pool were disassembled and reconstructed at the Museum Meiji-mura near Nagoya, where they remain open to the public. 1 Visitor AccessNo access on the original site; the preserved lobby wing is open to visitors at the Museum Meiji-mura 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
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