The Imperial Hotel was one of Frank Lloyd Wright's great masterpieces. It dhould have never been torn down. Let's hope there is a Japanese billionaire who is an admirer of Wright who will commission the rebuilding of the hotel as it was originally designed.
Imperial Hotel Tokyo, a place I vaguely recall as a very young boy on the odd weekends when the folks would take me downtown. I remember this much: The scrambled eggs, crisp bacon and strawberry and whipped cream-topped blintzes were to die for.
Memory of being taken there when we lived in Yokohama; had to be ‘51 or ‘52. I would have been four or five. Big open room with high ceiling had to be the lobby. A koi pond somewhere as well. Too young to know then or appreciate Wright’s genius. Have tried to visit every one of his designs since wherever I’ve lived or traveled.
I was born near Tokyo in 1963. I’m sure my parents have been there. We moved to CA in 1967. I’ve been back to visit and always cringed that the hotel was gone.
We had dinner every Friday night at the hotel’s Prunier Grill. And we lived in the hotel for four weeks when our home in Komaba was being renovated. Wonderful wonderful memories.
The influence of japanese architecture looked nice into the hotel, but also I think that Wright also took elements of the mesoamerican design for the stone decorations.
When my father was serving as a Marine in Vietnam, he went to Tokyo on leave and stayed at the old Imperial Hotel. He was from (at the time) a nowhere little farming town and had led a somewhat sheltered youth so I wonder what he must have thought of Tokyo when he got there.
You’ll be happy to know that the replacement Imperial Hotel will be demolished soon also. They are preparing for a complete overhaul of the area which will be complete in 2036. Yes, 2036. The current hotel is tacky but the Old Imperial Bar is perfection...they kept pieces from the old FLW Imperial Hotel. We have already planned for drinks there before it closes.
As tragic as it was to lose the imperial hotel, demolition was contemplated as early as the late 30s (barely 15 years old) to be replaced with a larger building in preparation for the cancelled 1940 Olympics. As much as an architectural gem as it was (like most Frank Lloyd Wright projects) it proved to be inadequate for most of it existence with old age, damage and neglect finishing it off at a reasonable 45 years old
Japan is a country of earthquakes. Further seismic reinforcement was almost impossible (in this case). The lobby is preserved as you see in this video.
@@maomikimirai FLW’s Masterpiece survived the 1923 Great Kanto 7.9 Magnitude Earthquake unscathed. I have no doubt that it would be standing to this day and one of the great treasures of the world. They should rebuild it exactly as it was on the same piece of ground.☺️
@@rickyvonsox5278 Yes, it survived AND deteriorated in the following decades. The material was not safe either any more. Rebuilding and quakeproofing old archtects in Japan costs so much money that one private company cannot afford. Tokyo Station was restored and quekeproofed several years ago by state funding.
They use steel and concrete to strengthen hundred-year old castles. Surely they can find ways to preserve the hotel even if they needed a larger, sturdier one. Just build another hotel somewhere else! I mean what’s next? Tear down Himeiji castle and replace it with a Lichtdom?
@@ciello___8307 No, what I mean is that they use concrete and steel to restructure old castles so that they stay as strong as the day is long. Those castles have the same outlook as they always have been, but much sturdier. I mean they could have done the same to preserve the old hotel. New ones come a dime a dozen but this is a cultural treasure.
@@floris.927 Most of the concrete castles in japan are totally new reconstructions since they were either burnt down by bombs in WW2 or destroyed in other ways.
@@floris.927 And its important to note in context that the Imperial hotel isn't just any hotel. Its basically right next to the imperial palace, and serves as a prime location as a hotel for imporant guests and whatnot. No doubt it would make sense to want the newest, most stable structures for that kind of hotel. Not an old, structurally compromised building with low capacity
@@ciello___8307 First of all, yes - MOST of the castles are newly built, many in the 60s (which coincidentally also proves that the technology is developed enough for it to be used in the hotel). But that fact does not mean in SOME cases concrete were merely used as lining for existing structures. It’s not impossible for them to preserve THIS ONE building. And as pointed out, the technology is there for the use.
@@japanbrats That would be great because I only vaguely remember what the theater was like, only that we went up and down the floors spending the whole day watching movies or playing the games.
It's a shame to have lost most of it, but after the Great Kanto Earthquake (in which it survived, but the foundations were compromised and the building sank) and World War 2, it just wasn't safe anymore. Also, it only had under 300 rooms on a large plot of prime real estate. It was only logical to replace it as Japan's economy recovered and more people came to visit. Still having the lobby around is enough as opposed to the whole thing being torn down.
All salient points you mentioned. Last I saw of the Imperial it had clearly seen better days. While the public areas were certainly remarkable to behold, the hotel rooms and suites were antiquated and outmoded. I agree that preservation of the main lobby was a wise decision.
Thank you for posting such a wonderfully detailed history of such a significant building. WoW. I found this video because i was interested in the stone Oyaishi (Oya Stone) FLW used. And the soundtrack went along nicely. It was too short though, i could've listened to more stories about things that occurred there. Thanks again.
The Imperial Hotel seemed to not take up much land. I’m surprised it was not preserved and saved, the reason as “Greedy developers” were quick to redevelop the land.
Che peccato sia stato demolito un' architettura veramente splendida . Sarebbe una bella idea ricostruirlo seguendo il progetto originale potrebbe diventare un fantastico palazzo imperiale
It would be interesting to find out what compelled the owner to throw away this masterpiece of architecture. I wonder if anyone there even knew what they had. So damn sad.
I appreciate this video and, like others, wish the building was still standing. Two comments: 1) The building shown between 9:36 and 10:00 is not the Imperial - why is it included? 2) What’s the story of how the lobby section was dismantled, moved, and reconstructed at Meiji Mura?
Upon review of the elevation drawings I agree. While the first portion of that segment was indeed the Imperial being demolished, the part you noted clearly is not. Oddly enough, that entire film segment was furnished by TBS as part of a retrospective on the hotel's demolition. As for re-erecting the lobby at Meiji-Mura, I would have had to double the length of this film to cover that chapter alone. Simply put, there was a huge public outcry against the hotel's demolition by its owners. Prime Minister Eisaku Sato was compelled to salvage and relocate at least the main lobby building... at considerable expense to the Government of Japan.
So noted by a previous commenter. Thought it was the exterior of the old hotel wings but was mistaken. It was included with TBS footage of the demolition. Unfortunately, I can't cut those shots without re-posting the entire video. :(
Heartbreaking. But by now it probably would have had to be replaced brick by brick, every last ornament and embellishment. It was crumbling THEN, 50 years after that it would have been a death trap otherwise. I think the climate in Tokyo is too humid. As well, it wasn't particularly Japanese. I think Wright wanted to flatter his clients by creating something ultra Japanese, but what he did was create something un-Japanese. The rules of the Japanese canon are strict; there's no tolerance in Japanese art.
@@anthonythompson9741 Yes I have. Outstanding! Even better than the VisualPixStudio or Toppan Printing's renderings. In fact, I'm going to ask the FLW Trust for permission to incorporate some of it in a planned Part Two that will cover more thoroughly the interior, demolition and relocation of the lobby to Meiji-Mura.
The Imperial souffle will rise a second time as the Millennial Temple in Jerusalem in 5 yrs Her dimensions and general configuration match those of Ezekiel s temple in his Old Testament prophecy written 3000 yrs ago, chapters 40-45 Wait and see
FLW’s Imperial Hotel survived an earthquake and WW2 only to lose to developers.
Contemporary architecture in Japan generally have a rather short lifespan
The Imperial Hotel was one of Frank Lloyd Wright's great masterpieces. It dhould have never been torn down. Let's hope there is a Japanese billionaire who is an admirer of Wright who will commission the rebuilding of the hotel as it was originally designed.
Amen to that. But I think building on a such a scale these days, is insurmountable. It’s a massive work.
Unfortunately, it could never be rebuilt to that quality.
It would have crumbled away anyway. It was built on soft ground and the whole building was at an angle with the ground eroding.
It’s in Inuyama.
Idiots tore it down.
Imperial Hotel Tokyo, a place I vaguely recall as a very young boy on the odd weekends when the folks would take me downtown. I remember this much: The scrambled eggs, crisp bacon and strawberry and whipped cream-topped blintzes were to die for.
🍳🕳🍳
I also went there for breakfast around 1962, very nice, grandparents where staying there, we stayed in hotel across from Harajuku station (cheaper)
This place would have been ripe for a Wes Anderson movie location. Thank you for sharing.
thats all i could think of haha!
Memory of being taken there when we lived in Yokohama; had to be ‘51 or ‘52. I would have been four or five. Big open room with high ceiling had to be the lobby. A koi pond somewhere as well. Too young to know then or appreciate Wright’s genius. Have tried to visit every one of his designs since wherever I’ve lived or traveled.
wow the imperial hotel is one of my favorites buildings. Very nice that you visited
Stayed at the new Imperial on my first visit to Japan in 1975, just 5 years after it was built. Now I wish I’d gone 10 years sooner
The hotel was built way before 1970
I was born near Tokyo in 1963. I’m sure my parents have been there. We moved to CA in 1967. I’ve been back to visit and always cringed that the hotel was gone.
We had dinner every Friday night at the hotel’s Prunier Grill. And we lived in the hotel for four weeks when our home in Komaba was being renovated. Wonderful wonderful memories.
Ah yes... the venerable Prunier Grill. That was a very special treat indeed!
Replaced with something both hideous and soulless.
The influence of japanese architecture looked nice into the hotel, but also I think that Wright also took elements of the mesoamerican design for the stone decorations.
Amazing. Built in 1915, and no one can still build anything even close.
I knew a man here in Texas had been to this hotel as a young man in the us military
When my father was serving as a Marine in Vietnam, he went to Tokyo on leave and stayed at the old Imperial Hotel. He was from (at the time) a nowhere little farming town and had led a somewhat sheltered youth so I wonder what he must have thought of Tokyo when he got there.
Thank you once again Tom! Another wonderful memory nearly brought to life again.
You are most welcome, Elaine. Good to hear from you!
You’ll be happy to know that the replacement Imperial Hotel will be demolished soon also. They are preparing for a complete overhaul of the area which will be complete in 2036. Yes, 2036. The current hotel is tacky but the Old Imperial Bar is perfection...they kept pieces from the old FLW Imperial Hotel. We have already planned for drinks there before it closes.
Pleased to hear this. I've seen footage of the Old Imperial Bar on the Imperial's RUclips channel.
As tragic as it was to lose the imperial hotel, demolition was contemplated as early as the late 30s (barely 15 years old) to be replaced with a larger building in preparation for the cancelled 1940 Olympics. As much as an architectural gem as it was (like most Frank Lloyd Wright projects) it proved to be inadequate for most of it existence with old age, damage and neglect finishing it off at a reasonable 45 years old
hey bro, where did find out that it was the olympics that resulted in the demolition?
At least the lobby was saved and reconstructed, and you can visit.
Destroyed wright hotel a tragety
My sentiments exactly.
I got to see the hotel in 1961. It was amazing.
Absolutely disgusting that they tore it down. I wonder if they’ve had any regrets? 😢😔
Japan is a country of earthquakes. Further seismic reinforcement was almost impossible (in this case). The lobby is preserved as you see in this video.
@@maomikimirai FLW’s Masterpiece survived the 1923 Great Kanto 7.9 Magnitude Earthquake unscathed. I have no doubt that it would be standing to this day and one of the great treasures of the world. They should rebuild it exactly as it was on the same piece of ground.☺️
@@rickyvonsox5278 Yes, it survived AND deteriorated in the following decades. The material was not safe either any more. Rebuilding and quakeproofing old archtects in Japan costs so much money that one private company cannot afford. Tokyo Station was restored and quekeproofed several years ago by state funding.
It's only a building, Ricky. It's not as if it was the last remaining FLW work in the world.
It is part of Japanese culture to replace and reconstruct buildings.
They use steel and concrete to strengthen hundred-year old castles. Surely they can find ways to preserve the hotel even if they needed a larger, sturdier one. Just build another hotel somewhere else! I mean what’s next? Tear down Himeiji castle and replace it with a Lichtdom?
if they made it larger, it wouldn't be the same at all. Clearly it was more cost effective to build a total new, more solid structure
@@ciello___8307 No, what I mean is that they use concrete and steel to restructure old castles so that they stay as strong as the day is long. Those castles have the same outlook as they always have been, but much sturdier. I mean they could have done the same to preserve the old hotel. New ones come a dime a dozen but this is a cultural treasure.
@@floris.927 Most of the concrete castles in japan are totally new reconstructions since they were either burnt down by bombs in WW2 or destroyed in other ways.
@@floris.927 And its important to note in context that the Imperial hotel isn't just any hotel. Its basically right next to the imperial palace, and serves as a prime location as a hotel for imporant guests and whatnot. No doubt it would make sense to want the newest, most stable structures for that kind of hotel. Not an old, structurally compromised building with low capacity
@@ciello___8307 First of all, yes - MOST of the castles are newly built, many in the 60s (which coincidentally also proves that the technology is developed enough for it to be used in the hotel). But that fact does not mean in SOME cases concrete were merely used as lining for existing structures. It’s not impossible for them to preserve THIS ONE building. And as pointed out, the technology is there for the use.
Why they dont try to rebuild it in another corner of Tokyo?
I get very strong Bladerunner vibes from that building.
Thanks, Tom, for a memento of the post war era when we used to hang out at the Ernie Pyle Theater across the street from this
grand ol' hotel.
Kalani, I;m working on a similar video on the old Ernie Pyle Theater (Takarazuka). Stay tuned!
@@japanbrats That would be great because I only vaguely remember what the theater was like, only that we went up and down
the floors spending the whole day watching movies or playing the games.
My dad visited in 1953.
I asked him if he picked up a coaster or anything. He said no. AF pilot stationed there…
What a crime
A pleasant historical view of Tokyo from the story of the Imperial Hotel ...
It's a shame to have lost most of it, but after the Great Kanto Earthquake (in which it survived, but the foundations were compromised and the building sank) and World War 2, it just wasn't safe anymore. Also, it only had under 300 rooms on a large plot of prime real estate. It was only logical to replace it as Japan's economy recovered and more people came to visit. Still having the lobby around is enough as opposed to the whole thing being torn down.
All salient points you mentioned. Last I saw of the Imperial it had clearly seen better days. While the public areas were certainly remarkable to behold, the hotel rooms and suites were antiquated and outmoded. I agree that preservation of the main lobby was a wise decision.
Thank you for posting such a wonderfully detailed history of such a significant building. WoW. I found this video because i was interested in the stone Oyaishi (Oya Stone) FLW used.
And the soundtrack went along nicely. It was too short though, i could've listened to more stories about things that occurred there. Thanks again.
The Imperial Hotel seemed to not take up much land. I’m surprised it was not preserved and saved, the reason as “Greedy developers” were quick to redevelop the land.
The Imperial looked like a shit hole when it closed. Wright's designs were always difficult and expensive to maintain and renovate.
Che peccato sia stato demolito un' architettura veramente splendida . Sarebbe una bella idea ricostruirlo seguendo il progetto originale potrebbe diventare un fantastico palazzo imperiale
A duplicate should be built lakefront in Madison or Milwaukee!
It would be interesting to find out what compelled the owner to throw away this masterpiece of architecture. I wonder if anyone there even knew what they had.
So damn sad.
Just thrilling from a Spring Green state of mind.
What a sin
Unnecessarily demolished. Rebuild, yes!
It has something of an Aztek vibe comeing from the shaped concret and stone decoration
I appreciate this video and, like others, wish the building was still standing. Two comments: 1) The building shown between 9:36 and 10:00 is not the Imperial - why is it included? 2) What’s the story of how the lobby section was dismantled, moved, and reconstructed at Meiji Mura?
Upon review of the elevation drawings I agree. While the first portion of that segment was indeed the Imperial being demolished, the part you noted clearly is not. Oddly enough, that entire film segment was furnished by TBS as part of a retrospective on the hotel's demolition. As for re-erecting the lobby at Meiji-Mura, I would have had to double the length of this film to cover that chapter alone. Simply put, there was a huge public outcry against the hotel's demolition by its owners. Prime Minister Eisaku Sato was compelled to salvage and relocate at least the main lobby building... at considerable expense to the Government of Japan.
The demolition footage starting at 9:35 is NOT the Imperial Hotel. Otherwise, an excellent doc!
So noted by a previous commenter. Thought it was the exterior of the old hotel wings but was mistaken. It was included with TBS footage of the demolition. Unfortunately, I can't cut those shots without re-posting the entire video. :(
was that stevie nicks at the end, like did this video just combine two of the best things in the whole world !?!? 💯💋
Yeah, how lucky could I get finding a Stevie song to go with my video! 😁
I live near some of his houses in Kalamazoo
Heartbreaking. But by now it probably would have had to be replaced brick by brick, every last ornament and embellishment. It was crumbling THEN, 50 years after that it would have been a death trap otherwise. I think the climate in Tokyo is too humid.
As well, it wasn't particularly Japanese. I think Wright wanted to flatter his clients by creating something ultra Japanese, but what he did was create something un-Japanese. The rules of the Japanese canon are strict; there's no tolerance in Japanese art.
it looks like in bali
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Shame you didn’t share current video of the interior as been fun to see changes since I stayed there..
I just might. I have more footage of the interior, including rooms and suites.
@@japanbrats Have you seen Razin Khan's render of the hotel? It's amazing!
@@anthonythompson9741 Yes I have. Outstanding! Even better than the VisualPixStudio or Toppan Printing's renderings. In fact, I'm going to ask the FLW Trust for permission to incorporate some of it in a planned Part Two that will cover more thoroughly the interior, demolition and relocation of the lobby to Meiji-Mura.
It might be said that demolishing this piece of architectural art could be considered a capital crime.
Stevie Nicks?? How does this happen? And a building towards the end is not the Imperial.
I'm not sure what you're referring to as "towards the end." Can you be more specific by citing the timeline?
Yeah, can't watch the ending.
Sincere congratulations. Excellent document.
途中で流れる日本語の歌
なにかわかりますか?
渡辺はま子 - 支那の夜
Hideous
The new or the old Imperial, or both?
Very Balinese
You noticed. Or Mayan.
No, not at all.
The Imperial souffle will rise a second time as the Millennial Temple in Jerusalem in 5 yrs
Her dimensions and general configuration match those of
Ezekiel s temple in his Old Testament prophecy written 3000 yrs ago, chapters 40-45
Wait and see