Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel (Dover Books on Architecture) [Paperback]

Cary James (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 138 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (December 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486256839
• ISBN-13: 978-0486256832
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,662,203 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FLW's Greatest Work, January 16, 2009

By 

Patrick Curren "The no self" (The Happy Dream) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel (Dover Books on Architecture) (Paperback)

This book is no longer in print. As far as I know it is the only book devoted solely to the Imperial Hotel. It is a small book consisting of an introduction, 63 black and white plates, a front elevation and floor plans. It is unfortunate that color pictures could not be taken. Its original printing was in 1968.

Given the books limitations, much can be learned from this book about FLW's Imperial Hotel. The Imperial Hotel was completed in 1915. The color of the main materials consisted of beige scored brick, green volcanic stone and verde green copper roof. This was one of the first successful earthquake proof buildings. It is clear from the pictures that after only 45 years, the building was approaching a state of ruin. It appears that while the Imperial Hotel may have been neglected, the bad choice of materials in such a moist climate as Japan may have accelerated its demise. The attention to detail in the stone work is stunning. However, due to the porous properties of the stone, it appears to have fallen apart. The cost to restore and maintain this facility would have been enormous. While there was interest in restoration, the cost and the fact that this was an American designed facility within just two (2) decades of two (2) nuclear bombs being dropped on Japan, the decision to demo this facility must have been a no brainer. Another flaw that may have contributed to lack of customer interest may have been the inferior interior lighting. While the interior is stunning, the interior appears to have been dark and from the pictures, one can see various attempts to apply modern lighting to correct the problem.

Still there is no doubt in my mind, this was FLW's greatest work; a perfect example of FLW's unity in organic architecture.

3 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel(DoverBooks on Architectu, July 11, 2000

By 

Junko Takano (Tokyo Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel (Dover Books on Architecture) (Paperback)

This book is about the Imperial hotel built by Frank Lloyd Wright in Tokyo during the Meiji era. It has been quite famous after the Kanto Big Earthquake in 1923 because it was not collapsed by the earthquake.