Frank Lloyd Wright in Japan

[Mulboyne]

Asahi: Sustaining the Frank Lloyd Wright legacy
Frank Lloyd Wright, the iconic American architect who designed the Imperial Hotel in central Tokyo, lived in the capital on and off during its construction, which lasted from 1917 to 1922. During his time here, he built six structures, only four of which remain. He also designed at least 13 or 14 buildings that were never constructed...Karen Severns and Koichi Mori, founders of the Wrightian Architectural Archives Japan, are on a treasure hunt. Though over a dozen of the designs Wright created during his time in Japan are accounted for, they say there is likely more out there...Of the six Wright buildings completed in Japan, "approximately" four remain...All that's left of the Wright-designed Imperial Hotel is the lobby--and that fragment has been relocated from downtown Tokyo to the Museum Meiji Mura in Aichi Prefecture...The Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan school in Toshima Ward's Nishi-Ikebukuro...ultimately met a happier end. In 1997, the structure was named a national important cultural asset...The Yamamura house in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, originally designed in 1918 as the residence for a local sake brewer, is also open to the public...more...

Video clip of the reconstructed Imperial Hotel Lobby:

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[Socratesabroad]

Keep in mind the following is not intended as snippish or insulting.

I'm curious - exactly what is the big deal about Frank Lloyd Wright?

Mind you, I know nothing about architecture save having worked construction and couldn't name more than a couple of Wright's buildings to save my life.

While at the U of Chicago, I had the chance to see one of his houses in the neighborhood and it was quite confining. Normally, that wouldn't be surprising for my 6'3" 230 lb frame, but my more svelte friends also found it a bit tight.

Would anyone care to explain why Wright is such an iconic architect?

[Charles]

Would anyone care to explain why Wright is such an iconic architect?

He's considered a primary example of American architecture, having rejected the predominant European styles of the times. Wright was famous for considering the land around the building as part of the architectural design, a concept that was unconventional at the time, and more in keeping with the expansive American landscape. Much of his influence came as the founder of a school of architecture, he had many students who promoted his concepts even during times when Wright wasn't getting many commissions for new buildings.

Wright was a complex guy and his architecture is complex, too complex to summarize properly.

[Socratesabroad]

Cheers for the explanation, Charles.

I may ask for your wisdom again when similar arts & aesthetics topics appear.

[Mulboyne]

One of Frank Lloyd Wright's designs that was not built was for the American Embassy in Tokyo. Here's a small snippet on the building that was eventually built:

The Tokyo Embassy compound (1929) was dubbed "Hoover's Folly" because of its cost and use of lavish materials. Entrances to the ambassador's residence, for example, feature splendid bronze doors and tile work designed by architects Antonin Raymond and H. Van Buren Magonigle.

Raymond had come to Tokyo to work with Wright on the Imperial Hotel.