You can now virtually visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s demolished Imperial Hotel

Imperial Hotel, in Tokyo, was dismantled in 1967, but now you can visit it through a virtual experience.

Some of Frank Lloyd Wright’s visionary projects were never realized. Others have been demolished, including the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Japanese architectural tradition is known for cycling buildings and Wright’s Imperial Hotel was just one in a succession of magnificent constructions that have occupied the same site.

The previous Imperial Hotel was in fact devastated by fire in 1922, and Wright’s design replaced it, opening in 1923. The multi-level hotel merged the aesthetic traditions of the East and West in an innovative way. Unfortunately, with its small rooms, no air conditioning, and a sinking foundation, it was fated. It was then demolished in 1967, and replaced by another one, currently in the process of being replaced itself by a new design, set to debut in 2036.

Architecture lovers can explore the building through bird's eye footage created from Wright’s original plans, drawings, and old photos. Frank Lloyd Wright Trust in fact has developed “Frank Lloyd Wright: The Lost Works”, a project that allows to see the lost or never built buildings designed by the great architect.

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