Furnishings were exquisite. Furniture was designed for
specific seating areas and the restaurants. Oya stone
carvings in the shape of peacocks and other intricate
patterns adorned the walls; ceilings were hand painted
or embellished in gold leaf on both interior and exterior
wall surfaces. Over a hundred specially designed
abstract, geometric, patterned rugs and carpets were
created by Wright so they could be easily woven in
China. The new Imperial Hotel opened on September
1
st
1923. The same day a massive earthquake would
rock Tokyo and the surrounding area. Wright was in
Los Angeles at the time and it would be ten long days
of conflicting reports before it was confirmed that
hotel still stood. Indeed, thanks to Wright’s unique
design features, it would be one of the few buildings
to survive the quake.
Courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
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