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"Frank Lloyd Wright and Building Preservation in Japan: Reconsidering the Imperial Hotel's Impact 40 Years On" Symposium

Shinsei Bank Hall

Finished

The not-for-profit Wrightian Architectural Archives Japan (WAAJ) will be holding a special daylong symposium commemorating 40 years since the original Imperial Hotel by Frank Lloyd Wright was closed. The Wright Imperial’s demise in December 1967 was a watershed event in landmark building preservation in Japan, marking the end of rescue efforts that had rallied thousands of supporters around the world, but also contributing to a new awareness of the importance of preservation. Over the past 40 years, there have been triumphs—such as the saving of Wright’s Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan in Mejiro, Tokyo—and there have been losses. This anniversary provides the perfect opportunity to reconsider the impact of the Imperial Hotel by sharing a rich range of preservation experiences related to Wright and his Japanese followers, and from them, drawing inspiration and optimism for the future of Japan’s modern architectural legacy. The event will also feature a display of historical photos, articles and memorabilia related to the Imperial Hotel, as well as audiovisual clips on monitors in the hall. The international symposium is being supported by the U.S. Embassy in Japan, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Imperial Hotel, the Japan Institute of Architects, DoCoMoMo Japan and the Architectural Institute of Japan, among others.

Symposium Program

Part I: The Imperial Hotel as Catalyst for Japan’s Preservation Movement, 13:30 – 16:00

Moderator: Koichiro Kanematsu, Secretary-General, DoCoMoMo Japan and Chair, JIA Committee for Preservation
Keynote address: Hiroyuki Suzuki, Professor, University of Tokyo
Presentation: Akihiko Asami, Architect and Yoshito Shima, Architect

Part II: Forging New Pathways to Preservation with the Tools of Past Successes, 16:20 – 19:45

Moderator: Koichiro Kanematsu
Panelists: Toru Ajisaka (Architect, Mitsubishi Jissho Sekkei), Tetsuya Minamiseko (Architect and Prof. Emeritus, Kogakuin University), David Stewart (Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology), Cherilyn Widell (Historic Preservation Principal, HNTB Corps)
Special Presentations: Gary Ditmer (owner, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Schwartz House in Two Rivers, WI), Michael Crittendon (Steelcase, owner of Frank Lloyd Wright’s May House in Grand Rapids, MI), Fusako Fujiwara (Chair, Committee to Preserve Raymond’s Architecture at Tokyo Women’s Christian University)

* Simultaneous translation will be provided.
* Please reserve a seat in advance by contacting WAAJ by fax (03-5875-5110) or email (waaj-events@wrightinjapan.org).

Schedule

Dec 3 (Mon) 2007-Dec 4 (Tue) 2007