A Frank Lloyd Wright House

By: Isaac Jensen and Miranda Robinson

House forTazaemon Yamamura

The wright love

Mamah borthwick Cheney 1903-1914

Olgivanna (olga) lazovich 1924-death

Miriam noel 1914-1924

Midway gardens Midway gardens was a

good commission for wright, who’s reputation was being recovered from the scandal.

It was completed in1914 and demolished in1929 after several owners.

Demolition was so time consuming and expensive the demolition company went bankrupt.

Wright argued with the sculptor of the gardens to the point that when ianneli was offered a part in

the imperial hotel, he turned it down.

Imperial hotel

Wright won the contract for the imperial hotel in 1912. he never saw the completion of the structure.

Due to the intensity of the project, wright spent the majority of years from 1917 to 1922 in japan overseeing the construction.

Used the concept of friction piles and floating foundations in the construction of the hotel.

Japanese PrintsWright felt that his

buildings were more greatly influenced by the art of japan rather than the land itself.

Throughout his lifetime he collected Japanese prints.

When the fire occurred at Taliesin he lost a fortune in prints.

During his stay in japan he slowly replaced his destroyed collection with a new one. He also traded prints and sold them quite frequently.

Example Japanese Print(Not drawn by Wright)

The wright love

Mamah borthwick Cheney 1903-1914

Olgivanna (olga) lazovich 1924-death

Miriam noel 1914-1924

Architects: Wright and EndoYamamura house was not designed by wright

alone. He shared credit with arata endo for this structure and for the jiyo gakuen school. This was the first time he ever shared credit for a design.

Wright never saw the completion for the house. He left japan never to return in 1922. this same year minami a partner of endo, began construction of yamamura house.

Arata Endo

Architects: EndoEndo was devoted to wright,

he was the chief draftsman for the imperial hotel and followed his visions to the letter.

Endo’s works are very well known in japan, in particular the koshien hotel in 1930.

Endo’s Son raku endo was also very famous for his own wright influenced designs. Wright called the

koshien hotel “the little imperial”.

The Imperial Hotel

Tazaemon YamamuraSake brewer (8th

generation with the name tazaemon Yamamura) at Sakura Masamune Brewery (currently still open)

Home served as a summer villa for the family

Great-Grandson Tazaemon Yamamura

Building History1918 – Basic design

finished.1924 – Construction

finished.May 1974 – Designated

a National Important Cultural Property.

1985-1988 – Repair construction for preservation.

Detail of a window from the outside

Building History1989 – Opened to public as Yodoko Guest House.1995 – Damaged by the Great Hashin-Awaji

Earthquake.1995-1998 – Repairs due to earthquake.1998 – Re-opened to public.

The Design: Outside

A long driveway leads up to the building.

At the end of the driveway is the porch, opening to the east and west.

View of the porch from drive

The house sits on a ridge overlooking the city of Ashiya.

Oya StoneTo Wright the

“virtues of oya stone depended on it’s properties and appearance, not it’s cost”.

Consists of a light lava rock, easily carved for patterns. Oya Stone from The Imperial Hotel

Used in the construction of imperial hotel and yamamura

Many individuals argued the quality of the stone.

Pitted like travertine.

The Design: Porch

Inside the Porch

The porch is a wide rectangle shape.

Inside the porch and adjacent to the main entrance is a large stone flower bowl.

Detail of porch pillar

The flower bowl is fed by a stone pillar which leads rainwater down from the roof.

The Design: Entry and LandingMahogany framework and

decorative light fixtures accent the staircases.

various staircases lead to different levels in the house.

transitions between rooms are intensified by varied ceiling heights.

Decorative framework

The Design: SalonCouches are built into the walls

under the windows.Decorative doors on the south

wall open to a spacious balcony with great views of the landscape.

Matching the doors are built in shelves and cabinets.

On the north wall is a massive Oyaishi stone fireplace.Built in shelving and cabinetry

Oyaishi fireplace and windows

The Design: Third FloorMany decorative windows

line the walls of the hallway.These windows provide

natural lighting.This is seen in other areas

of the house and blurs the distinction between the inside and outside.

Decorative window design

The Design: Japanese RoomJapanese room was done as a request from the

owner during the construction period. Because wright was not involved, this change occurred.

The room has traditional tatami mats and doors, with sparse Japanese design.

Layout of the Japanese Room

Wright’s Designs for Japan

Sketches by Wright of other Japanese Style Buildings that were not built

Transition from Prairie to UsonianWright started to

transition from prairie to Usonian from 1909 to 1935

The four California block houses were the beginning of usonian and some design aspects are reflected at Yamamura.

Top: Prarie Style HouseBottom: Usonian Style House

A majority of wright’s houses are multilevel.

Developed a preference for patterned concrete.

It’s obvious we must take a building’s function into account. But we must also understand the people who use it, the spirit that moves them, and the hopes

that inspire them. That’s why architecture is the highest cultural expression of mankind. Indeed it’s culture itself. It

expresses the world around us…it’s the only trace and remembrance we leave

directly on the face of the earth.-- Frank Lloyd wright