Identifier: architectenginee7022sanf (find matches)
Title: Architect and engineer
Year: 1905 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Architecture Architecture Architecture Building
Publisher: San Francisco : Architect and Engineer, Inc
Contributing Library: San Francisco Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: San Francisco Public Library

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on yen,(about three million dollars U. S. A.) A thoroughly modern hotel of its size, equal to Americas best, andappropriate to Tokyos needs, could have been built for half that amount.Its fantastic, prehistoric character is everywhere in evidence; the ac-companying photographs give l)ut a vague impression of it. The super- 82 THE ARCHITECT AND ENGINEER ficial observer walks around its streets and court walls, and throughits public rooms and hallways and is impressed by the various and sun-dry things which are commonly called, remarkal)ly original. Its origin-ality is so antiquated that it embalms and munmiifies the brains of thebeholder—but not permanently. Recovery and self possession usuallyreturn on reaching the coarse gravel hairpin roadway, which serves therickishas, taxis and pedestrians as a crunching, uncomfortable approachto the main entrance. \iewing the exterior from any angle, one sees a fortress of buffbrick and terra cotta; every facade has been laminated and lambasted
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Pei-foiuu-d -(.inites. with applied copter ornament, overiiang every lacade. Groups of windows are almost absorbed witii bricl< and stone With a stone of exceeding rottenness, which has been much carved withpatterns of Yucatanese, Aztec and Navajo piffle. The windows are smalland inadequate for the 300 liedrooms—the more so l)ecause of Tokyoshot summers. Every facade abounds in elaborated stone embellishments.It is \\orthy of remark tliat a glazed window sash can be made the term-inating abutment of a stupendous stone string course, and that colossalstone canopies, suspended somehow, are required over entrances to inter-cept the rays of sunshine and little drops of rain. Long beams over exterior entrances are of In-ick, placed horizontally: THE ARCHITECT AND ENGINEER 83 the soffits are faced with stone blocks, also suspended, somehow. Thereare grouped windows, with stone casings and embellishments, so largethat the windows aie absorbed, as if unnecessary for light and ventila-tio

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