Imperial Hotel, Tokyo officially opened in June 1923. The Frank Lloyd Wright annex (one of six Wright designs for Japan that was actually built) was destroyed in the Great Kantō earthquake on 1 September 1923, although by that time it was no longer in use. The Frank Lloyd Wright version was designed in the Maya Revival Style of architecture. It incorporates a tall, pyramid-like structure, and also loosely copies Maya motifs in its decorations. The main building materials are poured concrete, concrete block, and carved oya stone. The visual effect of the hotel was stunning and dramatic, though not unique; in recent years,
Imperial Hotel, Tokyo architectural historians have noted a marked similarity with the Cafe Australia in Melbourne, Australia (1916), designed by Prairie School architects Marion Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin. The architecture heavily influenced the style of the Kōshien Hotel, which was constructed by Wright's apprentice Arata Endo. The structure famously survived the Great Kantō earthquake on September 1, 1923 (7.9 on the Moment magnitude scale (M)). A telegram from Baron Kihachiro Okura reported the following: "Hotel stands undamaged as a monument of your genius hundreds of homeless provided by perfectly maintained service congratulations[.] Congratulations[.]" Wright passed the telegram to journalists, helping to perpetuate