Monthly Update
OA+D Monthly News and Updates
We're happy to announce that the next issue of our flagship publication, The Journal of Organic Architecture + Design, is slated to come out in the month of September—in time to mark the 100th anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel.
Kathryn Smith — noted architectural historian and an expert on Wright's lost hotel — curates the publication by exploring "100 Objects For 100 Years," as selected from the vast amount of material held in the OA+D Archives collections.
This mega-sized issue will feature 120 pages showcasing these special 100 objects—some never-before-published—as well as text by Kathryn Smith that explores the Hotel in detail from its opening in 1923, during its decades of use, and ultimately its loss in 1967-68. If you're a fan of the Imperial Hotel and Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture, this is an issue you will not want to miss.
PRE-ORDERS for this landmark issues are now available HERE. However, if you want to be one of the first to receive this anniversary issue (and ensure you don't miss any other upcoming issues of our flagship publication) be sure to renew your subscription today by following the LINK.
As a special anniversary surprise, we're also happy to announce that we will be releasing an additional limited edition special publication, The Jewel of the Orient: The Imperial Hotel.
In summer 1923, before Frank Lloyd Wright’s completed Imperial Hotel officially opened to the public, the management published a comprehensive illustrated 32-page booklet describing the new building and extolling its virtues. It was, using contemporary language, a marketing tool aimed to attract hotel guests and people of influence. This remarkable publication, out of print for the better part of a century, describes Wright’s building in great detail including many photographs that “go behind the scenes” and are unique to this booklet. A rare collector’s item that is now available as a reprint for the first time in 100 years.
This commemorative publication with a new Introduction by Kathryn Smith has been produced by the Organic Architecture and Design Archives to mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, Japan, on September 1, 1923.
It will be printed in a limited edition of 500 copies with the purpose of furthering knowledge and preserving the past for future generations.
NOTE: As a special publication, this item is not included as part of the normal journal subscription plan, so be sure to PRE-ORDER your copy HERE. Since it's a limited print run, once this publication is gone, it's gone!
From The Archives
Throughout this anniversary year we've been featuring some of the hundreds of items OA+D is fortunate enough to have in its collections that are connected to Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel.
This month we showcase a rare Imperial Hotel stationary set from 1924. The letterhead features an interesting graphic design of squares, an elongated "I" and "H" that has a rectangular chop mark on top. The unique lettering in the text lock-up provides the important contact info for the hotel. The corresponding envelope also features the same stylized graphic element seen in the letterhead, printed in brown ink.
It's rare that these everyday use items survived for a century—but their survival is a testament to the unique designs that compelled someone to save them in their collection. Luckily, they found their way into the OA+D Archives so that we could share them for everyone's enjoyment and study.
If you have materials that are related to the Imperial Hotel (or any other organic architectural or design items) that you're interested in donating to join other items like these, please let us know by contacting us at info@oadarchives.org.
OA+D NEWS & EVENTS
At Home: A Client's Appreciation for Authentic Architecture
We've been busy! OA+D is pleased to announce the release of its newest book, At Home: A Client's Appreciation for Authentic Architecture. With more than 100 color photos, author Deborah Lencioni Lapp tells the story of her life in the houses she's called home, and in so doing, demonstrates the importance of architecture in our everyday lives. Having worked closely with renowned architect Arthur Dyson on her first home, the award-winning Lencioni Residence, Lapp returns to Dyson decades later, after the death of her husband, after her children have grown, and after her remarriage, to create a new home — the award-winning Lapp RiverHouse — for the next phase in her and her partner's lives. From the planning stages to soliciting bids from contractors to the challenges and joys of construction, Lapp lays out in specific, eye-opening, and sometimes humorous detail, how a client-architect collaboration can and should work. In an age of cookie-cutter McMansions, Lapp shows us that a nourishing, energizing, and embracing home that reflects your authentic self is not only possible, it makes all the difference.
Softcover :: 220 pages :: 9" x 6" :: Published in 2023
Written by Deborah Lencioni Lapp
Foreword by Arthur Dyson
Photographs by Scot Zimmerman
You can order your copy HERE.
NOTE: This is a special publication and is not included as part of the Journal OA+D subscription. It must be purchased separately.
Contact us with other questions at info@oadarchives.org