You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Japanese. (July 2011) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the Japanese article. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 3,744 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Japanese Wikipedia article at [[:ja:グランドプリンスホテル赤坂]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template {{Translated|ja|グランドプリンスホテル赤坂}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka
General information
Coordinates	35°40′48″N 139°44′14″E / 35.6798825°N 139.7372472°E / 35.6798825; 139.7372472
Completed	1982 (new tower)
Opening	1955
Closed	March 2011
Demolished	2013
Owner	Prince Hotels
Height
Roof	138.9 metres (456 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	40
Other information
Number of rooms	761
Number of restaurants	13

The Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka (グランドプリンスホテル赤坂, Gurando Purinsu Hoteru Akasaka) was an upscale hotel in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The site of the former hotel is now the location of a mixed-use development named Tokyo Garden Terrace.

A design of Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, the hotel was well known for its "distinctive saw-toothed facade" of aluminium and glass. ^[1] Following closure it became notable for being deconstructed in a top-down approach, the building appearing to shrink in height over time.

History

The oldest structure on the property was built as the Kitashirakawa Palace in 1930 as the residence of Yi Un, the last crown prince of Korea. After World War II, the palace was converted to the Akasaka Prince Hotel, which opened in 1955, with 30 rooms. ^[2] Extensions were gradually built, culminating in a 40-story tower, added in 1982. Designed by architect Kenzo Tange, the tower was laminated in aluminium. Because of its proximity to Nagatachō Station and the National Diet buildings, it was often used by Japanese politicians for meetings and press conferences. In 2007, the hotel was renamed Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka, following the reorganization of the Prince hotel group.

When its closure was scheduled, Akasaka Prince Hotel tower was relatively new, being expected to last further decades with proper maintenance and renovation, it was one of the buildings that "fell victim to the vagaries of commercial real estate here, where high property values, changing design standards and other factors have conspired to create a bull market for demolition". ^[1] It had low ceilings, like many office contemporaries built in the 1970s during the country's economic boom (height standards were increased in the 1990s to accommodate information technology infrastructure). In its final years, it faced competition from upscale hotels run by foreign companies. ^[1]

The hotel closed in March 2011 for scheduled demolition. ^[3] Soon after, it briefly housed evacuees from Fukushima prefecture, following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. ^[4]

The top floors of the building were used as a working space for deconstruction, and were gradually jacked down and lowered as each intermediate floor was removed. As of February 2013 the building had shrunk by 30 metres. ^[5] Regenerative braking was used on the cranes being used to lower disassembled elements down to ground level, which recovered energy and generateed electricity for powering aspects of the demolition operation. ^[6]

The 1982 tower was replaced by the Tokyo Garden Terrace development, but the historic Kitashirakawa Palace was restored and reopened in 2016 as a function center for banquets and weddings, known as Akasaka Prince Classic House.

• 
  The hotel in 2007
• 
  The hotel in 2007

See also

• Prince Hotels
• List of tallest voluntarily demolished buildings

References

External links

• Official website

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka.