This urn was originally designed by Frank Lloyd Wright as part of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan. Completed in 1922, the urn was carved from Oya-stone, an altered volcanic tuff.  After the demolition of the Hotel in 1968, the urn was given to Paul Hanna, a professor at Stanford University. It was installed by the entry to his house, which was also designed by Wright.

Over the years, the urn had suffered significant damage from weathering and biological growth. Its handles also collapsed during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. In 1990, the damaged urn was removed and placed in storage.

Restoration began in 2009 with the reinstallation of the urn on a new concrete foundation. Stainless steel rods were used to secure the urn as well as reinforce the handles. Iron pins were also removed from various locations and replaced with stainless steel. The urn was then cleaned with water and pH neutral solvents. A significant amount of composite patching was done on both the body and handles. A custom color matched mortar with a crushed Oya-stone aggregate was used for this purpose. At the client’s request, some details of the original carving were not fully reconstructed to retain a historic look. Finally, the urn was repointed, using color matched type N mortar.

Click here for a PDF about this project.