Completed in 1962 and designed by Yoshiro Taniguchi, Hideo Kosaka, Shiko Munakata and Kenkichi Tomimoto, Tokyo’s Hotel Okura has for decades been a beloved destination for design-minded ...

Added in 1973, Hotel Okura's south wing will remain open during renovations. Its interior is meant to showcase the beauty of Japanese design -- the lobby features a flock of ceramic mosaic birds.

The Okura's management is not entertaining the idea of preserving the north wing, says Ikuko Arai, the hotel's press representative. It is, she says, just "too old.

The landmark Hotel Okura's design didn't meet the need for more rooms for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Now, an icon of Japanese mid-century modern architecture will disappear.

Fast forward four years and last month, the hotel re-opened its doors to the 21st century – rebuilt, redesigned and renamed as The Okura Tokyo, this time housed in a duo of high-tech skyscrapers.

The Okura’s management says reconstruction is needed to keep the hotel one of Japan’s best and retain its status as a mainstay for diplomacy and business dealing since it opened in 1962.

The landmark Hotel Okura's design didn't meet the need for more rooms for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Now, an icon of Japanese mid-century modern architecture will disappear.