Living in a vintage apartment

Yuichiro Noguchi
5 days ago
4 min read

In general, there is an image of vintage as a general term for "old" things, but it was originally a word related to wine and was used to indicate the year of grape harvest. Wine has a great impact on taste and quality depending on the year the grapes were harvested, so wines of the year brewed in the good harvest year of high-quality grapes came to be called vintage wine. There are many so-called vintage apartments in Tokyo. Starting with Kawaguchi Apartment (1964) in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, Villa Bianca (1964) in Harajuku, Shuwa Gaien Residence (1967), Meguro House (1969) designed by architect Masayoshi Endo, Hiroo Garden Hills ( 1987), etc., many famous people have lived in these apartments, and they are still very popular even after more than a few decades of completion.

Normally, while the asset value of general apartments decreases with each age of construction, vintage apartments such as the above continue to maintain or increase the value of the property even after the age of construction. All of them were built as luxury apartments at the time, and the original construction was luxurious and the facilities were well-equipped. Many of these are located in prime locations in the city center, blessed with location and environment, and have a lot of universal value as a residence. In addition, although they are old, in Europe and the United States, there are even buildings that survive even after 200 years of construction, so Japanese apartments that are about 50 to 60 years old can still be said to be young.

In Japan, it is no exaggeration to say that the policy of post-war reconstruction is also related, and there is still a new construction supremacist economic environment, and the culture of making good things and using them for a long time is almost not rooted. No matter how robust a reinforced concrete apartment is, its value cannot be maintained without proper management.

"Who lived there" is also a major factor in determining the value of a building. I've heard the saying "buy management for apartments" for a long time, but the literacy of residents' buildings has a significant impact on the maintenance of buildings. For example, there are many residents of Hiroo Garden Hills who have built up careers in various industries such as real estate, construction, and finance, and it is said that such people are properly maintained and repaired by joining the management association, and such things are also Vinte ーIt is a feature of Ji Mansion.

Owning and leaving something that is truly valuable is not only nostalgic, but you can also feel the history and style that are not available in the designs and materials that symbolize that era. Something that has survived for a long time has a beauty and functionality that never gets tired of, and you will even feel the joy of owning it. Classic cars are more valuable, the closer they are to the original, but the same goes for vintage apartments. While properly preserving the original condition, it is possible to make it more livable with modern technology while remaking aging parts and replacing broken equipment, while retaining the original atmosphere.

IN THE UNITED STATES, I'M OK'S LARRY SCHAEFER IS THE HOUSE OF CALIFORNIA'S MID-CENTURY ARCHITECT RUDOLPH SINDLER (1935), AND VISVIM'S HIROKI NAKAMURA IS THE ARCHITECT RICHARD NEUTRA. Some people are trying to leave the houses of famous architects for posterity, such as launching a project to restore houses built in the 1960s, and the house designed by Takamasa Yoshisaka, who was on the verge of demolition in Japan, "Villa Kuku" (1957) is inherited by Kyoka Suzuki.

Mr. Larry said, "For example, if you buy a chair, after a few years of continuous use, you may think, "I don't know..." Eames chairs are often nice, even if they are 70 years old. For example, vintage Levis is still cool. I'm sure it will still be cool in 100 years.

Housing and furniture are the same, but even if you buy it, you only own it temporarily. It's great to make really good things and use them carefully so that they can be passed on to the next generation. Vintage Mansion is an existence that tells the history of the city. Vintage apartments that have been carefully inherited will increase their taste with the times. In Europe, there are several apartments built 100 or 200 years ago, and living there is also a status.

Paris, France, can be said to be a world-famous tourist attraction, and its cityscape that has not changed over time always captivates people all over the world. In Kyoto, Japan, the landscape is preserved by ordinance, and its original Japanese cityscape is very popular not only with Japanese but also with tourists from abroad. If architecture is the main element that makes up the cityscape, it is not difficult to imagine how wonderful a city with many historical buildings would be than a city full of new buildings.

Until now, in Japan, the main idea was how to supply a large number of cheap houses for both the country and companies, but in the era of population decline, a large number of second-hand houses will appear on the market every year from now on. From the point of view of sustainability, it is required to make good use of existing resources and assets, not scrap and build. Isn't it necessary for each of us to break away from the disposable culture, cultivate an eye for good things, and cultivate a culture that will pass it on to the next generation?