A Vories Cottage in Old Karuizawa
The Former Hamilton and Heard Karuizawa Cottage (旧ハミルトンアンドハード軽井沢コテージ) is a villa in Old Karuizawa designed by William Merrell Vories of around 1932 in Karuizawa, Karuizawa Town, Kitasaku District, Nagano Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 17, 2015 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building with an iron-sheet roof and a building area of 68 square metres; registration number 20-0494.
Vories Hallmarks in a Plain Cottage
The former Hamilton and Heard Karuizawa Cottage is a villa in the Old Karuizawa area designed by William Merrell Vories and dated to around 1932 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
A two-storey timber house with a half-hipped roof, it has clapboard walls outside and mostly board walls inside, a fairly plain design (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Yet the long bands of windows, the stone chimney and the built-in furniture show the hallmarks of a Vories villa.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look for the bands of windows, the stone chimney and the built-in furniture (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
The owner is not listed in the Agency record. No official information on public access was found.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- Around 1932 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Who designed it?
- William Merrell Vories.
- What is the roof like?
- Half-hipped.
- What marks it as a Vories design?
- Window bands, a stone chimney and built-in furniture.
- When was the Former Hamilton and Heard Karuizawa Cottage registered?
- On November 17, 2015 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Former Hamilton and Heard Karuizawa Cottage (旧ハミルトンアンドハード軽井沢コテージ) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1342-75 Karuizawa, Karuizawa Town, Kitasaku District, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2015/11/17 (Heisei 27) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, iron-sheet roof, 68 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official information on access |
References
- Former Hamilton and Heard Karuizawa Cottage (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010782
Last verified: 2026.10.25