[A Sip of Books] Seoul Hilton Facing Demolition, What Is Its Value as a Legacy?

'Seoul Hilton' 40-Year History Record Book
Seeking Alternatives Between 'Demolition and Preservation'
Includes Photos and 38 Pages of Design Drawings

The late Kim Woo-joong, chairman of the Daewoo Group, visited the Sears Tower in Chicago one autumn day in 1977. It was to meet architect Kim Jong-sung, who was two years his senior from Kyunggi High School. Chairman Kim, known for his sociability, soon called his senior "hyung" (older brother) and asked him to take on the Hilton project. The plan was to build a luxury hotel on the sloped land rising from Seoul Station towards Namsan.

Seoul Square, currently located in front of Seoul Station, was originally the Daewoo Group headquarters building. Daewoo Group acquired this building from the government in 1973. At that time, the building was only partially constructed with its framework completed but left unfinished, intended for use by the Transportation Corporation. The Third Republic government handed over the building to Chairman Kim on the condition that he build a luxury hotel on the sloped land behind it to promote the tourism industry.

Thus, Kim Jong-sung, a first-generation Korean architect, was entrusted with constructing the Seoul Hilton at the foot of Namsan. Architect Kim Jong-sung began designing in early 1978 and completed the Seoul Hilton in December 1983. The Seoul Hilton changed ownership from Daewoo Group to Singapore-based CDL Hotels and is currently owned by the real estate investment company Aegis Asset Management. Aegis Asset Management is promoting large-scale development around the hotel area. The plan is to preserve only the floors and columns of the Seoul Hilton. The hotel ceased operations on December 31, 2022, and is now awaiting disposal.

“Hilton Speaks” is a 40-year historical record of the Seoul Hilton. It includes writings from various people, including architect Kim Jong-sung, who designed the hotel. All the authors emphasize the value of the Seoul Hilton as a heritage. They argue that Aegis Asset Management’s development plan is effectively demolition and that alternatives should be sought. While recognizing Aegis Asset Management’s property rights, the authors propose reasonable alternatives between demolition and preservation. The book contains diverse writings and interviews from Kim Jong-sung and younger architects, discussions from the special symposium held in April last year titled “Meeting Architect Kim Jong-sung: Between Demolition and Preservation of the Hilton Hotel,” photographic materials of the Seoul Hilton, and 38 pages of architectural drawings of the Seoul Hilton.

Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea, which has long surpassed a population of ten million and is heading toward becoming a megacity, is a city that is physically very affluent and technologically advanced. From a non-physical perspective, it is a cultural capital with a 600-year history, a dynamic capital of Korea, and can be described as a “vibrant,” “dynamic,” and “cutting-edge” city. At the same time, it coexists with unavoidable negative images. Seoul cannot escape the negative images typical of modern metropolises such as “barrenness,” “desolation,” “congestion,” and “chaos.” Urban humanities divide cities into external cities and internal cities. An external city is a landmark-centric city composed of monumental symbols. High-rise buildings, large complex buildings, wide roads, overpasses, urban railways, or subways are the main infrastructure that constitutes the city. (Omitted) In contrast, an internal city refers to an inward-oriented city of memory. It embraces the people living in the city and pays attention to marginalized places, pursuing urban lifestyles, diversity, and multiculturalism. (Omitted) In Seoul’s case, the external city is being completed. While it would be good to pay attention to the internal city as well, since the logic of capital exerts the greatest power, the result is as we witness. (Page 104, Ham Hyeri, City and Image, and Memory)

During 28 years of work in Seoul architecture, many buildings were designed, including the Army Academy Library (1982), Cheongju University Central Library (1986), Jeju Island Udang Library (1984), Daewoo Securities Building (1984), Daewoo Cultural Foundation Building (1984), Dongyang Investment Finance Building (1987), Seoul Olympic Weightlifting Stadium (1986), Seoul National University Museum (1984), Busan Paradise Beach Hotel (1988), Yangjeong Middle and High School (1988), Isu Chemical Headquarters (1989), Mokdong Library (1990), Gyeongju Seonjae Art Museum (1991), Swiss Grand Hotel, Seoul History Museum (1988), and SK Headquarters (1999). Among these, the most complete is undoubtedly the Seoul Hilton. (Pages 134?135, Kim Jong-sung, The Birth of the Modernist Architecture Seoul Hilton)

In the spring of 1987, Seoul was bustling with preparations and anticipation for the Olympics. It was a time when rapid growth and change were happening in all areas of daily life. Around this time, “Il Fonte,” meaning “The Bridge” in Italian, began operating at the Seoul Hilton. At a time when authentic Italian cuisine was still unfamiliar in Korea, the menu was somewhat novel to most people. However, it became very popular after opening. It earned the nickname “Italian Military Academy” as many of Korea’s top chefs passed through this restaurant. (Omitted) At that time, hotels mainly offered French restaurants. Italian restaurants were rare even outside hotels. It was only in the late 1980s that restaurants serving Western menus began to appear gradually in Seoul. Before that, Western-style dishes mainly consisted of items like pork cutlets and omelet rice. (Omitted) The late 1980s to early 1990s was when hotel culture gradually became familiar in Korea. Il Fonte had many customers. During peak seasons like Valentine’s Day, daily sales approached 50 million won, showing its popularity. (Pages 163?166, People of Hilton)

Architect Kim Jong-sung, who designed the Seoul Hilton, suggests preserving the atrium space and the external curtain wall system. He proposes horizontally extending the west side by 11 to 12 meters and reinstalling the stored curtain wall. (Page 181, Hong Jae-seung, Between Preservation and Demolition)

Once a building disappears, it cannot be restored or remembered, which means a loss not only to the architectural community but ultimately to our city where ordinary citizens live, making it increasingly shallow. (Omitted) The closure of the “Millennium Hilton Seoul” at Namsan, an important modern architectural site, and the demolition crisis for complex development is a similar case. Not only the original architect Kim Jong-sung but also the conscious architectural community feel regret, but to the general civil society and the new owner planning the development, it seems to be dismissed as a “highbrow issue” that does not resonate. (Omitted) With differing perspectives and mutual indifference, if complete demolition proceeds as previous important urban spaces have disappeared, it will inevitably be a great loss. (Pages 186?187, Ji Jeong-woo, Time Complex Development and the Potential as Urban Civic Space)

Hotels, where the landscape was important, were mainly built around Namsan. Among them, the Hyatt Hotel at the top of Namsan and the Plaza Hotel in front of City Hall have always been at the center of controversy from an urban landscape perspective. The Hyatt Hotel, standing like a cliff on the Namsan view, was appreciated by those inside but criticized for its imposing presence on the Namsan foothills. The Plaza Hotel, facing City Hall and looking toward Gwanghwamun, was constantly debated among urban planners and historians with questions like “How can a hotel be in such an important location?” Seoul Hilton was not a target of such harsh criticism from a landscape or historical perspective. (Omitted) Ironically, the Hyatt Hotel and Plaza Hotel, which were severely criticized from a public perspective, still stand. (Omitted) Even if their architectural completeness or urban value is lower, they occupy such prime locations that they are too good for viewing Seoul. (Omitted) The Seoul Hilton, which has the highest architectural completeness among the two hotels, declined as its original owner Daewoo went bankrupt. (Omitted) Is economic feasibility prioritized over historicity, landscape, and urbanity? It is a bitter point. (Page 206, Jeon I-seo, Demolish? or Not?)

The site where the Seoul Hilton was built was the Yangdong district redevelopment area, where urban redevelopment projects were promoted in the late 1960s. At that time, the hilly area of Yangdong, one of Seoul’s representative red-light districts, was the first scene of Seoul encountered by people arriving by train. The government began constructing large-scale public facilities to cover this area. The building, still remembered by many as the Daewoo Building (now Seoul Square), started as a comprehensive transportation center that effectively concealed the Yangdong red-light district. The comprehensive transportation center, started in 1968, was purchased by Daewoo in 1973, which led the Yangdong district redevelopment project, with the Seoul Hilton becoming the center of the redevelopment project. (Pages 261?262, For Sustainability)