The 42-Year-Old The Plaza Hotel Next to Seoul City Hall to Be Remodeled

The Plaza Hotel Remodeling Plan - View from the Crosswalk at City Hall Plaza

[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, built in 1978, will undergo a full remodeling for the first time in 42 years.

On the 23rd, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will start a new urban regeneration model called ‘Building Remodeling + Area Revitalization,’ which remodels private buildings in the city center that are over 30 years old and due for redevelopment, and recreates the urban space in the area.

Until now, buildings over 30 years old were typically demolished and rebuilt after review by city and district committees. However, this new approach attempts remodeling to reuse the building, aiming not only to renovate the building itself but also to revitalize the stagnant downtown and surrounding commercial districts simultaneously.

A Seoul city official explained, "Most large downtown buildings are structurally safe despite their age, so we plan to enhance safety further while incorporating various revitalization elements suited to changing times," adding, "We will actively respond to climate change through eco-friendly methods."

The pilot project where this approach will be first applied is The Plaza Hotel in front of Seoul Plaza, which was built in 1978 through Korea’s first urban redevelopment project. Based on cooperation with the Seoul city government, a full remodeling will be promoted after 42 years.

The project will be carried out with the business owner proposing major remodeling plans such as design to the Seoul city government and bearing all project costs. The city will closely cooperate throughout the entire process, comprehensively considering the connectivity with ongoing city policies and projects nearby, urban planning consistency, and the effects of area revitalization to induce comprehensive regeneration.

Pedestrian walkway after remodeling of The Plaza Hotel

The Plaza Hotel was built in a long horizontal and short vertical folding screen shape to visually block Bukchang-dong, which was then a dilapidated Chinese-Korean residential area behind Seoul Plaza. Because of this, the downtown pedestrian axis connecting Gwanghwamun and Seoul Plaza to Bukchang-dong, Namdaemun Market, and Myeongdong was cut off, and the view of Namsan was blocked. Through the remodeling project, the hotel plans to demolish part of the lower floors and create a pilotis-style pedestrian passage through the building.

Additionally, through the remodeling project, the hotel plans to demolish part of the lower floors and create a pilotis-style pedestrian passage through the building. As a result, the path between Seoul Plaza and Bukchang-dong, which had been blocked by the building for over 40 years, will open, creating an uninterrupted downtown pedestrian path connecting Seoul Plaza, Bukchang-dong, Namdaemun Market, and Seoul-ro 7017.

Furthermore, the city plans to improve the environment of the 'Sogong Underground Passage' connecting City Hall Station, the hotel, and Myeongdong, convert the neglected back road behind the hotel into a pedestrian road, and create a plaza where various events can be held. Along with this, the hotel plans to create a 'public observatory' on the top floor and rooftop and install a dedicated elevator directly connected from the first floor, opening it not only to hotel guests but also to the general public and tourists visiting Seoul. Also, a rooftop urban garden will be created on the Hanwha Sogong Building adjacent to the back of the hotel, and an aerial pedestrian bridge connecting the hotel observatory will be installed.

From this location, visitors will be able to view the entire Seoul downtown area, including Namsan.

Kang Maeng-hoon, Director of Urban Regeneration at Seoul City, said, "The time has come to refurbish large buildings in the downtown area that urbanized first in Seoul," adding, "Seoul City will actively cooperate with building owners who want remodeling and start a new attempt where the public and private sectors work together to revitalize the stagnant downtown."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.