The Lower House was built in 1922. It combines Japanese traditional elements with characteristics of the early California bungalow. The Lower House incorporates many Japanese features such as post and beam construction with sliding doors and windows. It is an example of the organic architecture movement, popular at the time which emphasized the use of honest materials in their unaltered state. It was built with the same quality old growth redwood and attention to detail that exemplifies all of Hakone Garden's structures.   The exterior of the Lower House was altered in 1980. The front view of the house, the veranda was enclosed by glass shoji with faux lattice windows above the shoji and built into the redwood board siding. These upper story windows were like those seen in Japanese town houses. The exterior was clad in old growth redwood boards charred by the same process as can still be seen in the Upper House. Its dark color blended into the garden, and exemplified the Japanese ideal of harmony between house and garden. This exterior siding and the architectural details of the windows were removed, and replaced with yellow stucco in the 1980 remodeling.
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