Osaka City Central Public Hall

Osaka City Central Public Hall is a public building on Nakanoshima, a long sandbank island in the middle of the city of Osaka, Japan. It was built between 1913 and 1918. The card describes red brick banded with white granite, a huge semicircular window under a green copper hood, and two domed towers.

It was paid for by a gift from Einosuke Iwamoto, a stockbroker who gave 1 million yen after seeing how much good charity did in the United States. The hall is known for its Renaissance Revival style, which borrows the look of Italian Renaissance buildings. It reopened in November 2002 after a long renovation that began in 1999, and that work also made it stronger against earthquakes. In December 2002 it was named an Important Cultural Property of Japan.

A gift to the city

Einosuke Iwamoto was a successful broker in Osaka. After he saw how generous people in the United States used their wealth for public good, he donated one million yen, a very large sum at that time, to build a hall for the people of Osaka. Construction started in 1913 and finished in 1918. The hall became a place for meetings, concerts and events in the heart of the city.

Saved and made safer

As buildings age, they need care. From 1999 the hall went through a major refurbishment, which also strengthened it against earthquakes, an important concern in Japan. It reopened in November 2002. A few weeks later the national government recognised it as an Important Cultural Property, which protects it for the future. Today people can again enjoy its grand rooms and brickwork.

On the globe

The model shows a red-brick hall with a great arched window and two domed towers.