Osaka Central Public Hall 大阪市中央公会堂
A private citizen paid for it out of his own pocket in 1913; you can walk round the basement for free.
Work began in 1913 with a donation from a citizen, Iwamoto Einosuke, and the building opened in 1918: the outline design is by Okada Shin'ichirō, the detailed design by Tatsuno Kingo and Kataoka Yasushi, in the Neo-Renaissance style. Between 1999 and 2002 it was restored and seismically isolated while keeping the original design, and in December 2002 it became the first public building in western Japan to be designated an Important Cultural Property.
Osaka
Yodoyabashi
