Nakanoshima Building in Osaka.

I researched about Nakanoshima (central island) buildings in Osaka.

Nakanoshima (central island) Buildings in Osaka

First, I will talk about the Osaka Central Public Hall. The property size is 5641.81 square meters, and structure size is 2330.35 square meters. It was built in 1913 by the plan of Shinichiro Okada who the architecture competition with wealthy investor’s donation (He killed himself from failed of his stock market after the WWI.) and incorporated with idea of European educated Kingo Tatsuno and his parner, An Kataoka. It normally use for a concert, school ceremony, lecture speech, and reception. Because of its elegant structure, people enter with formally outfits. Popular people who used it was American author, activist, Helen Kellar for her speech, and Soviet cosmonaut, Yriv Gagarin for his welcome reception. According to there website, it has Neo-Renaissance style that was poplar during Taisyo period (under the Taisyo Emperor, 1913-1926 in Western years) with massive Neo-Baroque style (but it has like Beaux-Art style?) They made with steel frame with brick wall, 3 stories above and one basement. It has an arched roof, stained glass on the windows. Now, it is popular in American café too, but it has a sidewalk café right outside by its basement windows. After 1997, they started doing renovation. They tried to keep interior and exterior design from original (but some people against that they change so much). Some stained glass, it took out from the old window and just attached to the new frame. They added seismically isolated devices, changed to more relaxed chairs for current audience, and changed air conditioning system. They also added elevators and slopes for physically challenged users. (See attached images)

Next one is Osaka Prefecture Nakanoshima Library. It was built in 1904 with a plan by Noguchi Magoichi, and Hidaka. It stands in between Osaka City Hall, and Osaka Central Public Hall at Nakanoshima district, in Osaka city. This area is financial area and has some public buildings, and it has many old Western style buildings preserved around this time period. The library carries over 500,000 books, and one of the Osaka prefecture library which carries old Japanese books and document of Osaka, and business references. Wikipedia says, it has Neo Baroque style, but it looks similar to Neo-Classical style in America. In 1922, they added both wings and became as it is now. The front door opens only for special occasions, and normally, people enter from the doors by both sides at the end of the stair at the porch. There are four Corinthian columns at the porch. The central hall has similar design of its Kuppel (a vaulted ceiling). The frieze forms octagon shape, so they engraved name of eight philosophers around the world. There are two Greek naked figures by both sides of the hall, made by a Japanese sculptor, Nishimo Kitamua who made a huge figure at the Nagasaki Peace figure at the Nagasaki Peace Park. (See attached images)

The image link of the Japanese guest house for VIPs from abroad.

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