Remains of A-bomb Dome building, found during seismic construction work, are shown to media
Apr. 19, 2016
by Hiroaki Watanabe, Staff Writer
On March 29, the City of Hiroshima showed some pieces of the floor of the old Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, located in Naka Ward, Hiroshima, to the media. After the atomic bombing, the ruined hall became known as the Atomic Bomb Dome, and has been designated a World Heritage site. The pieces of the floor are made of concrete and were discovered during seismic reinforcement work on the building. The work has been suspended to record these remains and perform other tasks, but will resume shortly so the project can be concluded by the end of July. The remains of the floor will be reburied.
Three sections of the floor were found on the north side of the building, which once served as a showroom. Two of the pieces each measure three square meters by two-and-a-half square meters in size. The other piece is three meters long and two meters wide. The concrete slabs are three to five centimeters thick.
The City of Hiroshima began undertaking the seismic reinforcement work in December 2015. At the end of that month, some areas were excavated to enlarge three foundation spots for the existing steel framework that fortifies the dome. During this phase of the work, the remains of the floor were discovered. The foundation spots for the steel framework were created in 1967, but a city official said that no records on the floor could be found.
The reinforcement work, which had been scheduled for completion around the end of March, will be delayed for a short while to survey the remains of the floor and take photographs. An official from the City’s Park Development Division said, “We would like to preserve the pieces of the floor as artifacts which help tell about the situation at that time.”
(Originally published on March 30, 2016)
On March 29, the City of Hiroshima showed some pieces of the floor of the old Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, located in Naka Ward, Hiroshima, to the media. After the atomic bombing, the ruined hall became known as the Atomic Bomb Dome, and has been designated a World Heritage site. The pieces of the floor are made of concrete and were discovered during seismic reinforcement work on the building. The work has been suspended to record these remains and perform other tasks, but will resume shortly so the project can be concluded by the end of July. The remains of the floor will be reburied.
Three sections of the floor were found on the north side of the building, which once served as a showroom. Two of the pieces each measure three square meters by two-and-a-half square meters in size. The other piece is three meters long and two meters wide. The concrete slabs are three to five centimeters thick.
The City of Hiroshima began undertaking the seismic reinforcement work in December 2015. At the end of that month, some areas were excavated to enlarge three foundation spots for the existing steel framework that fortifies the dome. During this phase of the work, the remains of the floor were discovered. The foundation spots for the steel framework were created in 1967, but a city official said that no records on the floor could be found.
The reinforcement work, which had been scheduled for completion around the end of March, will be delayed for a short while to survey the remains of the floor and take photographs. An official from the City’s Park Development Division said, “We would like to preserve the pieces of the floor as artifacts which help tell about the situation at that time.”
(Originally published on March 30, 2016)
