Restoration work of former Bank of Japan’s Hiroshima branch completed, scheduled to open at beginning of November
Oct. 14, 2023
by Fumiyasu Miyano, Staff Writer
Restoration of the former Hiroshima branch of the Bank of Japan, an A-bombed building in the city’s Naka Ward, has been completed. The construction work restored the branch’s interior appearance as it was in the 1950s, preserving marks on a wall pierced by glass shards at the time of the atomic bombing. The building is scheduled to open at the beginning of November, and a panel exhibit organized by a Polish museum that communicates the devastation of and reconstruction from World War II is planned.
Restoration work started in March 2022, roughly five years later than originally planned, because a construction company had not yet been chosen in part due to a labor shortage. In addition, as the Hiroshima City government changed its construction method and decided to preserve the walls and plaster of the ceiling as they are now, the construction period was extended by six months. All construction work was completed by September 15.
At present, the inside of the building is not open to the public due to preparations for the opening. The interior appearance of the building was restored as it was in the 1950s, a time when construction work was performed to restore the building as it had been damaged by the atomic bombing. With the recent construction work, plastic tiles lain in the flooring of the first floor were replaced by other floor materials, and the ceiling boards were removed so the floorboard and beams above could be seen. The exterior appearance has not changed. The building will now seek from the Japanese government designation as an important cultural asset.
According to the Hiroshima City government, the contract-based total cost of the restoration work is about 267 million yen. The city’s Cultural Promotion Division said the city government would proceed with the preparations so many people can visit the building and feel the preciousness of peace.
(Originally published on October 14, 2023)
Restoration of the former Hiroshima branch of the Bank of Japan, an A-bombed building in the city’s Naka Ward, has been completed. The construction work restored the branch’s interior appearance as it was in the 1950s, preserving marks on a wall pierced by glass shards at the time of the atomic bombing. The building is scheduled to open at the beginning of November, and a panel exhibit organized by a Polish museum that communicates the devastation of and reconstruction from World War II is planned.
Restoration work started in March 2022, roughly five years later than originally planned, because a construction company had not yet been chosen in part due to a labor shortage. In addition, as the Hiroshima City government changed its construction method and decided to preserve the walls and plaster of the ceiling as they are now, the construction period was extended by six months. All construction work was completed by September 15.
At present, the inside of the building is not open to the public due to preparations for the opening. The interior appearance of the building was restored as it was in the 1950s, a time when construction work was performed to restore the building as it had been damaged by the atomic bombing. With the recent construction work, plastic tiles lain in the flooring of the first floor were replaced by other floor materials, and the ceiling boards were removed so the floorboard and beams above could be seen. The exterior appearance has not changed. The building will now seek from the Japanese government designation as an important cultural asset.
According to the Hiroshima City government, the contract-based total cost of the restoration work is about 267 million yen. The city’s Cultural Promotion Division said the city government would proceed with the preparations so many people can visit the building and feel the preciousness of peace.
(Originally published on October 14, 2023)
