“Where was Osaka’s city hall before its current location?” I ask. Today we’re exploring the Osaka City Hall Toyosaki Temporary Office Site. It marks a significant place in Osaka’s administrative history. Let’s dive into the story of this site. It reveals the evolution of Osaka’s governance.
The Osaka City Hall Toyosaki Temporary Office Site once housed the city’s second city hall. This was a wooden, two-story structure. It even had an assembly hall. Construction finished in May 1912. The office then relocated from the old city hall on May 18th of the same year.
Before this site, the first city hall was in Nishiku Enozuto Jimae. The first city hall was a temporary wooden structure. It had two stories. It opened on December 29th 1899. The city council lacked its own assembly hall back then. So council meetings took place in the Osaka Prefectural Assembly Hall.
In February 1911, the Osaka City Council decided to build a new city hall. It was to be located in Osaka Nakanoshima Park. A design competition followed. The city sought submissions from the public. By September 1912, they reviewed 65 proposals. Three were selected as excellent. These three served as inspiration for the final design.
Planning delays occurred due to Osaka’s financial situation. However in June 1917, Kataoka Yasu oversaw the implementation design. Construction began in June 1918. The third-generation city hall opened in May 1921. To commemorate this, the Osaka City Song was created.
In January 1982, the first phase of the new city hall was complete. On May 7th 1982, the third-generation city hall closed. Demolition started on June 11th 1982. By December 1982, the above-ground structure was gone. The second phase of the new city hall was completed on January 27th 1986.
After the war in August 1961, the city planned a new city hall. It was to be built on the site of the demolished city hall. This also included the site of the Toyokuni Shrine. A temporary annex was built on the Toyokuni Shrine site in September 1964.
The debate over the city hall and surrounding buildings continued. The buildings included the Bank of Japan Osaka branch. They also included the Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library. The Osaka City Central Public Hall was also included.
In March 1968 Osaka created the “City Hall Construction Fund Ordinance”. Each year three hundred million yen went to the construction fund. From 1972 to 1976, the city conducted city hall surveys. A 1974 report by the Architectural Institute of Japan urged preservation. The preservation included the Osaka City Hall. It also included the Bank of Japan Osaka Branch. It included the Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library. It also included the Osaka City Central Public Hall.
In August 1976, Osaka presented three options. One option was preserving the city hall and building an adjacent annex. Another option was demolishing both and building a unified city hall. The final option was building a new city hall at the Municipal Central Gymnasium site.
Ultimately Osaka decided to proceed with a designated design competition. Five firms were nominated. Nikken Sekkei’s design was chosen in final review in August 1978. Construction began on April 23rd 1979. The first phase finished in January 1982. Demolition of the old city hall then began. Construction of the second phase started in May 1982. It finished on January 27th 1986.
Today the Osaka City Hall Toyosaki Temporary Office Site is marked by a stone monument. It commemorates the location of the former city hall. It serves as a reminder of Osaka’s journey. It also marks the city’s commitment to progress.