In 1889, Hiroshima officially became one of the fi...

In 1889, Hiroshima officially became one of the first cities in Japan. In 1928, City Hall was moved to its present location in a newly-built building from Nakajima-shin-machi because of expanded administrative work and the deterioration of the previous building. This new building, designed partly in the European architectural style, had four floors and one basement floor. The cream-colored building with rather discreet ornamentation had a distinguished appearance as the ten pillars that supported the pendent fourth floor were exposed. It was subjected to the atomic bombing at a distance of 1,020 meters, and engulfed by a ferociously spreading fire. When City Hall was rebuilt, the stone steps and flagstones exposed to the bombing were preserved as part of its legacy. The basement, which had been used as a storage room by the Rationing Division at the time of the bombing, was renovated and has been preserved as an A-bomb exhibition room to convey the devastation of Hiroshima to future generations.