Reconstructing the Oldest Western-Style Building in Kobe

Abstract

In 1868, a foreign concession was established in Kobe after the opening of the port. The Jugobankan named for its district in Kobe, was built in 1879 and housed the American Consulate until 1890. In 1989 the Japanese government designated the Jugobankan an Important Cultural Property, being the only surviving building of the old foreign concession era and the oldest western-style building in Kobe. The main structural elements of the original Jugobankan were wooden frames, with bricks placed between columns. After the earthquake, it was decided to reconstruct the building using many of the original members as possible by collecting them from the site of the collapsed building.