Daimaru Shinsaibashi Osaka

Last year, J. Front Retailing announced plans to redevelop the historic 82-year old Daimaru Shinsaibashi Department Store in Osaka. The ageing building was becoming increasingly cost and difficult to maintain, and was short on floor space.

Original redevelopment plans involved razing the building. After J. Front’s announcement, local architects and historians lobbied the company to preserve as much of the intricately-designed building as possible. Although redevelopment is going ahead next year, J. Front are now considering preserving the historic facade.

The store was built in 1933 and designed by architect William Merrell Vories. It is a landmark in the Shinsaibashi area and an exemplary model of the Taisho Modern-style of architecture which is a blend art deco and neo-gothic design. The floors from the 5th floor and above were destroyed in the 1945 bombing of Osaka and were later rebuilt.

Reconstruction of the main building is scheduled to start in 2016 with completion of the new store scheduled for 2019. The North and South building will remain open during this time. The North building was completed in 2005 and replaced the historic Sogo Shinsaibashi Department Store which was built in 1935 and designed by modernist architect Togo Murano.

Sogo Shinsaibashi Department Store
[Left] The Sogo Shinsabashi Department Store (c1935). Demolished and replaced with [Right] Daimaru’s Shinsaibashi North Building.
Location

1-7-1 Shinsaibashi Suji, Chuo-ku, Osaka

Sources:
The Asahi Shimbun, July 18, 2015.
The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 18, 2015.

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