Historical Ijinkan in Kobe burns down
The Grande Maison Graciani French restaurant in Kobe's Kitanocho neighborhood caught fire early this morning and was completely destroyed.
A neighbor alerted the fire department after noticing flames from the 1st floor on the north-west side of the building. Fifteen neighboring residents were evacuated as the fire posed a risk of spreading. The restaurant was closed on February 13th and had been locked up since the evening of the 12th. On February 7th, a small fire was reported at the front of the property, but was extinguished. Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the fire, and suspect arson.Read more
[Demolished] The Kodera Residence, Kobe
This spanish-style villa in Kobe City was originally the home of Kansai University Professor, Keiichi Kodera. Designed by William Merrell Vories and completed in 1931, it was considered to be one of the top three finest examples of his work. The other two include the Oumigishi Residence in Osaka and the Toshiba Takanawa Club in Tokyo. The 3-storey home was constructed out of reinforced concrete, red spanish roof tiles and white plaster walls and was built by Takenaka Corporation.Read more
Kobe Bay Sheraton Hotel Sold
The Kobe Bay Sheraton Hotel and Towers on Rokko Island will be sold to a hotel and ryokan (Japanese-style hotel) operator called Hotel New Awaji. The hotel name will not be changed and will continue to operate as normal.
The Bay Sheraton was opened in June, 1992. Up until 2005 it was owned by a subsidiary of JTB Corporation, however the long-lasting effects of the 1995 Hanshin earthquake and economic recession made the hotel unprofitable and it was sold to the American investment company, Lone Star Group. It is currently being operated by a subsidiary of Lone Star. Hotel New Awaji will also purchase the subsidiary and will continue to operate the hotel without any disruptions.Read more