Chapter 1 Beginnings

1923

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1944

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  3. Chapter 1: Beginnings
  4. Section 3. Expansion to Tokyo
  5. 3. Building No. 2 Opens

Section 3. Expansion to Tokyo

3. Building No. 2 Opens

Immediately after the completion of Hibiya Daibiru Building No. 1 and the opening of the Tokyo Office, plans to construct Building No. 2 on the adjacent property to the east got underway. On June 28, 1929, Osaka Building signed a contract with Watanabe Architects & Associates to design and oversee a new construction project for Building No. 2, and on July 15, 1929, a new construction contract was signed with Obayashi Corporation by special order. It was a bold decision to make during the severe recession that had been ongoing since the Showa Financial Crisis.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 12 of that year, and construction began on September 14. Although there was a delay of about five months due to changes to the original design and other factors that prevented some of the work from proceeding as planned, construction of Hibiya Daibiru Building No. 2 was completed on April 25, 1931.

It used reinforced concrete construction with eight above-ground floors and one underground floors, with an eave height of 31 m and a total area of 10,592 m2—practically the same size as Building No. 1. The two buildings were connected by a completely shared basement and a corridor connecting their ground floors. That brought the total floor area of both buildings to 21,634 m2, thereby completing the Hibiya Daibiru building complex.

  • Construction of the new Building No. 2

The building was earthquake-resistant and fire-resistant. It used the same center core system as Building No. 1. The exterior of the building emphasized eccentric vertical lines, which contrasted nicely with the stately impression given by Building No. 1. The exterior walls were clad with Fukoku stone on the first floor and part of the second floor, and with dark brown brick tiles on the second floor and above, as with Building No. 1. Additionally, a state-of-the-art ventilation and cooling system was installed to provide total cooling of all rooms from the basement to the sixth floor.

Hibiya Daibiru Building No. 2 opened on May 1, 1931 with the slogan “cool in summer, warm in winter, service first.”

Because the building opened during a harsh recession, only 3,574 m2 of the effective area of 7,112 m2 was occupied five months after opening, including both new tenants and those that had moved over from Building No. 1. The occupancy rate for both buildings was only 59.9%.

When Building No. 2 opened, its main tenants were O.S.K. Lines, the Rainbow Grill, Nippon Electric Power, Osaka Marine & Fire Insurance, Bungeishunju, and The Sumitomo Bank, as well as the former Soviet Trade Office, Paramount Pictures Corporation, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Western Electric (went defunct in 1995), Japan Planner Monde, and other foreign trading companies.

Although the Hibiya Daibiru Buildings opened during difficult economic circumstances, they were almost fully occupied by the late 1930s.

Section3. Expansion to Tokyo

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