Roy Smith Hall

Roy Smith Hall

Roy Smith Hall (ロイ・スミス館) in Shinohara Kitamachi, Nada Ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, is the former Otani family residence on the southern foot of Mount Rokko; its main building of 1935 and its garage and gate pillars and stone walls of about the same date were registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on October 28, 2011 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). All three are owned by the Kobe University Rokkodai Supporters Association Foundation and were registered for their contribution to the historic landscape.

Nada Ward says the main building was completed in 1935. It stands along the north edge of the site, the garage in the north-east corner, and stone walls enclose the east, west and south sides (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Three Properties

The main building is a two-storey timber house with a hipped roof of Spanish tiles, composed with half-timbering and triple windows, and with tiles and stained glass inside that convey the modern taste of the early Showa period (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The garage is an unusual type with a chauffeur's room above, its colours matched to the main building. The gate opens in the middle of the east side, and its granite-faced pillars and the so-called Mikage walls, 111 metres long and up to 4.7 metres high, form the estate frontage typical of large houses in the area (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Each property is described on its own page.

Visiting

Nada Ward lists it as not open to the public.