A Concrete Civic Hall with a Clock Tower
The Ibara Civic Hall Main Building (井原市民会館本館) is a fair-faced concrete civic hall with a clock tower of 1971, refurbished in 2006 in Ibaracho, Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 7, 2023 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a reinforced-concrete building of two storeys, partly three, with a building area of 1,661 square metres; registration number 33-0356.
Fair-Faced Concrete of Many Textures
The main building of Ibara Civic Hall, a reinforced-concrete civic hall of 1971, stands in a block of civic and cultural buildings in the centre of the city (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Fair-faced concrete of varied textures, from different formwork and from tooling, is spread across its exterior and interior.
A tall clock tower rises at the front, and its crossing with the horizontal lines of the balconies and eaves is the key accent of the design (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the Agency's survey of modern architecture, it was designed by Kansai Architects (Murayama Morihiro) and built by Matsumoto-gumi, and was refurbished with seismic strengthening in 2006.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look for the tall clock tower and the fair-faced concrete in its many textures (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by Ibara City (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the Okayama Prefecture Tourism Federation, the hall seats 972 and is about 10 minutes on foot from Ibara Station on the Ibara Railway, with parking for 44 cars. The main building and annex are introduced together on the Ibara Civic Hall page.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1971 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Who designed it?
- Kansai Architects (Murayama Morihiro).
- What stands out?
- The clock tower and fair-faced concrete.
- How many does the hall seat?
- 972 (Okayama Prefecture Tourism Federation).
- When was the Ibara Civic Hall Main Building registered?
- On August 7, 2023 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Ibara Civic Hall Main Building (井原市民会館本館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 311-1 Ibaracho, Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2023/08/07 (Reiwa 5) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete, two storeys and partly three, 1,661 m² |
| Owner | Ibara City |
| Public Access | About 10 minutes on foot from Ibara Station (Okayama Prefecture Tourism Federation) |
References
- Ibara Civic Hall Main Building (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014675
- Ibara Civic Hall (Agency for Cultural Affairs survey of modern architecture, in Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/kindai/kenzoubutsu/research/okayama/008/index.html
- Ibara Civic Hall (Okayama Prefecture Tourism Federation, in Japanese)
- https://www.okayama-kanko.jp/mice/convention/10706
Last verified: 2026.10.26
