The central city hall of the city of Osaka is an attractive, red brick building in Nakanoshima in Osaka, which is surrounded by greenery and water. It is characterized by an old-fashioned architecture and is used for cultural, artistic and social activities. Together with the main tower of Osaka Castle, this building symbolizes the city of Osaka. The building consists of a steel frame and brick construction and has three above-ground and one underground floor. While the basic style of the building is in the neo-Renaissance style, it contains elements of baroque splendor, and the style of the Vienna Secession was included in the detailed work. The building is characterized by its domed roof and a room with a wall-to-ceiling painting of the beginning of the universe, created by the painter Hisashi Matsuoka in a western style. Construction was completed in 1918, and the construction cost of ¥ 1 million (¥ 5 billion today) was covered by a donation from Einosuke Iwamoto, a stockbroker at the time. The designers were Shinichiro Okada and Kingo Tatsuno, who were leading figures in the architectural world of the Meiji period. The restoration was completed in 2002: for the first time in the 80 years since its construction, the building has been restored to its original appearance. This large auditorium, which was visited by well-known personalities such as the social activist Helen Keller and the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, is used today as a lecture and concert hall. In the NAKANOSHIMA SOCIAL EAT AWAKE in the basement, visitors can also take the time to enjoy creative western-style cuisine in an atmosphere that combines classic and modern.