An imposing Neo-Renaissance public building on the eastern end of Nakanoshima island, completed in 1918 and still in active use as a concert and event venue. The building's red brick exterior and copper dome are among the most photographed pieces of early 20th-century architecture in Osaka. The interior, with its large main hall and ornate smaller meeting rooms, is a well-preserved example of the Meiji-era civic ambition that wanted Osaka to look like a western European metropolis.
Concerts, exhibitions, and public lectures take place here regularly. On days when nothing is scheduled, the main hall can be viewed through a paid tour. A small café operates in the basement. The building is best combined with a walk along Nakanoshima park on the same island and the nearby Prefectural Nakanoshima Library, another fine civic building of the same era.