Now and Then 2

Osanbashi Pier: Meiji Era and Today

"The initial passenger pier was completed in 1894. 'The Large Pier', made from steel and long enough to berth four ships, was designed and executed by the Englishman Henry Spencer Palmer.

The pier was requisitioned by the Occupation Forces in 1945. Following its release in 1952, it was renamed Osanbashi. The pier was repaired and enlarged several times. But after nearly a century, the piles were too fatigued to safely support the structure. Consequently, the city replaced the old pier and passenger terminal. Work began in 1988 and finished in 2002. Architects Alejandro Zaera-Polo and Farshid Moussavi designed a facility of three stories – parking area, second floor Cruise Terminal and Multipurpose Hall, and rooftop Public Square. They used no columns or beans, creating expansive interior spaces. No stairs are used. The new facility is barrier-free."
(Burritt Sabin, 'A Historical Guide to Yokohama', ed. Yurindo, Yokohama, 2002, p. 53-54)