Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall now called the A-bomb Dome

The structure now called the A-bomb Dome was designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel. It was completed on April 5, 1915 and opened on August 5 of that year as the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall. Its name was changed to the Hiroshima Prefectural Products Exhibition Hall in 1921, and finally to the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall in 1933. In addition to displaying and selling prefectural products, it was also used for art shows and other expositions. As the war intensified, however, it housed a number of government agencies.