The city of Kitakyushu will partially preserve 133-year-old railway remnants that it had planned to demolish in order to construct a new public facility, Mayor Kazuhisa Takeuchi announced Thursday.
The city will leave part of the Meiji Era (1868-1912) remains of the original Moji Station complex on site while relocating another part of it for display. The rest will be demolished to allow for the construction of a new five-story complex that consolidates several aging public facilities into one.
Sections of the foundation of what used to be the station’s locomotive shed — which experts believe is the most important element of the remains, as it showcases a combination of European and Japanese construction techniques from the 19th century — will be kept and reburied onsite.