[1] The building is a prominent structure that remained standing in the area around the atomic bombing of Hiroshima at the end of World War II.

The Product Exhibition Hall building was originally designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel.

The building was located in the large business district next to the Aioi Bridge and was primarily used for art and educational exhibitions.

[6] Intended for the Aioi Bridge, the bomb missed its target by 240 m (790 ft) and exploded directly over the Shima Hospital, which was very near to the Genbaku Dome.

The Hiroshima City Council declared in 1966 that it intended to indefinitely preserve the structure, now termed "Genbaku Dome".

The first popularly elected mayor of Hiroshima, Shinzo Hamai (1905–1968) sought funds for the preservation effort domestically and internationally.

[2][12] The Genbaku Dome has undergone two minor preservation projects to stabilize the ruin, notably between October 1989 and March 1990.

As an act of reciprocity, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the USS Arizona Memorial, Honolulu the same year.

[2] Its inclusion into the UNESCO list was based on its survival from a destructive force (atomic bomb), the first use of nuclear weapons on a human population, and its representation as a symbol of peace.