An historical landmark which is now dwarfed vertically and horizontally by the sprawling development of the city and its high rise buildings. Old buildings have become rare downtown (which, from what I saw of it, is not made of wood anymore except for a few peripheral modest dwellings). Of American architecture and hosting a clock made in Boston, it is a symbol of the development which, during the Meiji era, made of Sapporo, the final capital of Japan's Far North, the equivalent of a US Frontier Town. For the tourist, it is difficult to grasp how much this place concentrates the Spirit not only of the town but of Hokkaido. Recently reinforced against earthquakes.