Little Tokyo's century-old Mikado Hotel will soon reopen as micro-unit apartments.

The MIKADO microsuites, located at 331-335 E. 1st Street, have been under construction for the better part of the past two years.  Buildings records indicate that the project includes 41 residential units,  in addition to a central courtyard and ground-floor commercial space.

An official leasing website provides little specifics, although it does indicate that lease terms may be range between one month and one year.

The building sits at the heart of the Little Tokyo Historic District, which spans the distance of 1st street between Judge John Aiso and Alameda Streets.  This one-block stretch reflects the neighborhood's original character, decades before its surrounding blocks were developed with an assortment office buildings and shopping complexes.

The National Park Service indicates that the Mikado, designed by architect Alfred F. Priest, is a strong example of the type of low-rise commercial buildings that once lined many American "Main Streets," during the early 20th Century.  The building still appears as it did in the early 1930s.

First opened in 1914, the hotel served a primarily Japanese clientele up to and after World War II.  During the Bronzeville age, which spanned the course of Japanese American internment, the Mikado was transformed into the Shreveport Hotel and housed a well-known soul food restaurant.

Construction is now underway one block east on a new Metro station at 1st and Alameda Streets as part of the Regional Connector project, which will create a 1.9-mile subway linking Little Tokyo to the Financial District.