Taichung Prefectural Hall
臺中州廳 | |
 | |
 | |
| Former names | Taichu Prefectural Hall |
|---|---|
| Location | West District, Taichung, Taiwan |
| Coordinates | 24°8′19″N 120°40′42.3″E / 24.13861°N 120.678417°E |
| Public transit | Taichung Station |
| Type | former government building |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1913 |
| Renovated | 2018 |
| Construction cost | NT$1.05 billion |
| Architect | Moriyama Matsunosuke |
The Taichung Prefectural Hall (traditional Chinese: 臺中州廳; simplified Chinese: 台中州厅; pinyin: Táizhōng Zhōu Tīng) is a former government building in West District, Taichung, Taiwan.
History
[edit]
The building was originally constructed in 1913 during the Japanese rule of Taiwan as the Taichu Prefectural Hall (Chinese: 臺中州廳) which housed the city hall of Taichū Prefecture. The last of four expansions was completed in 1934.[1] It was then used as the office of Environmental Protection Bureau of Taichung City Government. The building was designated as a historic building in 2002 and as a city-designated historic building in 2006.[2] In November 2017, the Bureau of Cultural Affairs requested the city government to assign the national heritage status to the former city hall.[3] The application for national heritage status was formally submitted by the Taichung City Government in April 2018. The Taichung Prefectural Hall was officially designated a national historic monument in January 2019.[4]
In 2018, it was decided to transform the building into the Taichung Prefectural Hall Park which was expected to be completed by 2021. The project was part of the efforts to revitalize the historic district of Taichung by the Ministry of Culture. The project was estimated to cost NT$1.05 billion and an additional budget of NT$1.2 billion was set for the establishment of an archive for local art history and photography development. Developmental oversight of the center was led by National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.[5] Lu Shiow-yen announced in February 2020 that her mayoral administration was withdrawing from the agreement with NTMoFA, and that Taichung Prefectural Hall would not become a second exhibition hall for the museum.[6]
Architecture
[edit]The building of the art center was constructed with Baroque architectural style with mansard roof.[5] It was designed by Japanese architect Matsunosuke Moriyama.[7][8] It has a street corner style configuration with the main entrance at the corner. The two sides of the building extended like wings.
Events
[edit]The building has been part of the annual Taichung Light Festival, organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the city government.[9] It also used to house other events, such as seminars.[10]
Transportation
[edit]The Taichung Prefectural Hall is accessible within walking distance west of Taichung Station of Taiwan Railways.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Taichung Prefectural Hall". Ministry of Culture. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ "Taichung Prefectural Hall". Taichung Travel Net. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ^ Huang, Chung-shan; Chin, Jonathan. "Taichung to seek heritage status for its old city hall". Taipei Times. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ Liao, George (28 April 2019). "Taichung Prefectural Hall in central Taiwan designated as national historic monument". Taiwan News. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ a b Huang, Tzu-ti (2 November 2018). "Taichung Prefectural Hall to transform into contemporary art hub for Taiwan's artists". Taiwan News. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ Su, Meng-chuan; Chung, Jake (16 February 2020). "Taichung hall not to become fine art museum branch". Taipei Times. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
- ^ "Taichung Prefecture Hall". roundTAIWANround. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ "New Taichung City Hall". Taichung City Government. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ^ Her, Kelly (1 July 2016). "Cultural Gateway". Taiwan Today. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ^ "Regulatory advocacy seminars for electrical and electronic goods traders". Legal Affairs Bureau. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
