Tsaoshan Police Station gets heritage listing

2014-10-23

Tsaoshan Police Station in Yangmingshan will be preserved as a local government-listed historic building, according to Taipei City’s Department of Cultural Affairs Oct. 21.

The decision, which was reached at the 61st Cultural Assets Assessment Conference, allows the structure constructed in 1934 a new lease of life. It was designed by architect Ide Kaoru, a chief engineer in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945), and the creative talent behind historic Zhongshan Hall.

“The station safeguarded the community of its day and has great symbolism,” DCA Section Chief Lin Chang-chia said. “It is an essential part of the collective memory of previous generations and worthy of preservation.”

Situated near Tsaoshan Guest House and Public Bathhouse, the building represents a blend of Eastern and Western design traditions seen in Japanese colonial structures throughout Asia. It has a tiny porch at the front and a wooden structure in the back serving as the dormitory for policemen and their families.

According to Lin, even though the building belongs to the National Police Agency, the land falls under the jurisdiction of TCG’s Department of Finance. “The station now joins Tsaoshan Guest House and Public Bathhouse as listed historic sites, ensuring its survival for the future,” he said.

As the building is located close to the site of Taiwan Railways Administrations's near-100-year-old Xinbeitou Station, which was dismantled in 1988 to make way for the Tamsui metro line and scheduled for reassembly this year, TCG approved shifting the station 50 meters from its original position and allocated NT$20.6 million (US$678,425) for the undertaking.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=223138&CtNode=413)