Over 1,000 residents of Tainan County's Hsinhua township pitched in yesterday to literally move the township's 66-year-old, 650-tonne former administrative building.
Pulling with their bare hands for over two hours and moving the building a full three meters, participants were overjoyed to be a part of the historic event.
Moving the building from its present site to a parking lot 300m away is estimated to take 20 days using large machines and will mark the farthest move of a building in Taiwan so far.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
The former administrative office was built in 1934 during the Japanese colonial era and is the last remaining colonial township building south of Chiayi County.
In addition, its arched entrance distinguishes it from most official buildings of the period and is a remnant of "a transitional architecture between the Taisho Period (
Lin said the Japanese colonial administration experimented with architectural styles in Taiwan. Architecture in the Taisho period was inclined to elaborate neo-Baroque elements, while vertical lines and geometric simplicity marked buildings in the subsequent Showa Period.
The Hsinhua administrative building was abandoned five years ago when the township government moved into a new building built next door.
Because the building was lying idle in a prosperous neighborhood, the local government zoned the site for use as an underground parking lot.
This decision raised eyebrows among conservation-minded residents, who appealed for its preservation. The township government decided to move it to its new location temporarily and then move it back in one year after the parking lot is completed.
Lin said dozens of people signed a petition to Tainan County Commissioner Chen Tang-shan (陳唐山) for the building's preservation earlier this year. "Chen was supportive, but replied that there were not sufficient funds for implementation," Lin said. "Then, the former chairman of Taiwan's provincial government Chao Shou-po (趙守博) promised to offer NT$3 million to help subsidize the project."
"If it weren't for the presidential election, the building would have been doomed to demolition," Lin said, implying the preservation of the historical building was not the main concern of the government.
As for the future use of this old building, Lin said many possibilities remained. "Maybe it can be a township historical museum," Lin said. Though funds saved so far have been been exhausted, Lin said "saving [the building] was a priority," to prevent "backhoes from tearing it down."
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