Chunghwa Post said it has succeeded in “revitalizing” its assets by renting out some of its facilities to the private sector, generating millions of New Taiwan dollars in revenue.
It said it recently rented part of the decades-old Dongmen Post Office site in Taipei and Cianjin Post Office in Taichung to hoteliers.
Dongmen Post Office was established on Dec. 1, 1934, taking its name from the nearby east city gate, and was the first branch of the Taipei Post Office, Chunghwa Post said.
The old Dongmen Post Office was a two-story red brick building, which was later converted into a modern building housing both the post office and an exit for the Dongmen MRT station.
The post office decided to keep just the first and second floors of the new building and lease the rest to Chaiin Hotel, the first time it rented facilities to the private sector. The hotel began operations in June last year.
Given the success of that project, Chunghwa Post then rented the 3rd to 11th floors of its building housing the Cianjin Post Office, which is next to the Liouhe Night Market, to the Discovery Motel.
The two hotel companies pay more than NT$10 million (US$315, 320) each in rent per year, Chunghwa Post said.
Eight post offices in Taipei, Taichung, Nantou County, Greater Taoyuan and Keelung have leased part of their facilities to convenience store chains or to Starbucks, the company added.
Meanwhile, Chunghwa Post yesterday unveiled the restored exterior of the Taipei Post Office.
The first Taipei Post Office was a wooden house built in 1889. It was destroyed in a fire in 1913 and the current building, which was completed in 1930, was designed and built by Japanese architect Shunichi Kuriyama.
Taipei authorities designated the Taipei Post Office building a tier-three historic site in 1992.
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