French citizen Christophe Chevance has successfully transformed an old house in Chiayi City into a fashionable bistro through a program to restore period architecture subsidized by the city government.
The French national, a painter and installation artist hailing from Brittany in northwestern France, took seven months to renovate the house, which is more than eight decades old. It now offers French cuisine and snacks.
Chevance, who moved to Chiayi City three years ago, decided last year to reconstruct the decrepit house with the support of his Taiwanese wife, surnamed Fan (范). Chevance was then granted a subsidy from the city government, which encourages citizens to renovate old houses and make new use of them.
To restore the house while maintaining its original 1920s architectural style, Chevance thoroughly studied the structure of the house and collected appropriate antique materials for its restoration, Fan said.
“He tried hard to collect old wood and construction materials to rebuild the seriously damaged old house all by himself. The result is so successful that it has won acclaim,” Fan said.
Chiayi Mayor Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲), who visited Chevance’s newly opened bistro in Ronghe Street last month, said there is an urgent need to preserve old buildings and houses, which are mainly wooden structures, in the 300-year-old city.
Applications for renovation projects for old houses built before 1971 can be submitted to the city government until May 31. Projects can receive subsidies of up to NT$300,000 or a rent allowance of up to NT$5,000 per month if approved by a municipal jury.
A year after the program was launched, many residents have successfully established businesses in old, self-renovated houses in Chiayi City. This has not only helped them fulfill their business dreams, but has also injected new vigor into the city, officials from the city’s culture bureau said.
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