Since it was designated as a historic building, local residents complain that the Siluo Theater in Yunlin County’s Siluo Township has not been revitalized, looks terribly shabby and is causing problems for the local area.
The Siluo Theater was built in the 1930s. The two-story concrete building has enough seats to accommodate 500 people, and in the old days it used to show movies and put on plays. It was once an important local entertainment venue, and for a while a commercial district formed around it. Following the decline of movie theaters, the Siluo Theater has been out of business for a long time. However, the theater is an important witness to local development, so 15 years ago the county government designated it as a historic building and erected an information signboard.
Local residents have many complaints. They say that when the Siluo Theater was first listed as a historic building, people in the area had great expectations, hoping that the county government could revitalize it so as to bring in lots of tourists and revive the once-prosperous movie theater commercial area. However, up until today the theater remains derelict. Its roof has almost collapsed so that water accumulates whenever it rains and it has become a hotbed for mosquitoes to breed. The first-floor balcony has been cracked by creeping tree roots, the concrete stairs on the right-hand side are lopsided and the building looks terribly dilapidated.
Photo: Chen Tsan-kun, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者陳燦坤
The biggest annoyance for local residents is that the theater has become a home for stray animals, with feral cats and dogs taking up residence one after another. There have also been sightings of snakes. At one time people suspected that a bitch had given birth to a litter of puppies in the theater, attracting fleas from all around. Locals say they are not opposed to preserving the theater, but they want the county government to manage it properly.
The county government’s Cultural Affairs Department says the theater is a private business and the department needs to get all the owners’ agreement before refurbishing it. The Cultural Affairs Department will soon help out by tidying up the surrounding environment, while continuing to communicate with the owners so that it can set about refurbishing and revitalizing the theater as soon as possible.(Liberty Times, translated by Julian Clegg)
位於雲林縣西螺鎮的西螺戲院登錄為歷史建築後，居民抱怨未見活化，外觀殘破不堪，造成地方困擾。
Photo: Chen Tsan-kun, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者陳燦坤
西螺戲院創建於一九三○年代，為兩層樓混凝土建築，座位可容納五百人，早期播放電影兼上演戲劇，曾是地方重要休閒場所，周邊一度形成繁華商圈，隨著電影院沒落，西螺戲院歇業多時，但戲院是地方發展重要見證，縣府在十五年前登錄歷史建物，同時樹立導覽看板解說。
居民埋怨，當初西螺戲院登錄為歷史建築，地方滿懷希望，期待縣府能夠活化、帶動觀光人潮，重現戲院商圈昔日榮景，然而迄今戲院依舊荒廢，屋頂幾乎坍塌，下雨到處積水，成了蚊蟲孳生溫床，戲院二樓陽台遭樹根鑽出裂縫，右側混凝土階梯傾斜，外觀殘破不堪。
居民最感困擾的是西螺戲院已成了流浪動物之家，野貓、野狗相繼入住，還曾看到蛇出沒，之前疑有一條母狗在戲院產下一窩小狗，引來跳蚤聚集，他們不反對保留戲院，但希望縣府善加管理。
縣府文化處坦言戲院是私人產業，整修需徵得全部持有人同意，文化處近期將協助周遭整理環境，同時持續與持有人溝通，儘快推動整修、活化。
(自由時報記者陳燦坤)
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