The Taipei City Government’s Cultural Assets Review Committee on Monday designated the Hung Lu (虹廬) building a cultural asset, despite objections from the building’s residents.
Thirteen committee members voted 9-4 to list the building as a cultural asset.
The residents said they would contest the decision via legal means.
Photo: Yang Hsin-hui, Taipei Times
Architect Wang Da-hong (王大閎) designed the building in 1984 and oversaw its construction.
The residents raised their objections to the building being designated a cultural asset when the Taipei Department of Culture and the committee inspected it in July last year.
They said that once the building is listed, they could face difficulties when applying for an urban renewal project, adding that they have handed the forms for an application to department officials during the inspection.
Resident Lee Chih-fu (李志甫) said that he was sorry to hear the decision.
The decision contravenes residents’ right to property, as it would make it nearly impossible to sell their apartments, Lee added.
The residents’ wishes should be respected, said Lin Yi-chen (林宜蓁), who represents people who own properties in the building.
The decision contravenes residents’ constitutionally guaranteed right to own property, Lin said, adding that the building’s age and renovations have greatly altered its original design.
The building is representative of Wang’s work, committee member Kuo Chiung-ying (郭瓊瑩) said, adding that its aura of mystery and quality of a quiet haven in a metropolis are reasons to preserve the building as a cultural asset, despite alterations to its original design.
Committee member Hsueh Chin (薛琴) said that negotiating with the residents was important and the city would compensate them with apartments of the same size as their current residences.
The right to property must be protected and it is possible for other organizations, including the city government, to purchase the building and repurpose it into a public area, Kuo added.
The Wang Da-hong Architectural Research and Preservation Association had said it was willing to purchase the building, but balked at its price of more than NT$100 million (US$3.24 million).
The residents said they were willing to sell their properties at market prices to interested parties.
Wang’s more famous public works in the city are the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
RSS