The Taipei City Government on Friday began restoring two old Japanese-style houses that are municipality-designated historic sites, including the residence of physicist Dai Yun-guei (戴運軌, 1897-1982), who is often dubbed the “father of Taiwanese physics.”
A blessing ceremony was held at the site of the NT$100 million (US$3.1 million) project on Chaozhou Street in the city’s Daan District (大安) to mark the beginning of restoration work.
The project targets two Japanese colonial-era houses, which were dormitories that previously housed a National Taiwan University (NTU) faculty, the Taipei City Government Department of Cultural Affairs said.
Photo: CNA
The two dilapidated buildings, at No. 7 and No. 9 Chaozhou Street, have been vacant since 2002.
The No. 7 house, built in 1921, was Dai’s residence for 35 years, the department said.
Dai founded NTU’s Department of Physics in 1946 and in 1968 established the College of Science under National Central University. Dai was well-known in the nation as an educator and research pioneer in the field of physics.
The No. 9 house was built in 1922.
Both buildings were rare old Japanese-style dorms in Taiwan in terms of their architecture and formation, the department said, adding that in 2017 the city designated them as historic sites.
Over the years, the two houses have been damaged by typhoons, earthquakes and termites, the department said, adding that restoration had been stalled due to the scale of the work necessary and high repair costs.
However, given the two houses’ value as cultural assets, the city department worked with NTU to preserve them and drafted a restoration plan in 2020. The restoration design work was completed this year.
The restoration is to be completed by the end of 2025, and 80 percent of the cost would be covered by the city, the department said, adding that NTU would recruit companies to run the historic sites.
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