The Taichung City Government on Tuesday said that it would not hand over the Taichung Prefectural Hall — which was built during the Japanese colonial era as the seat of government for what the Japanese called Taichu Prefecture — to the central government to become the second exhibition hall for the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts as previously agreed.
Taichung Prefectural Hall was one of five major prefectural halls constructed during the Japanese colonial era. It was designed by architect Matsunosuke Moriyama, as were the halls in Taipei and Tainan, which are now the Control Yuan and the National Museum of Taiwan Literature respectively.
Turning over the building to the central government without any compensation is unacceptable, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) said, adding that such a decision belittled the hall.
Photo provided by the Taichung City Government
The hall was supposed to be turned over after being renovated, she said, adding that the central government was providing NT$200 million (US$6.7 million) and the municipal government NT$300 million for the renovations.
The city government had received multiple complaints regarding the decision, which was made under former Taichung mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), Lu said.
Lin had previously signed an agreement with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs to turn over the hall and “upgrade” it to a national-level museum.
After the renovations, the hall would not completely be used for tourism, as the city government’s Urban Development Bureau, Transportation Bureau and Environmental Protection Bureau would remain in the building, Lu said.
Aside from maintaining a city government presence in the building, other portions of it would be repurposed for tourism or culture-related events, she said.
By maintaining the hall’s historic status, the municipality hopes to draw more tourists to West Central District (中西), Lu said.
Lu also said that the city government would help improve infrastructure in the area.
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