Taichung Shiyakusho

Completed in 1911 as the office of the Taichung Public Irrigation Canal Association (臺中廳公共埤圳聯合會), this was the earliest building in Taichung to use reinforced concrete, here combined with load-bearing brick and timber framing. When Taichung was incorporated as a city in 1920 the association moved into Taichung Prefecture Hall and the building became the city hall, or shiyakusho. After the war it housed the Taichung branch of the KMT from 1950 to 1986, then a succession of municipal departments. It was registered as a historic building in 2002, restored by 2004, and is now leased to a private operator as a café and arts space. The warehouse of the former public pawnshop stands behind it, connected by walkways.