Taifu Tianxia Department Store

Taifu Tianxia Department Store (太府天下名店) opened in late October 1989 at the corner of Minzu Road and Ziyou Road Section 2 across from what was then known as Caishen Department Store (財神百貨) in central Taichung. It was one of several department stores operated by the same parent company in the 1980s. The department store eventually shuttered as the central district declined, and today much of the structure sits idle, with some floors rented out as offices and small apartments. Apparently property rights have complicated any plans to redevelop the site. A security guard still watches over the building, while the derelict interior is stacked high with garbage and shrouded in cobwebs.

The site was previously occupied by the Taichung Citizens’ Hall (台中市民館), an eclectic-style two-storey public building completed in 1928. In the post-war era it was eventually repurposed for use by the China Youth Corps (救國團) and eventually demolished.