Taichū Prefectural Hall / Taichung State Government Office (Historical)

The development of Taichung’s administrative affairs can be traced back to the late Qing dynasty, when Governor Liu Ming-chuan oversaw the construction of the Taiwan Prefectural City—the largest walled city in Taiwan at the time. It was originally planned as the provincial capital to consolidate governance over the island and maintain control of north–south transportation. After the Sino-Japanese War of 1895, Japan took possession of Taiwan and established the “Taiwan Civil Administration Branch” within the government office complex located at the northwest corner of the Small North Gate of the Taiwan Prefectural City. As the administrative system evolved, the area was given various names and functions during the Meiji period, including Taichu Chō (Taichung Office) and Taichu City Hall, gradually developing into a regional political center.

During the Taishō era, construction of a new Taichu Prefectural Office (Taichū Shūchōsha) began. The planning strategy involved demolishing Qing-era yamen buildings from the outside in and from east to west, replacing them with modern government offices. The Taichu Prefectural Office was one of the “permanent government office” projects of the Japanese colonial period, built alongside the former Taipei Prefectural Office (now the Control Yuan) and the former Tainan Prefectural Office (now the National Research Center for Cultural Heritage). These were considered “sister works,” designed and constructed in the same period. As part of the new “first-class offices,” they represented the transition from early wooden and brick-wood hybrid structures to mature architecture dominated by reinforced brick construction. In Taiwan’s modern architectural history, the Taichu Prefectural Office played a pivotal role, embodying contemporary technology and aesthetics while setting the standard for government office architecture.

Construction began in 1912, with the first phase completed in 1913. After four subsequent expansions, the building reached its present scale in 1934. Designed by Japanese architect Matsunosuke Moriyama, the Prefectural Office served as the administrative hub of Taichu Prefecture, overseeing Taichung City, Changhua County, and Nantou County. Notably, a separate Taichu City Office (Taichu Shiyakusho) was established at the time to manage city affairs specifically. After World War II, the Taichung City Government relocated to the site, and the former Prefectural Office building was preserved and registered as a municipal historic monument, continuing to embody both its historical memory and its symbolic administrative role.

Architecturally, the building follows the French Mansard style, with a distinctive mansard roof silhouette. Its plan is L-shaped with two stories, facing east. At the center stands a prominent tower structure, flanked on both sides by wings connected to corner turrets, creating a symmetrical and imposing appearance. The ground floor entrance features a colonnade in the Doric order, while the second floor adopts Ionic columns and includes a recessed balcony, adding depth and shadow effects to the façade. The main entrance was strategically positioned at a street corner in the urban plan, emphasizing the building’s role as a symbol of authority and a visual focal point within the city. This reflects both the stylistic characteristics of Japanese colonial official architecture and the urban planning principles of the period.