World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseBetween 1906 and 1910, an architectural design contest was held for a new building that would house the colonial governor for Taiwan, a territory newly gained by Japan after the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. The design by Uheiji Nagano won the competition. After modification by Matsunosuke Moriyama, who added more office spaces and increased the tower from 6 stories to 11 stories, among other changes, the General Government Building was built in Taihoku (now Taipei) between Jun 1912 and Mar 1919. It suffered from a fire that began in the photography supplies storage room in 1935, causing extensive damage to the main corridor on the west side of the building. In May 1945, during what would be the heaviest air raid on Taihoku, it was heavily damaged by bomb blasts and the resulting fire that burned for three days. Between late 1945 and early 1947, it was used as an internment center for Japanese nationals. The building was restored between 1947 and 1948 and was renamed Chieh Shou Hall, a poetic name that wished longevity for Chinese President Chiang Kaishek. Until mid-1949, it had served as the headquarters of the Southeast Military Affairs Office, but when the Republic of China withdrew to Taiwan after being defeated in the Chinese Civil War, it underwent conversion as Chiang's new office, which took effect in 1950. The building would remain Chiang's office until his death in 1975. In Jul 1998, it was officially designated a historical building. In 2006, Chieh Shou Hall was officially renamed Presidential Office Building by the first non-Nationalist Party incumbent as a part of his campaign to remove artifacts of the Nationalist Party from public life. It remains the Presidential Office of the Republic of China at the time of this writing.

Taihoku General Government Building Interactive Map

Photographs

Taihoku General Government Building Timeline