Taipei City's First Department Store "Kikugen" Approved to be Upgraded to Municipal Historic Site
The cultural heritage value of "Kikugen Department Store," Taipei's first department store, was deliberated at a cultural heritage meeting. Based on new tangible and intangible evidence, its upgrade from a historical building to a municipal historic site was approved. It is recognized as a representative example of department store history and seismic architectural technology.
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- 📰 Published: April 27, 2026 at 15:13
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Central News Agency (Reporter Yang Shu-min, Taipei, 27th) - Taipei City's cultural heritage meeting today reviewed the cultural heritage value of "Kikugen Department Store." It was Taiwan's first department store, opening earlier than Tainan Hayashi Department Store, which has already garnered tourist attention. After the proposing unit supplemented new tangible and intangible evidence, the committee integrated and approved its upgrade from a historical building to a municipal historic site.
The glass curtain wall building at the intersection of Hengyang Road and Bo'ai Road in Taipei City, formerly "Kikugen Department Store," opened in 1932, earlier than the Tainan Hayashi Department Store, which is already a tourist attraction. It was the first department store in Taiwan, attracting significant attention from the cultural heritage preservation community, and was designated a Taipei City Historical Building on May 15, 2017.
Cultural heritage meeting documents show that the Taipei City Foundation for the Preservation of Historic Sites and Buildings submitted an application for its designation as a historic site at the end of 2024. During this period, two specialist team site visits occurred, both calling for new evidence to clarify the remaining original structure, current preservation status, and whether the building meets the criteria for designation as a historic site under Article 2 of the "Regulations for the Designation and Abolition of Historic Sites."
Subsequently, in addition to requesting property owner Cathay Construction to submit a repair and reuse plan for review and a revised version, the Cultural Affairs Bureau also separately requested the proposing unit to resubmit the plan based on the review comments. The Taipei City Foundation for the Preservation of Historic Sites and Buildings submitted it on February 6, 2026, after which a third site visit was conducted and submitted for review.
The review committee suggested that its value as a historic site includes being a pioneer in the department store industry, holding cross-era significance for industrial development and consumption patterns. It was the most important commercial street landmark in Taiwan at the time, closely related to Taipei's living history to this day, and featured Taiwan's first public elevator (a "liu-long," or birdcage elevator) for public use. It was also one of the tallest buildings at the time (6 stories) and served as a communication station and military outpost during World War II.
Furthermore, its construction technology is representative. This building, after the 1923 Kanto Great Earthquake, adopted a seismic core-in-core system, similar to the American Empire State Building, as its structural system. It is a representative work of seismic structural systems in the 1930s and a representative example of reinforced concrete high-rise buildings from that era.
New tangible evidence presented at today's meeting included remnants such as floors, stairs, toilets, elevators, and beams; and intangible values encompassed four major items: commercial development, urban context, national defense location, and living memories. After comprehensive review, the committee agreed to designate it as a municipal historic site.
Hong Ming-tong, Chairman of the Rongding Commercial District and Chengnan Community Development Association, who spoke at the meeting, said that there are already historic site clusters nearby, and Kikugen Department Store opened earlier than Tainan Hayashi Department Store. He hopes that its designation as a municipal historic site, with restoration and activation completed by its 100th anniversary in 2032, will be very attractive and bring business opportunities to the local commercial district.
The speaker representing the descendants of Kikugen Department Store founder Shigetada Eiji said that its designation as a historic site and subsequent restoration and reuse symbolize Taiwan-Japan friendship, allowing more people to learn about its rich history. He also shared a story from an elderly gentleman in Zhudong who recalled that when he was one of the top two students in his class, his teacher took him to Kikugen Department Store for his first elevator ride, and his family carefully prepared a suit and leather shoes for him the night before. This shows that Kikugen Department Store was not just a commercial building for people of that era, but held profound symbolic significance in Taipei's history. (Editor: Chang Ming-kun) 1150427
The glass curtain wall building at the intersection of Hengyang Road and Bo'ai Road in Taipei City, formerly "Kikugen Department Store," opened in 1932, earlier than the Tainan Hayashi Department Store, which is already a tourist attraction. It was the first department store in Taiwan, attracting significant attention from the cultural heritage preservation community, and was designated a Taipei City Historical Building on May 15, 2017.
Cultural heritage meeting documents show that the Taipei City Foundation for the Preservation of Historic Sites and Buildings submitted an application for its designation as a historic site at the end of 2024. During this period, two specialist team site visits occurred, both calling for new evidence to clarify the remaining original structure, current preservation status, and whether the building meets the criteria for designation as a historic site under Article 2 of the "Regulations for the Designation and Abolition of Historic Sites."
Subsequently, in addition to requesting property owner Cathay Construction to submit a repair and reuse plan for review and a revised version, the Cultural Affairs Bureau also separately requested the proposing unit to resubmit the plan based on the review comments. The Taipei City Foundation for the Preservation of Historic Sites and Buildings submitted it on February 6, 2026, after which a third site visit was conducted and submitted for review.
The review committee suggested that its value as a historic site includes being a pioneer in the department store industry, holding cross-era significance for industrial development and consumption patterns. It was the most important commercial street landmark in Taiwan at the time, closely related to Taipei's living history to this day, and featured Taiwan's first public elevator (a "liu-long," or birdcage elevator) for public use. It was also one of the tallest buildings at the time (6 stories) and served as a communication station and military outpost during World War II.
Furthermore, its construction technology is representative. This building, after the 1923 Kanto Great Earthquake, adopted a seismic core-in-core system, similar to the American Empire State Building, as its structural system. It is a representative work of seismic structural systems in the 1930s and a representative example of reinforced concrete high-rise buildings from that era.
New tangible evidence presented at today's meeting included remnants such as floors, stairs, toilets, elevators, and beams; and intangible values encompassed four major items: commercial development, urban context, national defense location, and living memories. After comprehensive review, the committee agreed to designate it as a municipal historic site.
Hong Ming-tong, Chairman of the Rongding Commercial District and Chengnan Community Development Association, who spoke at the meeting, said that there are already historic site clusters nearby, and Kikugen Department Store opened earlier than Tainan Hayashi Department Store. He hopes that its designation as a municipal historic site, with restoration and activation completed by its 100th anniversary in 2032, will be very attractive and bring business opportunities to the local commercial district.
The speaker representing the descendants of Kikugen Department Store founder Shigetada Eiji said that its designation as a historic site and subsequent restoration and reuse symbolize Taiwan-Japan friendship, allowing more people to learn about its rich history. He also shared a story from an elderly gentleman in Zhudong who recalled that when he was one of the top two students in his class, his teacher took him to Kikugen Department Store for his first elevator ride, and his family carefully prepared a suit and leather shoes for him the night before. This shows that Kikugen Department Store was not just a commercial building for people of that era, but held profound symbolic significance in Taipei's history. (Editor: Chang Ming-kun) 1150427