Taiwan's First Department Store "Kikugen" Designated as Taipei City Historic Site
Taipei City's Kikugen Department Store has been upgraded to a city-designated historic site, recognizing its significant cultural and architectural value as Taiwan's first department store.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 27, 2026 at 14:54
- 🔍 Collected: April 27, 2026 at 15:01 (7 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 27, 2026 at 16:56 (1h 54m after Collected)
Central News Agency (Taipei, April 27) - The Taipei City Cultural Heritage Review Committee today reviewed the cultural heritage value of "Kikugen Department Store." As Taiwan's first department store, opening earlier than the now tourist-renowned Tainan Hayashi Department Store, its upgrade from a historical building to a city-designated historic site was approved after the nominating unit supplemented new evidence of its tangible and intangible value.
The glass-curtained building at the intersection of Hengyang Road and Bo'ai Road in Taipei was formerly "Kikugen Department Store," which opened in 1932. Its opening predates that of Tainan Hayashi Department Store, which has attracted much attention from tourists, making it Taiwan's first department store. It has garnered significant interest from cultural heritage preservation circles and was designated as a Taipei City Historic Building on May 15, 2017.
According to the cultural heritage committee's data, the Taipei City Foundation for the Preservation of Historic Sites and Buildings nominated it as a historic site at the end of 2024. During this period, the special working group conducted two site visits, both requesting new evidence to clarify the existing original structure, the current preservation status of the building, and whether it met the designation criteria of Article 2 of the "Regulations for the Designation and Abolition of Historic Sites."
Subsequently, the Cultural Affairs Bureau requested the owner, Cathay Real Estate, to submit a restoration and reuse plan and a revised version for review. Separately, the nominating unit was asked to resubmit the plan based on the review comments, which the Taipei City Foundation for the Preservation of Historic Sites and Buildings submitted on February 6, 2026. A third site visit and review then took place.
Review committee members suggested that its value as a historic site includes being the pioneer of the department store industry, holding cross-era significance for industrial development and consumer patterns. It was the most important commercial street landmark in Taiwan at the time, and remains closely related to Taipei's living history. It also featured Taiwan's first public elevator (流籠) for public use and was once one of the tallest buildings (6 stories) of its time. Furthermore, it served as a communication station and military outpost during World War II.
Moreover, its construction technology is representative. After the 1923 Kanto Earthquake, this building adopted an earthquake-resistant "core-in-core" system, similar to the Empire State Building in the United States, making it a representative work of earthquake-resistant structural systems in the 1930s, and a representative reinforced concrete high-rise building of that era.
New tangible value evidence presented at today's meeting included "remains" such as flooring, stairs, restrooms, elevators, and beams; and intangible value included four major aspects: commercial development, urban context, national defense location, and living memories. After comprehensive review by the committee, it was agreed to designate it as a city-designated historic site.
Hong Ming-tong, Chairman of the Rongding Business District and Chengnei Community Development Association, who spoke at the meeting, said that there are already historic sites nearby, and Kikugen Department Store opened even earlier than Tainan Hayashi Department Store. He hopes that it will be designated as a city-designated historic site and completed for restoration and activation by its centennial in 2032, which would be very attractive and bring business opportunities to the local commercial district.
A representative speaking on behalf of the descendants of Shigeta Eiji, the founder of Kikugen Department Store, said that designating it as a historic site and restoring it for reuse is a symbol of Taiwan-Japan friendship, allowing more people to learn about its rich history. He also recounted that an elderly man from Zhudong mentioned that when he was one of the top two students in his class, his teacher took him to Kikugen Department Store for the first time, where he took an elevator for the first time. The night before, his family carefully prepared a suit and leather shoes for him, showing that for people of that era, Kikugen Department Store was not just a commercial building, but deeply symbolic of Taipei's history. (Editor: Chang Ming-kun) 1150427
The glass-curtained building at the intersection of Hengyang Road and Bo'ai Road in Taipei was formerly "Kikugen Department Store," which opened in 1932. Its opening predates that of Tainan Hayashi Department Store, which has attracted much attention from tourists, making it Taiwan's first department store. It has garnered significant interest from cultural heritage preservation circles and was designated as a Taipei City Historic Building on May 15, 2017.
According to the cultural heritage committee's data, the Taipei City Foundation for the Preservation of Historic Sites and Buildings nominated it as a historic site at the end of 2024. During this period, the special working group conducted two site visits, both requesting new evidence to clarify the existing original structure, the current preservation status of the building, and whether it met the designation criteria of Article 2 of the "Regulations for the Designation and Abolition of Historic Sites."
Subsequently, the Cultural Affairs Bureau requested the owner, Cathay Real Estate, to submit a restoration and reuse plan and a revised version for review. Separately, the nominating unit was asked to resubmit the plan based on the review comments, which the Taipei City Foundation for the Preservation of Historic Sites and Buildings submitted on February 6, 2026. A third site visit and review then took place.
Review committee members suggested that its value as a historic site includes being the pioneer of the department store industry, holding cross-era significance for industrial development and consumer patterns. It was the most important commercial street landmark in Taiwan at the time, and remains closely related to Taipei's living history. It also featured Taiwan's first public elevator (流籠) for public use and was once one of the tallest buildings (6 stories) of its time. Furthermore, it served as a communication station and military outpost during World War II.
Moreover, its construction technology is representative. After the 1923 Kanto Earthquake, this building adopted an earthquake-resistant "core-in-core" system, similar to the Empire State Building in the United States, making it a representative work of earthquake-resistant structural systems in the 1930s, and a representative reinforced concrete high-rise building of that era.
New tangible value evidence presented at today's meeting included "remains" such as flooring, stairs, restrooms, elevators, and beams; and intangible value included four major aspects: commercial development, urban context, national defense location, and living memories. After comprehensive review by the committee, it was agreed to designate it as a city-designated historic site.
Hong Ming-tong, Chairman of the Rongding Business District and Chengnei Community Development Association, who spoke at the meeting, said that there are already historic sites nearby, and Kikugen Department Store opened even earlier than Tainan Hayashi Department Store. He hopes that it will be designated as a city-designated historic site and completed for restoration and activation by its centennial in 2032, which would be very attractive and bring business opportunities to the local commercial district.
A representative speaking on behalf of the descendants of Shigeta Eiji, the founder of Kikugen Department Store, said that designating it as a historic site and restoring it for reuse is a symbol of Taiwan-Japan friendship, allowing more people to learn about its rich history. He also recounted that an elderly man from Zhudong mentioned that when he was one of the top two students in his class, his teacher took him to Kikugen Department Store for the first time, where he took an elevator for the first time. The night before, his family carefully prepared a suit and leather shoes for him, showing that for people of that era, Kikugen Department Store was not just a commercial building, but deeply symbolic of Taipei's history. (Editor: Chang Ming-kun) 1150427