The Red House (Ximen)

The Ximen Red House was completed in 1908. It was originally Taiwan's first officially built public market and is currently the oldest and most completely preserved historic market building. It was designed by Juzo Kondo, a Japanese architect who worked for the Taiwan Governor-General's Office Building and Repair Section at the time and specialized in Western architectural styles. His young and bold creativity used an "octagonal shape" (Bagua) for the market entrance, symbolizing gathering from all directions, and a "cruciform shape" as the main feature of the market. This was not only unprecedented but also the first example in the history of both Eastern and Western architecture. Today, what people call the Octagon Building and the Cruciform Building, along with the adjacent North and South Plazas, are collectively known as "The Ximen Red House." In November 2007 (96th year of the Republic era), the Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government, entrusted its operation and management to the Taipei Culture Foundation. It was reshaped by hosting creative and cultural activities, including the second-floor theater, central exhibition area, Red House Teahouse, and Red House Selects within the Octagon Building; the 16 Workshops and art exhibition platform in the straight section of the Cruciform Building; the Riverside Live House Ximen Red House performance venue in the horizontal section of the Cruciform Building; and diverse areas such as the creative market in the North Plaza and the open-air coffee bar in the South Plaza. These initiatives collectively boosted the Ximen Red House's overall capacity to serve the public, creating an innovative creative space. This expanded its visitor base and broadened the intersection of old and new art and culture in Taipei, successfully transforming it into a new cultural and creative industry development center in western Taipei. In 2008 (97th year of the Republic era), it received the "Historical Space Revitalization Award" at the 7th Taipei Urban Landscape Awards.