When Hayashi Department Store in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City reopened its doors to the public for the first time in almost seven decades in June last year, several of the elderly guests of honor at the unveiling struggled to keep their emotions in check. The invitees, former employees and customers of the establishment, most of them now in their 80s, never imagined that they would see the iconic structure restored to its former glory. “Walking into the store again after so many years was a really poignant moment for our elderly guests,” says Stacy Tseng (曾芃茵), a junior manager at Koche Development Co., which was awarded management rights to Hayashi for 10 years by the Tainan City Government. “They shared their fascinating stories of the fun times they’d had here all those decades ago.”
The Western-style department store was built during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945) and was the tallest building in Tainan at the time of its completion in 1932. The brainchild of Japanese businessman Hayashi Houichi (1883-1932), it was the first business in the city to offer a wide selection of imported luxury goods such as cosmetics, fashion wear and timepieces. It was also just the second establishment of its kind in Taiwan, opening a mere seven days after Kikumoto Department Store in Taipei.
Following the Japanese withdrawal at the end of World War II and Taiwan’s return to the Republic of China (ROC), the structure, which was damaged by U.S. warplanes during the conflict, was turned into public administration offices, dormitories and warehouses. It was later left vacant and fell into disrepair. In 1998, the city government claimed ownership of the building and designated it a heritage site.
The department store sells a wide variety of local agricultural products and traditional desserts. (Photo by Huang Chung-hsin)
In 2010, municipal officials launched a comprehensive renovation program to restore the structure to its original state. The project took three years to complete and cost around NT$80 million (US$2.6 million). Traditional materials and methods were used to refurbish the building, while many original features were preserved, including a manually operated roller door, a Shinto shrine located on the roof, and the store’s original elevator, which was the first in a commercial building in southern Taiwan.
The department store is among the approximately 1,200 historic buildings across the nation that have undergone restorations since the promulgation of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act in 1982. Extensive revisions to the act in 2005 permitted private organizations to assume the management of heritage sites. Public-private partnerships such as the arrangement at Hayashi have become increasingly common in the years since.
Tseng notes that since its reopening, Hayashi Department Store has been repositioned as a provider of Taiwanese cultural and creative products, and particularly those produced in Tainan. “Besides selling traditional desserts made by century-old shops, our store offers a wide selection of locally crafted designer goods, from clothing and accessories to jewelry and tableware,” she says.
Additionally, on the fourth floor of the store, visitors can find books on the city’s tourist destinations and attend exhibitions and lectures. “Hayashi Department Store was a window to the world for Tainan residents back in the old days,” Tseng says. “Now we expect our store to play a similar role, but in reverse. It’s a great place for people from around Taiwan and overseas to gain a deeper understanding of the city’s cultural characteristics and tourist attractions.”
The establishment, commonly referred to as the Lin Department Store owing to the Mandarin pronunciation of its Japanese title, has attracted more than 1.5 million visitors since its reopening, although a maximum of 500 people are permitted in the store at any given time. Guided tours of the building’s architectural features, history and refurbishment are organized every Tuesday and Friday.
Wang Sheng-hung (王勝宏) and his girlfriend, from Taipei City, visited the store in August this year after learning about it from a TV news report. “The main draw, or say, the uniqueness of the Lin Department Store, is its historical significance and displays of cultural and creative products,” Wang says. “It’s great to see the public and private sectors working together to revitalize such a historic place.”
Established in 1927 in central Taiwan’s Taichung City, Miyahara Eye Clinic has been transformed into a popular dessert store. (Photos courtesy of Dawncake Co. & by Huang Chung-hsin)
Kuo Mei-yu (郭美玉), a 78-year-old Tainan native, notes that her numerous visits to the store since its reopening have brought back many happy childhood memories. “It’s nice to be able to find traditional products like the pastries we liked to eat and the embroidered shoes we used to wear when we were little all in one place,” she says. “And I’m happy to see this structure has once again become one of the city’s landmarks.”
In recent years, the success of public-private heritage preservation projects such as Hayashi has prompted growing numbers of companies to independently refurbish traditional structures as stores or offices. A prominent example of this trend is Miyahara Eye Clinic, which has been transformed into a popular store by dessert producer Dawncake Co.
The clinic was established in 1927 by Japanese ophthalmologist Miyahara Takekuma in the central city of Taichung. When Takekuma moved back to Japan after World War II, the building was taken over by the ROC government and converted into the Taichung City Health Bureau. In 1956, the bureau was relocated and the property was sold to a businessman, who divided up the building into commercial units and started renting them to local companies. Over time, businesses began moving out and the structure was abandoned in the 1980s.
In subsequent decades, the former eye clinic suffered serious damage as a result of the devastating earthquake that hit central Taiwan on Sept. 21, 1999 as well as the impacts of several typhoons. The building was facing demolition when it was purchased by Dawncake in 2010. After undergoing a large-scale refurbishment, the facility reopened in December of the following year as the local firm’s fourth sales outlet, offering a variety of pastries and sweets such as cheesecakes, chocolates, ice creams and pineapple cakes.
Wong Li-fen (翁麗棻), general manager of Dawncake, notes that during the planning process for the renovation, her company asked the two cooperating architects to retain as much of the original building as possible. A modern glass panel structure was added to replace existing features that were deemed unsound, maintaining a clear divide between the old and the new. Her company also invited an expert in the field of historic preservation to serve as a consultant on the project. “We placed great emphasis on conserving the building’s traditional features,” she says. “Accordingly, the stone columns at the front entrance were preserved and the building’s red brick arcade and walls were largely restored. We also reused much of the elm wood that remained from the original clinic.”
The interior of the building similarly merges contemporary features and decor, such as high ceilings, a skylight, amber lights and wooden bookcases, with original furnishings from the clinic, including its medicine cabinets. “By using modern construction technologies to reinforce and expand the structure, we’ve managed to create a wonderful mixture of old and new,” Wong adds.
The retail establishment offers more than 500 food items, most of which are produced using locally grown fruits. (Photo by Huang Chung-hsin)
Taichung’s Central District, where Miyahara Eye Clinic is situated, was once a thriving commercial hub. However, business activity in the neighborhood declined in recent years as many public agencies and private enterprises relocated to the new municipal center, known as the seventh rezoning area, or other prosperous sections of the city.
“Some people laughed at us when they heard we were planning to set up shop here,” Wong recalls. “Nevertheless, our team felt a sense of mission to revitalize this old building. We were confident about our decision, though we thought it might take a few years to break even.”
Much to the company’s surprise, the store proved an immediate hit. Within just three months of launch, scores of customers could be seen lining up outside the shop. “We’ve had to introduce crowd control measures, as well as similar steps to minimize noise, trash and traffic disruptions, to avoid disturbing local residents,” Wong says. The runaway success of the store has even encouraged several traditional businesses to reopen and drawn a number of new companies to the area. “We’re thrilled to have helped revive the once-prosperous commercial district,” she adds.
The general manager attributes the store’s success to its unique aesthetic as well as the huge array of products it offers. The establishment carries more than 500 food items, most of which are made with locally grown fruits including grapes, mangos and pineapples.
“The shop is beautifully designed, displaying a fascinating blend of Eastern and Western as well as traditional and modern elements,” says Jerry Goh, 26, from Singapore, who visited the establishment in August after seeing it listed in several guide books.
Hong Kong tourist Julian Ke was similarly drawn to the store by its mixture of traditional and contemporary architectural features. “The store provides tasty sweets and great service in an inviting space with classic decor,” he says. “It offers quite a memorable shopping experience.”
The success of Miyahara Eye Clinic highlights the rising public interest in historic structures and, as a consequence, the growing commercial viability of privately financed restoration projects. “Heritage preservation is now a global trend,” Wong says. “It’s great to be able to do our part while growing our business at the same time.”
Write to Kelly Her at kher@mofa.gov.tw