The Red House
The Red House, a Western-style red-brick octagonal structure in Taipei's Ximen space built in 1908, is Taiwan's first public market and the most well preserved class III historical site. Designed by Kondo Juro, a western-styled architect in the prefectural civil engineering office at the time, the market entrance, incorporating both octagonal and cruciform shapes, was paralleled by no other in the east and west. The market entrance also took on the ‘eight trigrams (bagua) design considered boldly creative then. Octagon Building, Cruciform Building, and the adjacent South-North Square are now collectively known as ‘The Red House.’
In November, 2007, Department of Cultural Affairs commissioned Taipei Culture Foundation to manage The Red House. It underwent a series of cultural transformation including：at Octagon Building 2F Theater, Central Display Area, Grid of Hundred Treasures, Cho West Cha, The Red House Boutique Area, at Cruciform Building Creative Boutique, Cultural Arts Exhibition Platform, Riverside Live House, Market for Artists & Designers located and Moonlight Movie Theater by North Square and Outdoor Café located by South Square. These changes provided better services to the general public, created a space of creativity, attracted crowds, and expanded the domain of overlapping cultural arts. The Red House has successfully transformed into a new cultural & creative industries development center in Taipei City. In 2008, it was awarded The 7th Urban Landscape Award in Historical Space Redevelopment Category.
In November, 2007, Department of Cultural Affairs commissioned Taipei Culture Foundation to manage The Red House. It underwent a series of cultural transformation including：at Octagon Building 2F Theater, Central Display Area, Grid of Hundred Treasures, Cho West Cha, The Red House Boutique Area, at Cruciform Building Creative Boutique, Cultural Arts Exhibition Platform, Riverside Live House, Market for Artists & Designers located and Moonlight Movie Theater by North Square and Outdoor Café located by South Square. These changes provided better services to the general public, created a space of creativity, attracted crowds, and expanded the domain of overlapping cultural arts. The Red House has successfully transformed into a new cultural & creative industries development center in Taipei City. In 2008, it was awarded The 7th Urban Landscape Award in Historical Space Redevelopment Category.
History of The Red House in the Past 100 Years
| 1908 | Ximen Market Octagonal Display Hall-Red House was completed. Ximending became a popular spot for Japanese visitor. It became the entertainment center for Wanhua, Dadaocheng, and Chengnei due to its flourishing developments.The Japanese also regarded it as an important recreational area in Eastern Asia. |
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| 1945 | After the Japanese suffered defeat in world war Ⅱ. Large numbers of Mainland Chinese immigrants settled in Taiwan with the KMT government, which marked the beginning of a glorious history for The Red House Theater. The immigrants found comfort in Huyuan Beijing Opera, The Red house talk shown, Golden Drama. |
| 1963 | The Red House Movie Theater was popular among westernized youngsters. Black & white martial arts movies, second-run cinema (western films), local costume films, etc. were shown at The Red House Movie Theater. Movie-watching was therefore an experience shared by many. |
| 1990s | Old stores and mottled buildings in violation of ordinances suffered setbacks following eastward urban developments. |
| 1994 | ‘Red Chamber Dream; Ximen’ showcase events created new opportunities. |
| 1997 | The Red House was proclaimed as a Class III Historical Site. The Red House Movie Theater closed down later the same year. |
| 2000 | Cruciform Building and buildings in violation of ordinances at South-North Square burned down. The post-disaster development turned over a new leaf for The Red House. |
| 2002 | Paperwindmill Arts Foundation was involved in ‘The Red House Theater Historical Site Rebuilding. Performance groups staged performances in a collaborative effort to bring back the bustling and joyous atmosphere of The Red House market. |
| 2008 | Three events were held by Taipei Culture Foundation, including ‘Exhibition in Commemoration of 100th Anniversary of The Red House’ , ‘1st Creative Commodity Show’, and ‘Let’s Rock, The Red House for another 100 years Music Contest’ in celebration of The Red House’s 100th anniversary. Close to 2.5 million people participated in the events, making The Red House a ‘must-see’ place in Ximending. |
Tour Services
Group reservation：please make reservations 3 days in advance.Reservation on weekends：Sat-Sun 14:00, 17:00, 20:00
Information
Tel：+886-2-2311-9380Fax：+886-2-2314-2927
Address：NO.10,Chengdu Rd.,Wanhua District,Taipei City 108,Taiwan,R.O.C.
Opening hours：Sun～Thurs 11:00~21:30（Closed on Mondays）
Fri～Sat 11:00~22:00
Website：www.redhouse.org.tw
E-mail (customer service)：service@redhouse.org.tw
Transportation
MRT：1-min walking distance after taking the Bannan Line (blue) MRT-Ximen Station No. 1 Exit.Bus：Sanchung-bus (Wugu-Taipei, Jhonggang-Beimen, Huilong-Taipei) 3、blue 2、9、12、18、25、49、52、201、202、205、206、209、212、218、221、223、231、232、233、234、235、253、257、513、624、621、640。
Parking：
Jhongshan Underground Parking (No. 1, No. 98, Yanping S. Rd., Taipei City)
Ermei Parking Tower (No. 83, Ermei St., Taipei City)
Taipei STD Center Underground Parking (No. 100, Kuenming St., Taipei City)
Cruciform Parking (B2~B3, No. 36, Xining S. Rd., Taipei City)
Luoyang Parking Tower (No. 1, Section 1, Huanhe S. Rd., Taipei City)
Supervising Unit：Department of Culture Affairs
Operating Unit：Taipei Culture Foundation, The Red House
Getting Here |
Located Graphs of The Red House |
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