Restoration of acclaimed late physicist's colonial-era home begins

Taipei, Nov. 3 (CNA) The Taipei City government on Friday began restoring two old Japanese-style houses that are both municipality-designated historic sites, including the residence of late physicist Dai Yun-guei (戴運軌, 1897-1982), who is often dubbed the "father of Taiwan physics."

A blessing ceremony was held at the site of the NT$100 million (US$3.1 million) project on Chaozhou Street in the city's Da'an District to mark the beginning of restoration work.

According Taipei's Department of Cultural Affairs, the project targets two Japanese colonial-era houses which were dormitories that previously housed National Taiwan University (NTU) faculty.

The two dilapidated buildings, located at No. 7 and No. 9 Chaozhou Street, have been vacant since 2002.

The No. 7 house, built in 1921, was Dai's residence for 35 years, according to the department.

Dai founded NTU's Department of Physics in 1946, and in 1968 established the College of Science under National Central University. Dubbed the "father of Taiwan physics," Dai was a well-known education and research pioneer in Taiwan's physics sector.

The No. 9 house was built in 1922.

Both buildings were rare old Japanese-style dorms in Taiwan in terms of their architecture and formation, the city department said, and in 2017 they were designated by the city as historic sites.

Over the years the two houses have weathered damage from typhoons, earthquakes and termites, the department said, adding that restoration had up until now been stalled due to the scale of the work necessary and high repair costs.

However, given their value as cultural assets, the city department worked with NTU to preserve the houses and drafted a restoration plan in 2020. The restoration design work was completed this year.

The restoration is set to be complete by the end of 2025 and 80 percent of the cost will be covered by the city, the department said, adding that NTU will then recruit companies to run the historic sites.