Presidential Building (Taiwan)

Presidential Office Building
總統府 Zǒngtǒngfǔ
The Presidential Office Building facade
Former names	Governor-General's Office
Alternative names	Presidential Palace
General information
Architectural style	Renaissance-baroque
Location	Taipei, Taiwan
Address	122 Chongqing South Road, Zhongzheng District
Coordinates	25°2′24″N 121°30′43″E / 25.04000°N 121.51194°E / 25.04000; 121.51194
Elevation	8m
Current tenants	ROC President ROC Vice President
Construction started	June 1912
Completed	March 1919
Cost	¥2.8 million
Height	60m (tower)
Design and construction
Architect	Uheiji Nagano (長野宇平治?), Matsunosuke Moriyama (森山松之助)

The Presidential Office Building houses the Office of the President of the Republic of China. The building, located in the Zhongzheng District in the national capital of Taipei, Taiwan, was designed by architect Uheiji Nagano () during the period of Japanese rule of Taiwan (1895–1945). The structure originally housed the Office of the Governor-General of Taiwan. Damaged in Allied bombing during World War II, the building was restored after the war by Chen Yi, the Governor-General of Taiwan Province. It became the Presidential Office in 1950 after the Republic of China lost control of mainland China and relocated the nation's capital to Taipei at the end of the Chinese Civil War. At present, this Baroque-style building is a symbol of the ROC Government and a famous historical landmark in downtown Taipei.

The Presidential Office Building occupies the city block between Chongqing South Road and Bo'ai Road in downtown Taipei. It is designed in the shape of two squares stretching from Baoqing Road to Guiyang Street.

The 130 meter-wide facade faces east down multi-lane Ketagalan Boulevard. This reflects the concerns of its Japanese architects, who often oriented important structures toward the rising sun at the head of long avenues. (This feature may also be seen in Main Library of National Taiwan University.)

The building has ten entrances but only the front entrance and west gate are used for official functions. In the original design an ornate Baroque-style domed entrance hall greeted visiting dignitaries. This entrance hall was reconstructed with simpler interior features after destruction of the first hall in World War 2. The west gate, the formal rear entrance of the building, features a grand marble staircase and porch lined with Ionic and Corinthian pillars.