MAISON ACME | Yuanshan Villa

During the Japanese colonial period, Chen Chao-chun, a tea merchant from Dadaocheng, Taipei, who operated the "Yung Yu Hao" tea company, began construction in 1913 on an English Tudor-style mansion in the Yuanshan area, by the Keelung River in Taipei City. Completed in 1914, it served as a venue for him to host Taiwanese gentry, dignitaries, and tea merchants from various countries, as well as a place for his family members to relax, vacation, and gather. Chen Chao-chun once served as the chairman of the Taipei Tea Merchants' Association and was one of the important figures in Taiwan's then-flourishing tea industry. The house was completed during the Japanese colonial period, a time when the government systematically expanded Taipei's street plan to establish Taiwan as a center for politics, finance, and academic education. This included paving three-lane tree-lined boulevards around the city and introducing various European architectural styles, which were then mixed and modified. Consequently, Taiwanese architecture of this era displayed extremely complex characteristics, and the house built by Chen Chao-chun was constructed precisely within this prevailing trend. After Chen Chao-chun passed away in 1923, the house changed hands several times and underwent numerous transformations. After World War II, it served as the residence of Huang Kuo-shu, a former President of the Legislative Yuan. In 1979, the Taipei City Government acquired it through eminent domain and temporarily used the site as the Northern District Sub-station of the Park and Streetlight Management Office, for office work and equipment storage. In December 1987, it was officially handed over to the Taipei Fine Arts Museum for management, and in 1990, the "Artists' Club" was established. In 1998, it was designated a historical monument, and subsequent investigations and restoration works began. Under the concept of adaptive reuse of historical monuments, from April 19, 2003, to April 18, 2015, the monument was adopted and sponsored by Ms. Chen Kuo-tzu, who established and opened the "Taipei Story House" to the public. Its purpose was to introduce Taiwanese living culture and promote the adaptive reuse of historical monuments, allowing the public to easily engage with the monument through diverse activities and exhibitions, thereby giving it new life. Starting from May 2015, the Guo Mu Sheng Cultural and Educational Foundation took over the operation of the Taipei Story House. Focusing on food, clothing, housing, transportation, and entertainment, it plans themed exhibitions and cultural events, promotes tea culture, and continues to "tell stories" at the Taipei Story House. Concurrently, it collaborates with nearby communities, the public, and social resources to participate in maintaining the monument, promoting cultural heritage preservation education, and extending the history of this century-old house. The Taipei Story House is a half-timbered building in the style of the British Tudor period, a rare architectural form in Taiwan. The first floor of the building features brick masonry as load-bearing walls, and the entrance is adorned with Ionic columns. The second floor has a wooden structure, with curved, vertical, and horizontal wooden strips forming graceful, branch-like exterior wall panels. The Gothic tower and chimney are made of brick. The tower roof features curved eaves and is covered with copper tiles, which have developed a verdigris patina over time, bearing the marks of age. Above the monument's entrance, the tower is embedded with green, yellow, and red stained-glass windows. Inside, there are two beautifully designed fireplaces, along with numerous Art Nouveau-style embossed tiles featuring natural and floral patterns, and chandeliers, all popular in the early 20th century. The overall interior space layout, as well as the outdoor balconies and terraces, are closely integrated with the surrounding landscape, presenting an elegant style. In 2021, the ACME team officially took over the management rights of the Yuanshan Villa, a Taipei City-designated historical monument (formerly the Taipei Story House). Built in 1913, this rare Tudor-style building stands quietly by the Keelung River, having undergone over a century of refinement. In the past, it was the grand residence of a legendary tea merchant from Dadaocheng, and also a social hub for top artists and literary figures of its time. We are now repositioning it as a modern mansion and exhibition space that blends the new with the old.