The Administrative Building in 1927 (Showa 2). Image reproduced from History of the Yobokukai: The Development of Higher Agricultural and Forestry Education in Taiwan.
For 100 years, the Administration Building at National Taiwan University has stood as the heart of the university’s evolving history—witness to colonial rule, war, political transformation, and the rise of modern higher education in Taiwan.
Completed on March 31, 1926, the building was originally constructed as the “Main Building” of Taihoku Higher School of Agriculture and Forestry under the Japanese colonial government, an institution that later became part of today’s National Chung Hsing University. At the time, the structure served as the school’s administrative hub and was connected, on the east side, by corridors to surrounding academic buildings, including classrooms for chemistry, forestry and agriculture.
When Taihoku Imperial University—the predecessor of National Taiwan University— was established in 1928, the building was repurposed as the main facility for the Faculty of Science and Agriculture and the College of Agriculture and Forestry.
Following World War II and the founding of National Taiwan University in 1945, the building continued to function as the university’s administrative center, providing offices for the university and several colleges. Though once referred to simply as the “Office Building,” it is now known as the Administration Building, a name familiar to generations of NTU students, faculty and alumni.
Archival records preserved by NTU Library’s Special Collections Division, including architectural documentation from the Taihoku Imperial University era, confirm the building’s completion date—making this past March its official centennial.
During this century of transformation, the Administration Building has remained more than a physical structure. It has quietly reflected the larger story of Taiwan itself: from Japanese colonial rule and the establishment of modern higher education, through wartime upheaval and postwar political transition, to the vibrant democratic campus of today.
As NTU approaches its centennial in 2028, the university hopes the historic building will continue to stand not only as an architectural landmark, but also as a living witness to the institution’s next chapter.
Architectural record card for the “Main Building of the Faculty of Science and Agriculture and the College of Agriculture and Forestry,” from the Taihoku Imperial University Architectural Floor Plan Database (Archive No. ntul-uh0501165_0001, courtesy of NTU Library Special Collections Division).
The main entrance of the Administrative Building today.
