Looking for a photo of Taipei's first mosque

According to Wikipedia, the current Grand Mosque in Taipei was completed in 1960. However, prior to that, beginning in 1948, there was a mosque located at No. 2 Lishui St. Lane 17 (麗水街17巷2號), where an apartment building now stands (the attached photo).

I can’t seem to locate a photo of that original mosque, despite my Google efforts. Can anyone help?

Screenshot_20190610-102346

Old books in libraries?

No luck, but this says it was a large Japanese house.

https://www.taipeimosque.org.tw/History.html

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Perhaps if you asked the Imam or admin staff at the grand mosque, they may have records in their archive/library.

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Thanks. I saw that website, about the original mosque being a Japanese style building, but in this day and age I figured there would be a photo online somewhere, at least at that website. But nope.

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Selection_125 Selection_124

That’s the best I can do…

Images taken by American surveillance plane on June 01 1945.

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Given the “佔地300餘坪” reference–about 1,000 sq.m.–is it possible that it was the big house across the street (still standing)?

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That large house today is MOE Startup Hub (行政院青創基地).

992 sq.m. isn’t that big. Today’s Startup Hub is already 3719 sq.m.

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I’ve only been able to find an interior picture (or I guess that’s what it is):

https://pic.pimg.tw/eressea/normal_48ba42560f3f7.jpg

I found that picture here (you should be able to go to it by putting 麗水街清真寺 in the “Find” tool):

I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to find anything better.

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The National Library has an archive of pictures. Perhaps they can help?

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That’s making me think I could be right about the location. A 300 ping footprint is still pretty big.

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You guys are great. The photo I want isn’t for anything important; I wanted to use it in a kind of trivia game I’m making about Arab culture.

I was inspired by that cool and mysterious Middle Eastern style mansion in Wai’Ao. I read that the owner recently passed away and the place was up for sale. I’m extremely curious what’s going to happen to it.

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On the Internet I think I’ve seen that building referred to as “the former premier’s residence,” “the former official residence of the premier,” etc.

The title “Premier” has been replaced by the term “President of the Executive Yuan,” and the Chinese-language Wikipedia Article on that official still gives his or her residence address as 144 Jinhua Street. If I Google 台北市大安區金華街144號 and click the Street View which is offered, I get this result, from which I can quickly and easily reach the gate to the MOEA Startup Hub.

All that having been said, I don’t know that that building is the site of mosque in question, but if it turns out to be the site, that will seem pretty remarkable to me. :slight_smile:

The large house across the street was definitely not the mosque because before it became the Startup hub, it was called 金華官邸, which is the house for the Premier. Just until last year William Lai was still living in it.

The address of that house is 金華街142號, instead of 麗水街17巷2號。

The site sits the on boarder of Nishikichō (錦町), Fukuzumichō (福住町) and Shōwachō (昭和町) when the Japanese built it.

Back in 1948, when the mosque was at 麗水街17巷, the house was occupied by Peng Mengqi (彭孟緝) who was one of the main perpetrators of the 228 incident and subsequent White Terror. He is also known as the Butcher of Kaohsiong. Peng moved to that fancy house because he got promoted for his actions during the 228 incident a year prior.

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Maybe they put up the structure in the picture on the empty lot next door.