SPOT Taipei Film House

For many years it was the official residence of the US ambassador to Taiwan; ambassadors who lived here include 藍欽, 莊萊德 and 柯爾克. After the diplomatic change of 1979, the last ambassador left Taiwan, and the building was closed and stood empty for a long time. In 1997 the Ministry of the Interior designated it a national Grade 3 historic site. Taipei City's 文化局 (cultural affairs bureau) commissioned the 臺灣電影文化協會 to run it and turned it into an arts space centred on film culture, called Taipei House (臺北之家). At its heart is the SPOT cinema (光點電影院), an 88-seat screen showing art-house and independent films. Other rooms in the house include 光點．紅氣球, a film salon serving light meals, and 光點．珈琲時光, a café beside an old tree in the garden. The 光點．生活 bookshop focuses on film and the city. The verandas serve as an art exhibition gallery, and a multi-purpose arts room is used for talks and discussions and holds a collection of film books for the public to read.

Translated and shortened by DealTaipei from Taiwan's national tourism database. Sources are on the terms page.