The Qiaozitou Sugar Refinery is the first modern sugar factory in Taiwan. Its original office building was completed in 1902. Once the main office of Taiwan Sugar, it was not only an office area but also a functioned as the director’s living quarters. Due to the social turmoil in Taiwan at the time of the building’s construction, a cannon was mounted at the front of the main entrance and a basement was added for emergency evacuations in response to potential threats. To acclimatize to Taiwanese weather, the building is surrounded by an arched verandah that us partially decorated with Western architectural accents, presenting a typical colonial style balcony architecture.
橋頭／橋仔頭糖廠（原社宅事務所）
橋仔頭糖廠是臺灣第一座現代化製糖工廠，由臺灣製糖株式會社投資，1901年動工興建，1902年1月15日正式運轉，開啟臺灣現代化製糖工業的濫觴。基於此，舊糖廠廠區內已有多棟建築被指定為古蹟。
其中之一就是1902年落成的原社宅事務所，所謂事務所就是辦公室之意，曾是臺灣製糖的總辦公室，但落成之初不僅只是一棟辦公室，還兼具廠長宿舍功能，至1912年以後才轉變成為廠長居住、辦公的專屬空間。
由於建築物興建當時臺灣局勢尚未穩定，因應潛在的威脅勢力，主入口前方曾架設加農砲，並開挖地下室以應避難所需。
為呼應臺灣的氣候，建築物週遭設有連續拱圈外廊，局部施以西洋建築語彙裝修，屬於典型的陽臺殖民式樣建築。
文／蔡侑樺
圖／高雄市政府文化局