The Trader Building is a four-story building built in 1951. It was purchased by Kaohsiung Importers and Exporters Association in 1963 and renamed the “Trader Building.” Filled with customs brokers and traders, the trader building became a financial hub with its first and second floors leased to overseas Chinese banks. The Trader Building inherited many of the architectural features from the Japanese Rule time period such as its gravel facade, terrazzo floors, reinforced concrete confined masonry, reinforced concrete floors, wooden doors and windows, and Western-style wooden roofs. Its main entrance is located at an arc-shaped corner similar to those of many Hamasen buildings. A wooden roof truss is supported by deformed central columns that include two hanging beams and two square eaves, all of which are unique features of the building.
鼓山／貿易商大樓(戰後)
今位於高雄哈瑪星的「貿易商大樓」建於1951年，為4層樓高建物，是當時哈瑪星最高的建築。該建物早年曾作為難民收容所（拘留所）、國軍聯勤第二收支處辦公室使用；1963年由高雄市進出口商業同業公會購入，命名為「貿易商大樓」，隔年正式進駐辦公。當年哈瑪星報關行、貿易商匯集，為當年的金融重鎮，因此其中的一、二樓也曾出租給華僑銀行使用。直至1978年高雄市進出口商業同業公會遷往中山二路。
貿易商大樓有許多建築特徵承襲自日治時期的技術，如外牆洗石子、室內磨石子地坪、鋼筋混凝土加強磚造、鋼筋混凝土樓板、木造門窗、屋頂西式木屋架構造等。主要入口設於轉角處，與許多哈瑪星的建築一樣，都收為弧形。而木屋架採用變形的中柱式木屋架，共有兩對吊束、兩對方丈，也是貿易商大樓建築具特色的地方。
文／黃于津
圖／高雄市政府文化局