The old Taichung Station building is a red-brick Renaissance Revival station built by the Japanese colonial government in 1917, with a clock tower and a stuccoed front. It was retired from rail service in 2016 when the new elevated station opened next door, and now functions as a railway museum and event space.
The two buildings sit side by side: the old as a monument and gallery, the new as a working station served by both regular TRA trains and the high-speed rail shuttle. The square in front is a useful orientation point and the eastern edge of the old city.