This building was originally known as the Music Hall of Hsinchu, Taiwan's first modern Western-style movie theater. It was built in 1933, when films were still new to the island. One of only three modern theaters in Taiwan in that era, the building was equipped with a first-rate film projection system, carpeting, and air conditioning. Its cutting-edge safety design features included fire lanes and fire escapes. Moviegoers were required to wear proper attire, and seating was assigned. At the end of World War II, the KMT government used the theater as a ceremonial hall. From 1946 to 1991, the city of Hsinchu reopened the building as a cinema, but with a new name: Citizens Theater. In May 2000, the building went through yet another transformation to become the Image Museum.