The site of National Center of Photography was originally the Taipei Branch of Osaka Shosen Kaisha. It is the only work known in Taiwan by the renowned Japanese architect Watanabe Setsu. The construction started in 1937. It is a three-story building of reinforced concrete in simple modernism. A traditional oriental-style tower was placed at the northwest corner, which reflects the trend at that time. This is one of the last reinforced concrete buildings in Taiwan under Japanese rule before the island entered the period of supply control during the war. The building is representative and rare that witnessed the era. The beam-column and floor were constructed according to a high standard of earthquake resistance. The works of Watanabe Setsu include Nippon Kangyo Bank head office in Tokyo, Industrial Bank of Japan head office in Tokyo, Nihon Mengyo Club, Kobe Stock Exchange and branches of Osaka Shosen Kaisha etc.