[Reborn Empty House] Jeju Modern House 'Go Residence' Transformed into Community Sarangbang and Bookshop
Creatrip Team
7 months ago
In Jeju City’s old downtown, a 1949 modern house built by local architect Go Yong-jun, known as the Go Residence (고씨주택), was saved from demolition during a 2014 urban renewal project after local residents and civic groups advocated for its preservation. The house blends traditional Jeju layout—an inner wing (안거리) and outer wing (밖거리) that allowed parents and married children to live separately yet within one compound—with some Japanese-style construction details, making it a transitional modern-era building. Restored in 2017 with focus on preserving its original form, the inner wing became a free community sarangbang (사랑방; a traditional Korean guest room/community gathering space) and the outer wing a Jeju bookshop (제주책방) in 2018. The spaces host clubs, humanities lectures, exhibitions, and curated collections emphasizing Jeju’s culture, history and nature, attracting about 400 visitors monthly—half tourists—and serving locals such as high school students. Recognized in 2023 as an 'Excellent Architectural Asset,' the project exemplifies using vacant houses for community and cultural regeneration while retaining local heritage.
