The Old House Bar FreeWill is a gem hidden in a historic home in Tainan.

Since 2008, the Cultural and Educational Foundation for the Preservation and Revitalization of Historic Cities has promoted the "Old House Renaissance" project, encouraging public support for the operation of old buildings so that Tainan’s historic homes would not be phased out by the progress of the times, but instead, through integration with the new generation,have enabled more people to recognize the value of living in a historical environment—a beautiful vision—and have also endowed these old houses with a charm that modern architecture can hardly replace.

The owner’s hometown is on Kāiyuán Road, where he used to live in the faculty housing of an American school. The housing was in the style of traditional American bungalows, with each household having a front lawn larger than the house itself. Like American kids, he often mowed the lawn with a lawnmower as a child. Unfortunately, those around ten old residences were eventually demolished.

Talking about when he first moved in, the owner said the house had been abandoned for over twenty years, so the condition was dilapidated and dirty. It was not only piled with garbage, but even some valuable building materials had been stolen by burglars. He pointed to the wall next to the bar and said there used to be a ladder leading to the second floor, but now only the faded marks on the wall remain as evidence of its former existence. Fortunately, the unappreciative thieves didn’t take the ceiling. The ceiling in the living room area of the house is entirely made of high-quality cypress wood and still has vents for air conditioning equipment. Back in the day, only wealthy families could afford such air conditioning. This ceiling has stood here, witnessing the glory and decline of the old house across generations. Now that the house has been reborn, this ceiling has been preserved intact, giving it special significance.