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Choe Geunbae House - 최근배 가옥 (崔根培 家屋) (built early 20th century onward)

An inscription on the ridgebeam of the Choe Geunbae house gives the date of construction as August 1914, though it is unclear if there was an earlier home on this site. Even though the present house has had a relatively short life, it has seen some major changes. For example, the large kitchen space at the left side of the anchae (inner quarters) used to be divided into a heated room at the front and a wood-floored area at the rear. An ancestral shrine was established at the north end of the wood-floored space, but all traces of this have vanished.

The sarangchae (men's quarters) has an unusual vestibule space leading from the inner quarters. In this vestibule, or 'sinbang', was a small earth-floored space where people could leave their shoes before ascending into the sarangchae. This is very similar to the antechambers of modern-day Korean apartments, which are identical in function. In this way, the Choe Geunbae house offers a bit of a glimpse of the earliest stages of Korean's transition to the present mode of living.

Address: 강원 강릉시 노암동 1 (Gangwon-do, Gangneung-si, Noam-dong 1).

(Designated Cultural Property Material #55).

Plan view

Adapted and modified from Hangukui Geonchuk Munhwajae 3 (Architectural Heritage of Korea, v. 9).

Location

The approximate location of the house is 37.746621' N, 128.910416' E (WGS 84 map datum).