Mr. Suttipong Juljarern, Permanent Secretary of Interior, presided over rites paying homage to the royal monument of King Chulalongkorn, the former rulers of Nan, and the guardian spirits as part of initiating the project to repurpose the site of the old Nan Provincial Hall as Nan and Eastern Lanna Art and Culture Center. The ceremony took place at the former Nan Provincial Hall in Mueang Nan District, Nan Province. The event featured several traditional rituals, including the offering of 100 bowls of rice, 100 sand chedis, and four Sawwa Tung. The Challokapala ceremony honoring the four guardian deities was performed and alms were offered to 100 monks and the Provincial Abbot of Nan along with other senior monks conducted a chanting ceremony at five rice fields. Government executives, private sector representatives, and numerous members of the public attended the event. To celebrate and pay homage, 100 dancers performed the Nan Long Dance, adding a vibrant cultural highlight to the occasion. The old Nan Provincial Hall, constructed in 1968 on Suriyapong Road, Nai Wiang Subdistrict, Mueang Nan District, Nan Province housed offices for several provincial government agencies and is owned by the Office of the Permanent Secretary of Interior. In 2015, the Nan Provincial Hall was relocated to the new Nan Provincial Government Center in Chaiyasathan Sub-district to alleviate congestion in the Nan Old City area. In 2019, the Ministry of Interior recognized the potential and readiness of the RAKPANAN Foundation and invited it to support and manage the creation of Nan and Eastern Lanna Art and Culture Center. On July 11, 2022, the Nan Old City Conservation and Development Subcommittee approved the proposed reconstruction of the old Nan Provincial Hall as Nan and Eastern Lanna Art and Culture Center. This decision marked the beginning of the construction project. Subsequently, four public hearings were conducted to ensure community engagement and to receive feedback. On September 14, 2023, the Ministry of Interior, represented by Mr. Sittipong Juljarern, Permanent Secretary of Interior, and Mr. Banthoon Lamsam, Vice Chairman of the RAKPANAN Foundation, signed a contract granting permission to use the site to repurpose the old Nan Provincial Hall site for Nan and Eastern Lanna Art and Culture Center. A ceremonial event was held to mark the occasion. The Ministry of Interior assigned the Nan Provincial Office and the Nan Provincial Public Works and Town & Country Planning Office to coordinate and act on behalf of the Office of the Permanent Secretary of Interior in matters related to the project. The site has been surveyed and prepared a draft with estimated demolition costs. All original structures will be demolished, but materials of historical value, such as the Garuda statue, the Nan Provincial Hall sign, and the inscription plaque of the Governor's Report Office, will be cataloged and inspected by a joint committee for preservation and eventual display in a museum. Usable materials will be auctioned. The whole existing building structures will be demolished. The demolition process will employ concrete clamps along with cranes or hoists to safely support and remove materials for breakdown or disposal. The interior will feature a rotating exhibition showcasing cultural heritage and ancestral wisdom, a Nan Creative Center for intellectual collaboration, a digital media learning area, a learning zone for young children, an activity space, facilities for seminars, a digital library, and meeting rooms for both individual and group use. The King Rama V Monument will be preserved at its current location. The new project buildings will include an art and cultural hall, a multipurpose meeting building, a botanical garden, a service building, and activity area. Demolition is scheduled to begin November 10, 2023, and is expected to last four months. New construction is projected at two years.
