Architectural Infusion

I recently attended one of the Architectural Heritage walks as a part of the Kalaghoda Arts Festival. As a result I am more knowledgeable and slightly ashamed at my previous knowledge about the city I have lived in forever. Even more so because it was about the area in the city I rank among my favorite – the Kalaghoda and Colaba area. The walk started off at the Jahangir Art gallery to regal cinema and then back. Yes, that short, but still quite informative. This post is thus an endeavor to make other people like me learn a little something about their own city and a way for me to ensure I don’t forget my newly gathered pieces of information,which although very little, have power to impress.

The entire Kalaghoda area is designated as a heritage precinct. Some of the buildings in the region are listed and divided into grades – Grade 1, Grade 2A, Grade 2B and Grade C. Grade 1 buildings cannot be altered to any degree, except for restoration work undertaken after the permission of the Government. Grade 2A buildings are ones in which the exterior cannot be altered, although the interiors might be changed a little. Grade 2B buildings are generally reused for different purposes from which they were intended when built and changes can be made as felt suitable. You get the drift.

While restoration work has been done on most buildings, there are two guiding principles behind all restoration activity – minimal change and honest restoration. Minimal change is self-explanatory. As an example, if the sides of some wooden beams have been damaged, the entire beam is not replaced. Instead the middle portion remains as it is while sides are cut-off and replaced by say, steel joints. The use of steel joints explains honest restoration – the artists way of saying that he’s not trying to hide restoration by using wood itself.

The Regal cinema circle is probably one of the most interesting architectural confluences of South Bombay. It has six roads leading up to it with each road guarded by a building built at a different time and different architectural style than the other, yet blending beautifully into the skyline and city-scape of Bombay.

First is the Prince of Wales Museum, built in the early 1900’s. This building is of the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. Indo-Saracenic architecture represents a synthesis of Islamic designs and Indian materials developed by British architects in India during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The hybrid combined diverse architectural elements of Hindu and Mughal with cusped arches, domes, spires, tracery, minarets and stained glass, in a wonderful, almost playful manner.

Next is the Royal Alfred Sailors home, built a little before 1870, now the Headquarters of the Maharashtra State Police. This building belongs to the Gothic Revival style of architecture. The building was designed by Frederick William Stevens who was an English architectural engineer and is responsible for some of the coolest designs in the Old Bombay skyline, most prominent being the Victoria Terminus. He also designed the BMC headquarters, just across the street. The Sailors home is crowned with a triangular structure with two statues of Neptune – god of the sea (symbolizing the sailors). These two figures were actually designed by students of the JJ school of architecture from that time.

Sailor's Home Building in 1870 - http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/s/largeimage57815.html

The Sailor’s Home is followed by the most famous of Mumbai structures, the Gateway of India. Built in the early 1900’s to welcome King George 5 and Queen Mary this structure is awe inspiring and one of the prominent sight-seeing attractions of the city.

The structure in 1911 –

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gateway_of_India,_Bombay._1911.JPG

This is followed by Regal Cinema, built in the 1930’s belongs to the art-deco style of architecture. Art Deco, based on mathematical geometric shapes, is seen most prominently in Miami, New York, Shanghai and Mumbai. Interestingly, the Empire State building, Rockefeller Center and the Chrysler Building in midtown Manhattan all belong to this style of architecture, which began in Paris in the 1920’s. The Regal cinema was designed by Frederick Stevens’ son, Charles Stevens and the first movie was screened there in 1933, starring Lauren and Hardy. The cinema was interestingly also the third venue to host the Filmfare awards night.

The other two buildings guarding the regal circle are the Majestic MLA hostel and the National Gallery (Classic Revival) . The National Gallery leads up again to the Kalaghoda area which has some beautiful buildings such as the Elphinstone College, David Sassoon Library (Venetian Revival) and the Army and Navy building which now also houses Westside, a premiere clothing and apparel store in the city.

Elphinstone College

Army and Navy Building