Victoria Public Hall
Encyclopedia
Victoria Public Hall, or the Town Hall, is a historical building in Chennai
, named after Queen Victoria. It is one of the finest examples of British architecture in Chennai and was built to commemorate the golden jubilee of the British Empress Queen Victoria. It served as a theatre and public assembly room in the late 19th century and the early 20th century. It now houses the South Indian Athletic Association Club.
by some leading citizens, the decision to construct a town hall for Madras was taken. This resulted in the mobilisation of a sum of 16,425 from around 30 persons who attended the meeting, and a 12-member trust was formed for the execution of the project. The municipal corporation leased a 57-ground (3.14 acres) site in the People's Park to the Victoria Public Hall Trust for 99 years effective from 1 April 1886 at a lease rent of eight annas
a ground or 28 for the property. The then Maharajah of Vizianagaram, Sir Ananda Gajapathi Row, laid the foundation stone for the new building, who also led a list of 35 donors for the construction work with a contribution of 10,000. The list included the Travancore
Maharajah ( 8,000), Mysore Maharajah, Pudukottai Rajah and former Madras High Court
Judge Muthuswamy Iyer (all 1,000 each) and P.Orr and Sons, a city-based watch company ( 1,400). Other contributors included Ramnad Raja Bhaskara Setupati, Zamindar of Ettiapuram and Hadji Abdul Batcha Sahib.
The hall, an example of the Indo-Saracenic architecture, was designed by Robert Fellowes Chisholm (1840-1915) in the Romanesque style
and was built by Namperumal Chetty between 1888 and 1890. It was opened to public by Lord Connemara in 1887, although another version suggests that Sir Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff
, the governor of Madras during 1886-1890, declared open the hall. In January 1888, a citizens' meeting decided to name the hall after Queen Victoria. The then Municipal Corporation President Sir A.T. Arundale took the initiative.
The hall soon become a venue of important public and social events. Several eminent personalities, including Mahatma Gandhi
and Swami Vivekananda
, have visited the hall. National leaders like Swami Vivekananda
, Gopal Krishna Gokhale
, Subramaniya Bharathi and Sardar Vallabhai Patel have addressed meetings in the hall. The pioneers of Tamil play, such as Sankaradoss Swamigal and Pammal Sambanda Mudaliar, have staged their plays at the hall.
The lease expired in 1985 and a legal battle ensued as the Corporation did not want to extend the lease. With a compromise being reached in the matter, a petition to that effect was submitted in the court and decision was taken to take action against sub-leases. The land of the hall was occupied by several organisations before the 2010 renovation. The Andhra Mahila Sabha was functioning from a building behind the hall. The building occupied 5.25 grounds of land belonging to Victoria Public Hall. The building was demolished as part of the 2010 renovation. Hotel Picnic, a private hotel, had acquired 13 grounds from the Victoria Public Hall Trust through a sub-lease that expired on April 30, 1985. The hotel has been paying a monthly rent of 4,000 to the corporation. In 2010, the Supreme Court
ordered the hotel to handover the land to the Corporation of Chennai. About 32 shops that had encroached upon the land belonging to the hall were also removed as part of the renovation.
and between Ripon Building
and Chennai Central Railway Station
. Constructed with red brick and painted with lime mortar, the building has an Italianate
tower capped by a Travancore
-style roof. The ground floor of the building has a built-up area of 13,342 sq.ft. and the first floor has a built-up area of 12,541 sq.ft. The two large halls in the ground and the first floors were built to accommodate 600 persons, while a wooden gallery in the eastern end has seating arrangement for more than 200 persons. The structure consists of arcaded verandahs, a square tower that is three storeys high, and a carved pyramidal roof. There is also an intricately carved terracotta cornice, which resembles Islamic calligraphy
, atop the tower. The hall has four staircases, of which three lead to the hall on the first floor and one to the balcony, and four turrets.
The Trevelyan Fountain, a memorial fountain in the grounds of the hall, was raised to mark the contribution Charles Trevelyan
, Governor of Madras during 1859-1860 and the developer of the People's Park, towards providing the city with adequate drinking water. On one side of the fountain is a bas relief of Trevelyan's head.
The Corporation of Chennai started renovating the hall in April 2009 at a cost of 39.6 million under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. The restoration work includes replacement of damaged roof and work on the wooden flooring and staircase. The roofing is complete with teak wood, while Mangalore tiles embellish the building. The dilapidated cuddapah stones were recently replaced with semi-polished stones.
Once the work is finished, sound and light show would be conducted on the ground floor. The first floor would be used to conduct cultural programmes. The hall would have a seating capacity of 600 persons. The work is expected to be completed by August 2011.
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, named after Queen Victoria. It is one of the finest examples of British architecture in Chennai and was built to commemorate the golden jubilee of the British Empress Queen Victoria. It served as a theatre and public assembly room in the late 19th century and the early 20th century. It now houses the South Indian Athletic Association Club.
History
In a meeting held in March 1882 at the Pachaiyappa's Hall in George TownGeorge Town, Chennai
George Town is a historical neighbourhood of Fort St. George in Chennai , India. Also known as Black Town during the colonial period, the settlement was formed after the English constructed the fort and was the first settlement of the city of Madras, begun soon after the completion of the...
by some leading citizens, the decision to construct a town hall for Madras was taken. This resulted in the mobilisation of a sum of 16,425 from around 30 persons who attended the meeting, and a 12-member trust was formed for the execution of the project. The municipal corporation leased a 57-ground (3.14 acres) site in the People's Park to the Victoria Public Hall Trust for 99 years effective from 1 April 1886 at a lease rent of eight annas
Annas
Annas [also Ananus or Ananias], son of Seth , was appointed by the Roman legate Quirinius as the first High Priest of the newly formed Roman province of Iudaea in 6 AD; just after the Romans had deposed Archelaus, Ethnarch of Judaea, thereby putting Judaea directly under Roman rule.Annas officially...
a ground or 28 for the property. The then Maharajah of Vizianagaram, Sir Ananda Gajapathi Row, laid the foundation stone for the new building, who also led a list of 35 donors for the construction work with a contribution of 10,000. The list included the Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
Maharajah ( 8,000), Mysore Maharajah, Pudukottai Rajah and former Madras High Court
Madras High Court
The Madras High Court is a senior court located at Chennai , in India. The court buildings, which are believed to be the second largest judicial complex in the world, are located near the beach, in one of the city's major business districts....
Judge Muthuswamy Iyer (all 1,000 each) and P.Orr and Sons, a city-based watch company ( 1,400). Other contributors included Ramnad Raja Bhaskara Setupati, Zamindar of Ettiapuram and Hadji Abdul Batcha Sahib.
The hall, an example of the Indo-Saracenic architecture, was designed by Robert Fellowes Chisholm (1840-1915) in the Romanesque style
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
and was built by Namperumal Chetty between 1888 and 1890. It was opened to public by Lord Connemara in 1887, although another version suggests that Sir Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff
Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff
Sir Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff GCSI, CIE, PC FRS , known as M. E. Grant Duff before 1887 and as Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff thereafter, was a Scottish politician, administrator and author...
, the governor of Madras during 1886-1890, declared open the hall. In January 1888, a citizens' meeting decided to name the hall after Queen Victoria. The then Municipal Corporation President Sir A.T. Arundale took the initiative.
The hall soon become a venue of important public and social events. Several eminent personalities, including Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
and Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda , born Narendranath Dutta , was the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission...
, have visited the hall. National leaders like Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda , born Narendranath Dutta , was the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission...
, Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Gopal Krishna Gokhale, CIE was one of the founding social and political leaders during the Indian Independence Movement against the British Empire in India. Gokhale was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and founder of the Servants of India Society...
, Subramaniya Bharathi and Sardar Vallabhai Patel have addressed meetings in the hall. The pioneers of Tamil play, such as Sankaradoss Swamigal and Pammal Sambanda Mudaliar, have staged their plays at the hall.
The lease expired in 1985 and a legal battle ensued as the Corporation did not want to extend the lease. With a compromise being reached in the matter, a petition to that effect was submitted in the court and decision was taken to take action against sub-leases. The land of the hall was occupied by several organisations before the 2010 renovation. The Andhra Mahila Sabha was functioning from a building behind the hall. The building occupied 5.25 grounds of land belonging to Victoria Public Hall. The building was demolished as part of the 2010 renovation. Hotel Picnic, a private hotel, had acquired 13 grounds from the Victoria Public Hall Trust through a sub-lease that expired on April 30, 1985. The hotel has been paying a monthly rent of 4,000 to the corporation. In 2010, the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...
ordered the hotel to handover the land to the Corporation of Chennai. About 32 shops that had encroached upon the land belonging to the hall were also removed as part of the renovation.
The building
The building is located on EVR Periyar Salai near Moore MarketMoore Market
The Moore Market Complex is a commercial building complex and railway terminus for the Chennai suburban railway system, situated in Park Town, Chennai...
and between Ripon Building
Ripon Building
Ripon Building is the seat of the Chennai Corporation in Chennai , Tamil Nadu. This is a fine example of Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, a combination of three types of architectural styles - Gothic, Ionic and Corinthian....
and Chennai Central Railway Station
Chennai Central
Chennai Central , erstwhile Madras Central, is the main railway terminus in the city of Chennai . It is the home of the Southern Railway and the most important rail hub in South India. The other major railway hub stations in the city are Chennai Egmore and Tambaram...
. Constructed with red brick and painted with lime mortar, the building has an Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
tower capped by a Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
-style roof. The ground floor of the building has a built-up area of 13,342 sq.ft. and the first floor has a built-up area of 12,541 sq.ft. The two large halls in the ground and the first floors were built to accommodate 600 persons, while a wooden gallery in the eastern end has seating arrangement for more than 200 persons. The structure consists of arcaded verandahs, a square tower that is three storeys high, and a carved pyramidal roof. There is also an intricately carved terracotta cornice, which resembles Islamic calligraphy
Islamic calligraphy
Islamic calligraphy, colloquially known as Perso-Arabic calligraphy, is the artistic practice of handwriting, or calligraphy, and by extension, of bookmaking, in the lands sharing a common Islamic cultural heritage. This art form is based on the Arabic script, which for a long time was used by all...
, atop the tower. The hall has four staircases, of which three lead to the hall on the first floor and one to the balcony, and four turrets.
The Trevelyan Fountain, a memorial fountain in the grounds of the hall, was raised to mark the contribution Charles Trevelyan
Sir Charles Trevelyan, 1st Baronet
Sir Charles Edward Trevelyan, 1st Baronet, KCB was a British civil servant and colonial administrator. As a young man, he worked with the colonial government in Calcutta, India; in the late 1850s and 1860s he served there in senior-level appointments...
, Governor of Madras during 1859-1860 and the developer of the People's Park, towards providing the city with adequate drinking water. On one side of the fountain is a bas relief of Trevelyan's head.
Renovation
Renovation work of the hall was first carried out in October 1967 and the then Chief Minister C.N.Annadurai dedicated it for public use. After a few years, the building remained closed for over 40 years. In early 1990s, Suresh Krishna, the then Sheriff of Madras, took some efforts in salvaging a part of the building, and restored the Trevelyan Fountain. The former Maharashtra Governor C. Subramaniam rededicated the building in December 1993.The Corporation of Chennai started renovating the hall in April 2009 at a cost of 39.6 million under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. The restoration work includes replacement of damaged roof and work on the wooden flooring and staircase. The roofing is complete with teak wood, while Mangalore tiles embellish the building. The dilapidated cuddapah stones were recently replaced with semi-polished stones.
Once the work is finished, sound and light show would be conducted on the ground floor. The first floor would be used to conduct cultural programmes. The hall would have a seating capacity of 600 persons. The work is expected to be completed by August 2011.