Town Hall

Coimbatore Town Hall is a neoclassical municipal building in Coimbatore, India. The town hall was built in 1892[1] in honour of Queen Victoria. It was funded by the municipality and philanthropic citizens. The building has been used for municipal corporation meetings, public meetings and protests and civic receptions.

ConstructionEdit

Construction funding was raised from various sources. Social activist and journalist S. P. Narasimhalu Naidu donated Rs. 1,000 in 1887.[2] He played in a key role in mobilising funds from the public. The municipal corporation contributed Rs. 3,000.[1]
Construction was completed in 1892 at a cost of Rs. 10,000.[3]

ArchitectureEdit

The building is built in neo-classical style on half an acre. The building has a 6000 sq. ft area. The roof is constructed using red Mangalore tiles made of hard laterite clay. This roof style is typical of most British Rajbuildings. The tiled roof is supported by solid timber roof trusses.
The building, painted in white, has two floors. Its walls are made of stone and lime mortar. Three sides of the building have corridors with low roofs. The corridors have borders with Tuscan style stumpy columns. The windows have grills with wooden paneled shutters.
The facade of entrance porch has three Gothic arches and is topped with a balcony. The sides of the porch have a large arch. The foyer leads to a large assembly hall which has an area of 3000 sq. ft. The mezzanine floorserves as an overlooking visitors' gallery for meetings.

HistoryEdit

The hall years hosted numerous civic receptions for visiting dignitaries including Mahatma Gandhi and C. Rajagopalachari.[1]
The District Central library was inaugurated at the Town Hall building in 1952.[4] The library functioned on the mezzanine floor between 1952 and 1956 before it moved to another building in VOC park.
Over time the building became neglected and dilapidated.
A government order was issued for the demolition of the building in 1992.[1] A group of activists and INTACH came together to garner support for saving it. The campaign was eventually successful and the corporation agreed to renovate the building. The renovation was done the same year at an estimated cost of Rs 1,500,000.[1]
The building hosts regular meetings of the Coimbatore Municipal Corporation.


Town Hall or Lahore Metropolitan Corporation Hall is located on the west at junction of Upper and Lower Mall Roads. Originally built as Victoria Jubilee Town Hall "dedicated to the joyful memory of the fiftieth year of the reign" of Queen Victoria, the building was begun in February 1887. Its foundation stone was laid by Charles Aitchison, Lieut. Governor of the Punjab, and the opening took place with great fanfare and ceremony attended by Prince Albert Victor on February 3, 1890.
This structure, although not very large, has an impressive presence. Consisting of two storeys, it has a large hall 80' x 40' wide on the first floor, while the ground floor is dedicated to offices. As was usual with town halls of the British period, the beautifully decorated hall, with its excellent teak floor, was used for exclusive functions such as dances, concerts and meetings, although the prince in his opening speech said that he hoped that it would also be utilized for "wise and quiet debates."
As a result of a competition, the winning design, with a prize of Rs. 500, was chosen from several competitive entries. The design was prepared by Pogson, a Madras architect. Having been designed "on an oriental principle," as noted in contemporary accounts, the building incorporates elements derived from Muslim architectural traditions. The square corner towers are the dominating element of the ensemble, and incorporate arch forms from varied sources Mughal and Sultanate Period lancet-arches along with Spanish horse-shoe arches, reflect the influence of Robert Fellows Chisholm of Madras rather than that of Swinton Jacob of Jaipur. The choice of Pogson demonstrates the partiality felt for Madras by the Lahore Administration, they having earlier chosen the design of another Madras architect, J.W. Brassington, for the impressive Chief Court (High Court) building.
The two-storey middle section of the building carrying an enormous lancet arch alcove is flanked by the massive three-storey corner towers, the roof line terminating with castle-like merlons. The corner towers are capped by a central dome and four onion shaped corner cupolas. In spite of its 'oriental' imagery, and use of moldings, the detailing is comparatively simple and the flourish of molded brick or terra-cotta fretwork, found in the earlier Chief Court or the nearby Mayo School, is not in evidence.
The building which was completed at a cost of Rs. 60,000, has been restored and cleaned in recent years, and once again proudly presents its original brick facing. The landscaped forecourt is dominated by an attractive fountain, said to be a gift of Raja Harbans Singh.