Esplanade Mansions, Kolkata Explained

Esplanade Mansion
Location:Kolkata, West Bengal
Address:Esplanade, 700069[1]
Location Country:India
Coordinates:22.5664°N 88.3489°W
Completion Date:1910
Architect:Martin & Co,
Owner:Life Insurance Corporation
Style:Art Nouveau

The Esplanade Mansions is a heritage building located in the Indian city of Kolkata, on the Esplanade Row and Marx Engels Beethi Road crossing, opposite to the Raj Bhavan. It was one of the buildings owned by Jewish businessman David Elias Ezra. The residential building was built in the Art Nouveau architecture style. Today it is owned by Life Insurance Corporation and houses commercial, railways and other government offices.

Location

The Esplanade Mansion is in the city centre, Esplanade opposite the official residence of the governor of West Bengal, Raj Bhavan and Curzon Park. The building occupies a site bounded by Esplanade Row to the south, Marx Engels Beethi Road (or Old Courthouse Street) to the west and James Hickey Sarani (or Dacres Lane) to the east.[2] Nearby major structures include Metropolitan Building, The LaLit Great Eastern, Currency Building etc.[3]

History

It was owned and built by a Jewish business magnate, David Elias Ezra in 1910. He also became the Commissioner of the Calcutta Municipal in 1876 and a member of the Road and Conservancy Committee. Other properties he owned included the Chowringhee Mansions, Ezra Mansions etc. Previously, the site was Scott Thompson's shop and two houses. Martin & Co. was contracted for the construction. It was built as a residential building of the Ezra family. During WWII, it used to be the American Library.[4] [5]

It is the sole Art Nouveau building in the city.[6] A blend of Art Nouveau[7] [8] and Edwardian architecture can be seen in the corner tower and cupola. It has circular balconies and arched windows. The residential property has 24 flats.[9] [10] It is listed as a Grade-I heritage building by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.[11]

Today

The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) owns around 30 properties in Esplanade. The Esplanade Mansions is one of them.[12] It also houses the office of the Chief Public Relations Officer of the Eastern Railways on the Raj Bhavan side and the Railway Claims Tribunal[13] on the Curzon Park side, both on the ground floor.[14] In 2003, LIC decided to renovate the building. The colour of the building was changed from lilac to white at a cost of .[15]

See also

References

  1. Web site: Distribution Matrix for Railway Claims Tribunals (RCT's). 2021-05-27. rct.indianrail.gov.in.
  2. Web site: Detail Maps of 141 Wards of Kolkata. live. 26 May 2021. 45. 25 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210525203045/http://casngo.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/MAP-1_1411.pdf.
  3. Web site: Esplanade Mansions. live. 2021-06-04. Google Maps. en. 21 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210721080425/https://www.google.com/maps/place/Eastern+Railway+Office+and+Reservation+Counter/@22.5669144,88.3473621,17z/data=%214m5%213m4%211s0x3a0277a72631d1d9:0xbc7022c677f86565%218m2%213d22.5664347%214d88.3487618?shorturl=1.
  4. Web site: Goyal. Anuradha. 2016-05-23. Kolkata - Colonial Calcutta Heritage Walk. 2021-05-26. Inditales. en-US. 26 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210526155838/https://www.inditales.com/kolkata-colonial-calcutta-heritage-walk/. live.
  5. Book: Kolkata: City Guide. 2011. Eicher Goodearth Publications. 978-93-80262-15-4. New Delhi. 39, 48. en. 20 June 2021. 21 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210721080429/https://books.google.com/books?id=eUq9heKpjEIC&q=%22Esplanade+Mansions%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA39. live.
  6. Web site: Ghosh. Deepanjan. City secrets: Art Deco architecture spread across Kolkata, thanks to a state law – and jugaad. 2021-05-26. Scroll.in. en-US. 21 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210721080453/https://scroll.in/magazine/860603/city-secrets-art-deco-architecture-spread-across-kolkata-thanks-to-a-state-law-and-jugaad. live.
  7. Book: Desāī. Mādhavī. The Bungalow in Twentieth-Century India: The Cultural Expression of Changing Ways of Life and Aspirations in the Domestic Architecture of Colonial and Post-colonial Society. Desai. Madhavi. Desai. Miki. Lang. Jon. 2012. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. 978-1-4094-2738-4. 75. en. 20 June 2021. 21 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210721080451/https://books.google.com/books?id=Re7ixChJUvUC&q=%22Esplanade+Mansions%2C+Kolkata%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA76. live.
  8. Book: Lang, Jon T.. A Concise History of Modern Architecture in India. 2002. Orient Blackswan. 978-81-7824-017-6. 11–12. en. 20 June 2021. 21 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210721080430/https://books.google.com/books?id=gxyGbhlKQXQC&q=%22Esplanade+Mansions%2C+Calcutta%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA11. live.
  9. Web site: Kolkata On Wheels. live. 2021-05-25. kolkataonwheels.com. 25 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210525203042/https://www.kolkataonwheels.com/post/esplanade-mansions-the-grand-palace-of-the-city.
  10. Web site: Recalling Jewish Calcutta. live. 2021-05-26. jewishcalcutta.in. 26 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210526155840/http://www.jewishcalcutta.in/exhibits/show/08-homes--mansions-and-officia/mansions.
  11. Web site: 25 Feb 2009. Graded List of Heritage Buildings. live. 27 May 2021. kmcgov.in. Kolkata Municipal Corporation. 43. 22 December 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151222153859/https://www.kmcgov.in/KMCPortal/downloads/Graded_List_of_Heritage_Buildings_Grade_I_IIA_IIB.pdf.
  12. Web site: 27 Mar 2010. LIC to launch inspection drive. live. 2021-05-26. The Times of India. en. 26 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210526150217/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/lic-to-launch-inspection-drive/articleshow/5730194.cms.
  13. Web site: Distribution Matrix for Railway Claims Tribunals (RCT's). 2021-05-27. rct.indianrail.gov.in.
  14. Web site: 2013-08-18. The Restoration of Esplanade Mansions - Animesh Ray Photography. 2021-05-26. Animesh Ray Design & Photography. en-US. 26 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210526150218/http://animeshray.com/restoration-of-esplanade-mansions/. live.
  15. Web site: Das. Soumitra. 27 Feb 2003. LIC buildings in the pink of health. live. 2021-05-26. The Telegraph. 26 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210526150217/https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/lic-buildings-in-the-pink-of-health/cid/1257008.

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