Southern Railway Headquarters, Chennai Explained

Southern Railway Headquarters
Native Name:M&SM Headquarters Building
Location:Poonamallee High Road, Chennai, India
Address:Park Town, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600 003
Coordinates:13.0826°N 80.2771°W
Completion Date:1921
Inauguration Date:11 December 1922
Architectural Style:Indo-Saracenic
Architect:N. Grayson
Main Contractor:H. H. Wadia and Bros
Owner:Southern Railways

Southern Railway headquarters administrative building, Chennai, is an Indo-Saracenic structure located adjacent to the on Poonamallee High Road.

History

Built in 1921 as the new Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway Company (MSMR) headquarters (successor of Madras Railway Company), replacing the general office of MSMR at Royapuram Railway Station, the building now functions as the headquarters of the Southern Railways. The building was built at a cost of 3 million by H. H. Wadia and Bros, a leading Porbandar-based contractor.[1] [2] Built for the first time in India in reinforced concrete in classical and Dravidian styles, the building was designed by N. Grayson, a 'company architect', working for the Madras & Southern Mahratta Railway.[3] It took nine years and over 3 million to complete the building and was inaugurated on 11 December 1922.

The building

The central bay has two rectangular wings, both of which are arranged around a lush courtyard. The structure was built with large windows to allow the sea breeze to waft through, reaching the courtyard from the front and then going out through the opposite wing.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: AYYAPPAN . V . 28 Jan 2022 . Centenary celebrations of Southern Railway Headquarters Building . The Times of India . The Times of India . Chennai . 29 Jan 2022.
  2. News: Muthiah . S. . Egmore and the South . Chennai . 16 June 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080620165303/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/06/16/stories/2008061650520500.htm . dead . 20 June 2008 . . 29 Dec 2011.
  3. Web site: Venkataraman . G. . A. Anne Shanthi . History of Historical Building and Monuments in and around Chennai . CMDA Chennai . pdf . 10 May 2012.