Victoria Public Hall
| Victoria Public Hall | |
|---|---|
| Town Hall | |
The Victoria Public Hall
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| General information | |
| Type | Public building |
| Architectural style | Indo-Saracenic |
| Location | Poonamallee High Road, Chennai, India |
| Address | Park Town, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600 003 |
| Construction started | 1886 |
| Completed | 1888-1890 |
| Inaugurated | 1888-1890 |
| Cost | ₹ 16,425 |
| Owner | Corporation of Chennai |
| Management | Victoria Public Hall Trust |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 3 |
| Floor area | 25,883 sq ft (2,000 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Robert Fellowes Chisholm |
| Structural engineer | Namperumal Chetty |
Coordinates: 13°04′55″N 80°16′21″E / 13.08192°N 80.2726°E
Victoria Public Hall, or the Town Hall, is a historical building in Chennai, named after Victoria, Empress of India. It is one of the finest examples of British architecture in Chennai and was built to commemorate the golden jubilee of 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.
In a meeting held in March 1882 at the Pachaiyappa's Hall in George Town 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 Pusapati Ananda Gajapati Raju, laid the foundation stone for the new building on 17 December 1883, 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. It took about five years to complete the construction.
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