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Metropolitan Building (Kolkata)

Coordinates: 22°33′49″N 88°21′06″E / 22.5637°N 88.3516°E / 22.5637; 88.3516
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For other uses, see Metropolitan Building.

Metropolitan Building
Metropolitan Building in Esplanade, Kolkata, from the Chowringhee Crossing
Map
Former namesWhiteway & Laidlaw department store
General information
StatusUsed as a residential and a commercial building
Address7, Chowringhee Road
Town or cityKolkata
CountryIndia
Coordinates22°33′49″N 88°21′06″E / 22.5637°N 88.3516°E / 22.5637; 88.3516
Elevation9.509 m
Current tenantsLife Insurance Corporation of India & houses many offices & stores such as Big Bazaar & the Central Cottage Industry Showroom.
Construction started1905
OwnerLife Insurance Corporation of India
Website
Website

Metropolitan Building is a commercial building on Chowringhee Road in Kolkata near Esplanade. Formerly known as the Whiteaway Laidlaw department store, it was a famous department stores in Calcutta during the British Rule in India. It is one of the first departmental store in India. This neo-baroque emporium—with domes, a clock tower and arched recessed windows—exemplifies fashionable shopping during the British Raj in British India.

The building was built in 1905. Post Independence, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. assumed ownership against a borrower default and named the building, so people know it, more commonly, as Metropolitan Building. In 1956, Metropolitan Insurance was nationalised under the Life Insurance Act of parliament and the LIC took over the company and its assets from its owning family, the Bhattacharyas. The family continued adverse occupation of a large part of the building for years after the acquisition and appealed to the courts over the next three generations intil all claimants had died. The LIC eventually obtained full possession and is the current owner.[1][2] It is located near the Shaheed Minar and the Grand Hotel and is just opposite of the new Esplanade Metro Station.

History

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The building was built in 1905.

After Independence, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. assumed ownership, so people know it more commonly as Metropolitan Building as the building also housed the Metropilitan Bank, another family-owned financial enterprise.

The building's clock tower seen at the end of the photo taken in Esplanade, Calcutta in 1945

Renovation

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The building was restored by the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). But it still houses a commercial complex.[3] The building was freshly repainted with white and golden paint and its exterior structure was also renovated while making extensive changes within.

Features

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It is a large beautiful building recognisable by its corner tower with the dome raised high on a pavilion. Rustication in the ground floor and a semicircular arched arcade in the first floor. The facade is punctuated by a series of projected and pedimented bays with plain columns and Corinthian capitals.[4]

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  • Metropolitan Building Gallery
  • Metropolitan Building in Esplanade, Kolkata after the recent renovation
    Metropolitan Building in Esplanade, Kolkata after the recent renovation
  • The Building under renovation
    The Building under renovation

See also

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References

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  1. ^ INTACH (Guide to Kolkata). INTACH. 2009.
  2. ^ "Preserving Kolkata's Heritage Buildings". Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  3. ^ Ray, Saikat (16 September 2012). "History can mean big business too". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  4. ^ Datta, Rangan. "Metropolitan Building, Esplanade, Calcutta | Flickr - Photo Sharing!". Flickr. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
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Media related to Metropolitan Building (Kolkata) at Wikimedia Commons

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