What are the distinctive features of the Bombay Municipal Corporation building?
Sudhir Raikar
Biographer, Chronicler, Role-play actor, Knowledge worker focused on healthcare, technology, and BFSI; food, music, literature, cricket, and cinema buff; happy misfit, eternal struggler, and hopeless optimist
Mumbai's celebrated railway station, the Victoria Terminus or VT (now rechristened CST) and the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) building (now called Brihan Mumbai Mahanagarpalika) - both towering landmarks in close proximity to each other - were designed by the same architect, Frederick William Stevens (11 November 1847 – 5 March 1900).
Stevens was not in government service when he took up the BMC project (1883 - 1893) and worked on the blueprint from London. He made several architectural improvisations to give prominence to native sensibilities. The minarets and onion-shaped domes of this grand monument are loyal to Indian Islamic architectural styles. The structure is a fine blend of Gothic, Italian, and Oriental traditions (Indo-Saracenic Revival).
Compared to the railway terminus, the corporation building is smaller in expanse but its 235 feet height is reassuringly imposing. Standing tall, despite the emblematic presence of the CST station across the street, the BMC structure makes a lasting impression - whether you are a causal passer-by or a curious onlooker. Its exterior has been consciously kept rugged to lend it a distinctive texture unlike the CST exterior which has a marmoreal feel. In what's a flowing tribute to Mumbai, the allegorical figure at the centre represents ‘Urbis Prima in Indis’ (The First City of India)
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A short bio of Stevens
Born in Bath, a heritage city known for its honey-coloured Georgian architecture, Stevens studied at the King Edward VI Grammar School. In 1867, he became an Assistant Engineer in the Public Works Department of the Government of India, and joined the office of Colonel Fuller of the Royal Engineers. In 1876, he became the Government Examiner to the JJ School of Art.
Stevens also designed several iconic structures including the Royal Alfred Sailors’ Home (his first momentous work); Army Navy Building, Kala Ghoda; BBCI Head office, Churchgate; Oriental Life Assurance Building, Hutatma Chowk; and Rajmahal Palace, Mehsana. ?Sadly, Stevens died untimely in 1900, falling victim to a Malaria epidemic at Malabar Hill, which was his place of residence. ?