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Madras is believed to have been founded on August 22, 1639, by establishing Fort St George on a small piece of land acquired from the last King of Chandragiri in 1639 by the British East India Company. While the city is known for several things, including temples, beaches and its cultural scene, Madras's skyline is noted for its magnificent heritage buildings. Be it the famous Central Railway Station, the High Court, Egmore Museum or prestigious institutions like Women's Christian College, Madras Christian College and Medical College, among others -these ancient buildings of the city add another colour to namma Chennai. With our beloved old city turning 375 this year, profiles of buildings that have seen over 100 years of Chennai's life and style, in the run up to Madras Week......
FORT ST GEORGE ESTABLISHED: 1644 YEARS COMPLETED:
RIPON BUILDING ESTABLISHED:
1913 YEARS COMPLETED: 101 years The building is a fine example of neoclassical style of architecture. It was built over a period of four years and the inauguration, apparently, was witnessed by over 3,000 of the city's elite.
EGMORE MUSEUM ESTABLISHED:
1851 YEARS COMPLETED: 163 years Government Museum is the second oldest museum after Indian Museum at Kolkata. It houses the rarest collection of Raja Ravi Varma's paintings and has the largest collection of Roman antiques outside Europe.
AMIR MAHAL ESTABLISHED:
1798 YEARS COMPLETED: 216 years The Amir Mahal was constructed in 1798 by the British East India Company to house administrative offices of the company before becoming the official residence of the Nawab of Arcot and his family.
UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS ESTABLISHED:
1837 YEARS COMPLETED: 177 years Also known as the Madras University, it was started to fulfill the need for an English college in the city. The university board was constituted in January 1840 with George Norton as its president.
MADRAS HIGH COURT ESTABLISHED:
1862 YEARS COMPLETED: 152 years There are several interesting architectural elements in the High Court, starting from the painted ceilings to the stained glass doors. It also housed the old lighthouse within the premises.
QUEEN MARY'S COLLEGE
ESTABLISHED: 1914 YEARS COMPLETED: 100 years Originally the residence of Lt Col Francis Capper in the mid-1800s, the oldest building in the campus, known as the Capper House, has now been demolished. The place was then converted into a hotel before becoming the city's first women's college.
PRESIDENCY COLLEGE ESTABLISHED: 1840 YEARS COMPLETED: 174 years Though Presidency College is known to be one of the oldest arts colleges in Chennai, it was started off as a preparatory school in 1840. It was later upgraded to a high school and then, a college.
CONNEMARA LIBRARY
ESTABLISHED: 1896 YEARS COMPLETED: 118 years The library's beginnings go back to 1860, when Captain Jean Mitchell set up a small library as part of the Madras Museum. Later, in the year 1981, the central government ordered that the library become one of the four national depository libraries in India housing several century-old publications.
VIVEKANANDAR ILLAM
ESTABLISHED: 1897 YEARS COMPLETED: 117 Ice King Frederic Tudor built this as an ice house facing the Bay of Bengal as part of his ice business, which was later converted into the Vivekanandar Illam. It is remembered as the place where Swami Vivekananda stayed for nine days when he visited Chennai in 1897.
MADRAS MEDICAL COLLEGE
ESTABLISHED: 1835 YEARS COMPLETED: 179 years It is the second oldest medical college in India along with Medical College of Kolkata. It began as a private medical hall run by Mortimar and was regularized into a medical school in 1835.
CHRISTIAN COLLEGE
ESTABLISHED 1837 YEARS COMPLETED: 177 years It was started as a small school for boys in 1835. Later, on January 30, 1937, the governor of Madras, Lord John Erskine declared open the first campus building and it grew from a small school to one of the country's prestigious colleges today.
GOVERNMENT COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS
ESTABLISHED: 1850 YEARS COMPLETED: 164 YEARS It was initially known as the Madras School of Art and was established by surgeon Alexander Hunter after he spotted several artistic and creative talents in the city.
CHENNAI EGMORE RAILWAY STATION
ESTABLISHED: 1908 YEARS COMPLETED: 106 YEARS One of the prominent landmarks of the city, the Chennai Egmore Railway Station was constructed in1906 on land purchased from Pulney Andy. The station is built in the Gothic style of architecture with imposing domes and corridors.
WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN COLLEGE
ESTABLISHED: 1915 YEARS COMPLETED: 100 years Known to be the first private college in the city, WCC started with 41 students and seven faculty members.
It was started with a mission to provide higher education in the field of arts and sciences for women.
CHENNAI CENTRAL RAILWAY STATION
ESTABLISHED: 1873 YEARS COMPLETED: 141 years One of the most important railways hubs in the south, the station was built on the open grounds that had once been called John Pereira's Gardens, which belonged to a Portuguese merchant. The garden had a house which was used by John, which later became a cock-fighting gaming den.
370 years Historically known as the White Town, it was originally used for settlements and trading activities. Presently, the building houses the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly and other offices.
1913 YEARS COMPLETED: 101 years The building is a fine example of neoclassical style of architecture. It was built over a period of four years and the inauguration, apparently, was witnessed by over 3,000 of the city's elite.
EGMORE MUSEUM ESTABLISHED:
1851 YEARS COMPLETED: 163 years Government Museum is the second oldest museum after Indian Museum at Kolkata. It houses the rarest collection of Raja Ravi Varma's paintings and has the largest collection of Roman antiques outside Europe.
AMIR MAHAL ESTABLISHED:
1798 YEARS COMPLETED: 216 years The Amir Mahal was constructed in 1798 by the British East India Company to house administrative offices of the company before becoming the official residence of the Nawab of Arcot and his family.
UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS ESTABLISHED:
1837 YEARS COMPLETED: 177 years Also known as the Madras University, it was started to fulfill the need for an English college in the city. The university board was constituted in January 1840 with George Norton as its president.
MADRAS HIGH COURT ESTABLISHED:
1862 YEARS COMPLETED: 152 years There are several interesting architectural elements in the High Court, starting from the painted ceilings to the stained glass doors. It also housed the old lighthouse within the premises.
QUEEN MARY'S COLLEGE
ESTABLISHED: 1914 YEARS COMPLETED: 100 years Originally the residence of Lt Col Francis Capper in the mid-1800s, the oldest building in the campus, known as the Capper House, has now been demolished. The place was then converted into a hotel before becoming the city's first women's college.
PRESIDENCY COLLEGE ESTABLISHED: 1840 YEARS COMPLETED: 174 years Though Presidency College is known to be one of the oldest arts colleges in Chennai, it was started off as a preparatory school in 1840. It was later upgraded to a high school and then, a college.
CONNEMARA LIBRARY
ESTABLISHED: 1896 YEARS COMPLETED: 118 years The library's beginnings go back to 1860, when Captain Jean Mitchell set up a small library as part of the Madras Museum. Later, in the year 1981, the central government ordered that the library become one of the four national depository libraries in India housing several century-old publications.
VIVEKANANDAR ILLAM
ESTABLISHED: 1897 YEARS COMPLETED: 117 Ice King Frederic Tudor built this as an ice house facing the Bay of Bengal as part of his ice business, which was later converted into the Vivekanandar Illam. It is remembered as the place where Swami Vivekananda stayed for nine days when he visited Chennai in 1897.
MADRAS MEDICAL COLLEGE
ESTABLISHED: 1835 YEARS COMPLETED: 179 years It is the second oldest medical college in India along with Medical College of Kolkata. It began as a private medical hall run by Mortimar and was regularized into a medical school in 1835.
CHRISTIAN COLLEGE
ESTABLISHED 1837 YEARS COMPLETED: 177 years It was started as a small school for boys in 1835. Later, on January 30, 1937, the governor of Madras, Lord John Erskine declared open the first campus building and it grew from a small school to one of the country's prestigious colleges today.
GOVERNMENT COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS
ESTABLISHED: 1850 YEARS COMPLETED: 164 YEARS It was initially known as the Madras School of Art and was established by surgeon Alexander Hunter after he spotted several artistic and creative talents in the city.
CHENNAI EGMORE RAILWAY STATION
ESTABLISHED: 1908 YEARS COMPLETED: 106 YEARS One of the prominent landmarks of the city, the Chennai Egmore Railway Station was constructed in1906 on land purchased from Pulney Andy. The station is built in the Gothic style of architecture with imposing domes and corridors.
WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN COLLEGE
ESTABLISHED: 1915 YEARS COMPLETED: 100 years Known to be the first private college in the city, WCC started with 41 students and seven faculty members.
It was started with a mission to provide higher education in the field of arts and sciences for women.
CHENNAI CENTRAL RAILWAY STATION
ESTABLISHED: 1873 YEARS COMPLETED: 141 years One of the most important railways hubs in the south, the station was built on the open grounds that had once been called John Pereira's Gardens, which belonged to a Portuguese merchant. The garden had a house which was used by John, which later became a cock-fighting gaming den.
Sharanya.Cr
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