The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Building is a colonial-era building located on
M. A. Jinnah Road, in central
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
. Construction began in 1927, completed in 1930, and the building was then inaugurated in 1932.
It is considered to be one of the most architecturally significant buildings in Karachi.
History
A foundation stone for a new municipal office was first laid at the site in 1895.
Groundwork for the new building was completed in 1915, but the remainder of construction did not begin until 1927.
Construction was completed in 1930, and the building was inaugurated in 1932,
as the
Karachi Municipal Building.
The total cost of the building was Rs.1,775,000.
The building's Silver Jubilee Clock, a clock tower with a
Moorish-style dome, was added in 1935 to commemorate King George V's visit to the region.
In January 2007, Karachi celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the building. The building went through a major renovation project which included repairing of the clock tower.
On 31 August 2021,
Karachi Administrator issued orders to fix historic
British-era Silver Jubilee Clock
A clock or a timepiece is a device used to measure and indicate time. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month and t ...
on KMC building.
Architecture
Building
Design of the building was devised by James S.C. Wynnes,
a Scottish architect from
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
.
The building is mostly of an Anglo-Mughal style that blends native and colonial styles, but the building also contains Egyptian and Spanish motifs.
Construction used Jodhpur sandstone for the facade, while local yellow Gizri sandstone was used to wrap the rest of the building.
Clock Tower
The building's Silver Jubilee Clock and clock tower were added in 1935, and built with neo-Moorish and colonial motifs.
The clock is surrounded by the words 'H M King George V, Silver Jubilee Clock 1935' along the outer perimeter of the clock.
Municipal functions
The historic and iconic Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Building houses the
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
's and deputy mayor's office as well as the City Council (which has 304 members, all of whom are Union Committee Chairman). Due to increased number of members of Karachi's municipal government, and a shortage of space, the City Council passed a resolution for new City Council Building to be built in order to accommodate the required members on 3 October 2016.
Gallery
File:KMCBuilding Karachi.jpg, KMC Building at night
File:KMC Head office building, 01.JPG, The Silver Jubilee Clock was added in 1935 to commemorate the visit of King George V to British India
File:The changing mass- KMC.jpg, The building's style is a mix of European and Islamic motifs
References
{{coord, 24, 51, 19.4, N, 67, 00, 27.8, E, type:landmark_scale:100000_source:ruwiki, display=title
City and town halls in Pakistan
Government of Karachi
History of Sindh
Buildings and structures in Karachi
Government buildings with domes
Heritage sites in Karachi