Denso Hall (), officially The Max Denso Hall and Library, is a library located in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. It was built in 1886 as the first library in Karachi to serve the native population.

Location

Denso Hall and Library is located at a triangular corner formed by

Mohammad Ali Jinnah Road Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road (), frequently abbreviated as MA Jinnah Road, is a major thoroughfare in central Karachi, Pakistan. The road was originally named Bandar Road ( ;''"Port Road"''), because it linked the city to the Port of Karachi, but ...

, Murad Khan Road, and Marriott Road in the borough of

Saddar Town Saddar Town (صدر ٹاؤن) lies in the Karachi District (South), Karachi District South that forms much of the historic colonial core of Karachi, in the Sindh province of Pakistan. According to the 2023 Pakistani census, Saddar Subdivision ...

, in central Karachi.

History

The

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

colonial government built libraries in

, such as at

Frere Hall Frere Hall () is a building in Karachi, Pakistan that dates from the early British colonial era in Sindh. Completed in 1865, Frere Hall was originally intended to serve as Karachi's town hall, and now serves as an exhibition space and library. ...

, but they were restricted to

colonial officers and their families. Denso Hall was constructed in 1886 as the first library for the natives of Karachi. It was named for Max Denso, who chaired the Karachi Chamber of Commerce in the 1870s.

Architecture

James Strachan was the architect of the project and the building was completed in 1886. The architectural design is

Venetian gothic Venetian Gothic is the particular form of Italian Gothic architecture typical of Venice, originating in local building requirements, with some influence from Byzantine architecture, and some from Islamic architecture, reflecting Venice's trading ...

, with Tudor elements on the top floor. Local Gizri

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

was used in the construction. When the building was completed it had one library and one reading-room on the ground floor, and the main hall on the first floor. The main road facing side has balconies with sculpted

balusters A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its c ...

. The clock on the top was a gift from Rao Sahib Ramdas Morarji, a local

Parsi The Parsis or Parsees () are a Zoroastrian ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, w ...

philanthropist who also donated 1,800 books to the library. The local

Khoja The Khoja are a caste of Muslims mainly members of the Nizari Ismaʿiliyyah sect of Islam with a minority of followers of Shia Islam originating the western Indian subcontinent, and converted to Islam from Hinduism by the 14th century by the Pe ...

community donated another 1,200.

Conservation

In 2010, it was announced that the

Heritage Foundation Pakistan Heritage Foundation of Pakistan is a Pakistani heritage and humanitarian aid organization founded by Yasmeen Lari and Suhail Zaheer Lari in 1980. In 1984, when there were plans to demolish the historically significant Hindu Gymkhana, Karachi b ...

, with financial support from

Karachi Electric Supply Corporation K-Electric Limited (KE), formerly known as Karachi Electric Supply Company Limited or Karachi Electric Supply Corporation Limited, is a Pakistani utility company based in Karachi. Privatised in 2005, KE is the only vertically integrated utili ...

, would restore Denso Hall as a

Heritage site A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been rec ...

. In 2019, the hall's facade, along with other heritage structures on Marriott Road, were cleaned.

References

External links