The Metropolitan Building is a commercial building on

Chowringhee Road Chowringhee Road (also spelt ''Chourangi Road''), located in the Chowringhee neighbourhood of Kolkata, is the arterial road running from the eastern fringes of Esplanade southwards up to the crossing with Lower Circular Road (AJC Bose Ro ...

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

near

Esplanade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...

. It is located near the Shaheed Minar and the Grand Hotel and is just opposite of the new

Esplanade Metro Station Esplanade is an underground interchange metro station on the North–South corridor of the Blue Line and on the East–West corridor of the Green Line of Kolkata Metro. This station, which is the biggest in the city, is located in the Esplana ...

. Formerly known as the

Whiteaway Laidlaw Whiteaway Laidlaw was a British department store chain which operated mainly in Asia, including India, Ceylon, Burma, Singapore, Malaysia and China. It was founded in 1882 and continued to operate until the 1960s. History Whiteaway Laidlaw ...

department store, it was a famous department store in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

during the

British Rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...

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 provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. The building was built in 1905. After Independence, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. assumed ownership against a borrower default and named the building, so people know it more commonly as the 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 until all claimants had died. The LIC eventually obtained full possession and is the current owner.

History

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 Metropolitan Bank, another family-owned financial enterprise. ChowringhrrKolkata1945

Renovation

The building was restored by the

Life Insurance Corporation of India The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is an Indian Public Sector Undertakings in India, public sector life insurance company headquartered in Mumbai. It is India's largest insurance company as well as the largest institutional investor ...

(LIC). It still houses a commercial complex. The building was freshly repainted with white and golden paint. Its exterior structure was also renovated, and extensive changes were made within.

Features

It is a large beautiful building recognisable by its corner tower with the dome raised high on a pavilion. There is 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

Corinthia Corinthia (; ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese. It is situated around the city of Corinth, in the north-eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Ge ...

n capitals.

Gallery

File:Metropolitan Building - Esplanade - Kolkata 2011-12-18 0026.JPG, Metropolitan Building in

Esplanade, Kolkata Esplanade is a neighbourhood of Kolkata, Central Kolkata, located at the City centre, heart of city with being the city's Central business district and major transport junction. This is a conventional esplanade because the Hooghly river, the wes ...

after a recent renovation File:Whiteways and Laidlaw Building.jpg, The building under renovation

References

External links