Premabhai Hall is an abandoned public

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

in the old city of

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

, India designed by architect B. V. Doshi. It was opened in 1972 and abandoned in 1997. It is an example of

Brutalist architecture Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by Minimalism (art), minimalist constructions th ...

History

During the British period, the hall was used for theatrical performances located in the old city. In 1956, the new building of the hall was designed by architect B. V. Doshi. In 1972, the new building built in a brutalist style was opened. It is owned by the

Gujarat Vidya Sabha Gujarat Vidya Sabha, originally called Gujarat Vernacular Society, is a literary institution for the promotion of vernacular Gujarati literature and education, and for the collection of manuscripts and printed books; located in the city of Ahmedab ...

. In the 1997, the hall was abandoned due to fire regulation problems and financial issues. After a failed demolition proposal, the building remains standing, although abandoned.

Architecture

The hall is built in post-Le Corbusier brutalist style, with the entire structure built out of

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete or ferro-concrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ...

. It houses an auditorium with a seating capacity of 1000. The stage is 100 m wide. It has spacious interior corridors and large public gathering spaces. The roof has large terrace. The large structure looks like a monumental sculpture.

References

{{coord, 23.02383, 72.58215, format=dms, type:landmark_region:IN, display=title Buildings and structures in Ahmedabad Brutalist architecture in India Buildings and structures completed in 1972 Abandoned buildings and structures Theatres in India

History

Architecture

See also

References