Arathoon Stephen ( hy, Արաթուն սթիվեն; 1861 – 14 May 1927) was an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

hotelier and real estate developer based in India. Amongst other properties, he owned and developed the Kolkata institutions: the Empire Theatre and the

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

. Born in 1861, Stephen arrived in Calcutta from Isfahan (A city & province in Iran) sometime in the early nineteenth century where he first began selling jewelry from a wheelbarrow. Later, he opened a jewelry and antique shop at 18 Chowringhee Road and the Theatre Royale at No. 16. In 1911, he bought out a run-down boarding house run by Mrs. Annie Monk and built the

. Stephen also owned several other properties in Calcutta, many of which now have heritage status, including Queens Mansion (which houses the Armenian Club of Calcutta), Stephen Court, Stephen House and the Empire Theatre. He also built and owned the Everest Hotel in

Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal ...

. Stephen died on 14 May 1927.

References

{{reflist Indian people of Armenian descent Indian hoteliers 1861 births 1927 deaths Businesspeople from Kolkata Businesspeople from Isfahan