Homi Framjee Billimoria OBE, (23 May 1901 - June 1956) was a

Ceylonese Sri Lankan or Ceylonese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Sri Lanka * A person from Sri Lanka, see Demographics of Sri Lanka ** Sinhalese people, the ethnic majority ** Sri Lankan Tamils, an ethnic minority ** Sri L ...

architect of

Parsee Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim co ...

origin. He was the first Ceylonese to graduate from

Liverpool University , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

and be elected a fellow of the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three supp ...

. Homi Framjee Billimoria was born on 23 May 1901 in Colombo, Ceylon, the second of three children and the oldest son of Framjee and Dinbai Billimoria (1877-1945). Billimoria married Munnie Karanjia (1912-?). In 1938 Billimoria joined the Government service as the country's first town planner. He served as the chief architect of the Public Works Department from 1953 to 1956. In the

1948 Birthday Honours The 1948 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the Commonwealth Realms. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of the King, a ...

he was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

while serving as the deputy chief architect, in 1953 he was conferred with a Coronation Medal and in the 1954 Birthday Honours, he received an Officer (Civil Division) Order of the British Empire. Billimoria was a founding member of the Ceylon Institute of Architects (CIA) and was later elected as a fellow of the Institute.

Notable Works

Mumtaz Mahal, Colombo The Mumtaz Mahal is the former official residence of the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, which now houses the National Defence College, Sri Lanka, located in Kollupitiya, a suburb of Colombo. Built in 1929, it was purchased in 1948 to se ...

(1928) *

Tintagel Colombo Tintagel Colombo is a boutique hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka and the former town residence of the Bandaranaike family. The hotel is situated in Rosmead Place in Cinnamon Gardens. History Homi Billimoria designed the Tintagel Colombo in 1929 for ...

(1929) *

Independence Memorial Hall Independence Memorial Hall (also known as ''Independence Commemoration Hall'') is a national monument in Sri Lanka built for commemoration of the independence of Sri Lanka from the British rule with the restoration of full governing responsibil ...

, Colombo (1948) * Kandy Masonic Temple (1951) *

Young Men's Buddhist Association The YMBA, or Young Men's Buddhist Association, was created in Sri Lanka in 1898. The main founder was C. S. DissanayakeHuman Rights Watch (2009)''The Resistance of the Monks: Buddhism and Activism in Burma'' p. 12. as part of a bid to provide Budd ...

building, Colombo (1955) * Navroz Baug (Fire Temple), Colombo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Billimoria, Homi 1901 births Ceylonese Officers of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of the University of Liverpool Sri Lankan Zoroastrians 1956 deaths Sri Lankan people of Parsi descent 20th-century Sri Lankan architects