Coimbatore Town Hall, previously known as Victoria Town Hall, is a neoclassical building in

Coimbatore Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, ), also known as Kovai (), is one of the major Metropolitan cities of India, metropolitan cities in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyy ...

, India. It is situated in the central part of the city in the Townhall area, which was named after the building itself. It was built in 1892 and was originally named after

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. Currently, the building is the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

of the

Coimbatore Municipal Corporation The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation is the civic body that governs the city of Coimbatore in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the second largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu after Greate ...

History

Planning and construction

In 1887, a group of people from the city led by S. P. Narasimhalu Naidu decided to build a structure to commemorate the 50th year of

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

. The municipality gave land for the building and allocated for the construction. Apart from donated by Naidu, funding for the construction was raised from other members of the city council. The construction was completed in 1892 at a cost of .

Renovation

By the 1990s, the building became dilapidated due to aging, and the corporation issued an order to demolish the building in 1992. A group of activists led by the

Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is a non-profit charitable organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. In 2007, the United Nations awarded INTACH a special consultative status with the ...

and the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry launched a campaign to save the building. The campaign was eventually successful and the corporation agreed to renovate the building. The renovation was completed in the same year at an estimated cost of . The building was painted and repaired for water seepage in 2014. It was further upgraded and renovated in 2022 to accommodate the larger number of

councillors A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or regi ...

of the newly expanded corporation.

Design

The building occupies a plot and has a built-up area of including the hall which hosts the council. The building is built in

neo-classical style Neoclassical architecture, sometimes referred to as Classical Revival architecture, is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy, France and Germany. It became one of the most promin ...

with large timber roof trusses, stone walls plastered with

lime mortar Lime mortar or torching is a masonry mortar (masonry), mortar composed of lime (material), lime and an construction aggregate, aggregate such as sand, mixed with water. It is one of the oldest known types of mortar, used in ancient Rome and anci ...

, and tiled roofs. The roof is constructed using red Mangalore tiles made of hard

laterite Laterite is a soil type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by intensive and prolo ...

clay. Large arches in Gothic style supported by Greek style columns lead to the

foyer A lobby is a room in a building used for entry from the outside. Sometimes referred to as a foyer, entryway, reception area or entrance hall, it is often a large room or complex of rooms (in a theatre, opera house, concert hall, showroom, cine ...

, which opens up to the main hall. The hall is flanked by corridors supported by large Tuscan style columns on three sides. The building has two floors with the wooden mezzanine floor housing the visitor galleries.

Usage

The building is situated in the old market area, which later came to be known as

townhall Townhall is an American conservative website, print magazine and radio news service. Katie Pavlich is Editor. Previously published by The Heritage Foundation, it is now owned and operated by Salem Communications. The website features more than ...

after the building itself. It was used as the venue for the meeting of the municipal council till 1953. The district central library was inaugurated in the building in 1952. It hosted the public library and reading room till 1986 on the mezzanine floor. It was also used for public meetings, religious sermons, exhibitions, banquets, and counting of votes during elections. It was used as a storage space from 1986 till the renovations in 1992. Since 1992, the building has hosted the

corporation A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the State (polity), state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as ...

council.

References

External links

{{Coimbatore City and town halls in India Buildings and structures in Coimbatore Government buildings completed in 1892 British colonial architecture in India Neoclassical architecture in India