Victoria Town Hall, Coimbatore, the conserved colonial structure takes a new look

 The colonial Victoria Town Hall building went through major renovation work in the past several years and now the municipal building  is sporting a neo classical look 

renovated Town Hall Coimbatore, TN. /upload.wikimedia.org/

The Victoria Town Hall, a two story structure made of lime-sand mortar with low roof corridor on three sides  came up in 1892 on a plot of one acre of land in honor of Queen Victoria who, in 1877, was proclaimed as the Empress of India. 

renovated Victoria Town hall, Coimbatore. 

It  is a fine colonial building classified as an important  heritage structure by INTACH. The cost of construction Rs.10000 was met by public subscription and donation from affluent  people. This building, in  by-gone pre-independence period, was the venue of public protest, city council meetings, public meetings and receptions.  Council meeting used to be held till 1953, later from 1953 till 1986 a library was functioning.

color lighting, Victoria Town Hall, Coimbatore,simplicity.in

Interior Town Hall, Coimbatore, TN simplicity.in

Interior Town Hall, Coimbatore, TN simplicity.in

In the 1990s  there was big backlash in the wake of local body's  announcement to pulldown the building which was a well designed British  styled structure with a built-up area of 6000 sq.ft,  The roof with  Mangalore tiles  made of lateritic clay that gives special strength to the unique tiles because of iron  leaching from the mother rock due to chemical weathering, well supported by sold timber roof trusses,  the slanting roof over the corridor supported by Tuscan  styled columns and  grilled windows with wood paneled shutter  impart the distinctive look, typical of the Raj buildings then.  Yet another European feature is the porch with three Gothic columns that support the balcony at the front.

Tuscan columns. in.pinterest.com/

Interior, Victoria Town Hall, Coimbatore, TN.sharingthesoul.wordpress.c.com

In the midst of widespread protest from various sections, the idea of demolition was given up and later 1n 1992 it was renovated at a cost of Rs. 15 lakhs. In 2014 some spruce up operation was done to take care of leaks in the roof, paint job, etc. The town hall was renovated to accommodate more councilors - about 100 at a time. Earlier i70 people could sit comfortably. With the expansion of this industrial  city,  the original seating capacity of the hall was not good enough and had to be increase. The engineers carefully planed for expansion without compromising on its colonial or heritage elements Though cramping may occur, still the hall could take in 100 councilors at a time. The credit goes to INTACH engineers who resurrected the old structure from near death. They planned the conservation work with meticulous care. 

The renovation work consisted of electrical rewiring, paint job roof tiles work besides landscaping of the front area. 

https://eng.bharattimes.co.in/coimbatores-victoria-hall-being-renovated-coimbatore-news-times-of-india/

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https://wikimili.com/en/Victoria_Town_Hall%2C_Coimbatore

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Town_Hall,_Coimbatore