Explore Chennai's Victoria Public Hall, which once hosted ballroom dances and film screenings

The Hindu

2 days ago

Back in 2022, when Victoria Public Hall, an imposing town hall structure standing alongside some of the city's other great monuments like the Ripon buildings and the Central station, was still in disuse, a group of engineers from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) gathered to undertake a study of the premises. Conservation architects and restoration experts who were roped in, said that entering meant danger. Once the ideal location for ballroom dancing in the late 19th and early 20th Century, a heavy step on the floorboard meant that your legs would go through the base of the structure, as the wood was ready to give way from years of having been locked away.
Three years hence, the smell of paint and fresh varnish wafts through the air of this iconic red-brick building which is now nearly ready to welcome visitors. Considered to be built somewhere between 1883 and 1890 in Indo-Saracenic style (although historian V Sriram in a recent The Hindu article argues that it is far more Roman in nature with its Travencore caps) by Robert Chisholm, the British architect who conjured up Chennai's most beautiful Colonial-era buildings, the project, under the Singara Chennai 2.0 initiative, cost ₹32.62 crore to restore.
A S Murugan, Superintending Engineer, Special Projects Department, Greater Chennai Corporation, wants Chennai-residents to use the town hall as it was initially intended — a public space for residents and travellers. 'You have a train to catch and need a place to wait? Spend some time at Victoria Public Hall where a museum on the history of the hall's conservation is going to be built,' he says.
A time of generosity
Victoria Public hall was originally conceived to honour Queen Victoria on her Golden Jubilee in 1887. An article in Madras Musings states that Sir AT Arundel, President of the Corporation at the time, raised funds to build the structure as 'an affirmation of loyalty to the Crown'. The opening however, would not have been possible if Rajah Sir Ananda Gajapati, the Maharajah of Vijayanagaram, did not set aside three and a half acres from People's Park to a Board of Trustees on a 99-year lease at eight annas (half a rupee) a ground per year. He is remembered in a tablet, embellished with all his titles, preserved at the entrance, for having laid the foundation stone.
Chisholm designed the hall with Gothic arcades and tiled sloping roofs and verandahs. A tall four-sided tower that rises to a height of 150 feet continues to exist till date with a claustrophobic winding path, just perfect to take one to the top to the top. Another article from The Hindu's archives states that Chilsom made small rounded balconies, some of them with canopies to make baldacchinos, all along the length of the tower. A memorial to a former Governor of Madras, Sir Charles Trevelyan, stands in the form of a fountain at the front yard of the Hall. It is said that Trevelyan not just improved Madras' water supply and drainage supply systems but also opened the governor's house to tea parties and tiffins, a concept unheard of at the time.
The Victoria Public Hall's purpose was to further the city's cultural and intellectual pursuits. It is why the place hosted several talks, screened films, held ballroom dances, saw performances of plays and discourse on challenging political, spiritual and nationalistic concepts.
Chennai owes its cinematic roots to Victoria Public Hall. An article in The Hindu states that the premiere of the first ever film screening in the city was by T Stevenson in December 1896, the proprietor of the Madras Photographic Store. At Victoria Public Hall, he screened ten short films and many magic lantern slides, depicting views of Madras such as the Guindy horse races and a Mowbray's Road street scene. However, the first few shows were quite the bust. The Madras Mail from December 8, 1896 says that only 'a few adventurous ones went forth to see his show' as rain played quite the spoil sport. The reviews for the show were also, frankly, scathing as the Mail stated that the photographs were 'not distinct enough and in some cases seemed too rapidly worked.'
Besides the tryst with cinema, several plays, particularly those political by nature, were hosted by the Suguna Vilasa Sabha. It is also stated that the Justice Party had its first meeting at the Victoria Public Hall in 1916.
The hall has also played host to several eminent speakers. An article from The Hindu's 1897 edition speaks of Swami Vivekananda's visit. Mahatma Gandhi has also addressed a gathering here. Chennapuri Andhra Maha Sabha also functioned out of the premises in 1914 with the aim to promote Telugu culture and literature for 30 odd years. Several sports: table tennis, billiards, and chess found patronage here at the ground floor of the venue.
Despite having played such a central role in Chennai's pursuit, the hall was often found in dire straits. Although exhibitions were held at the hall intermittently since the 1980s, no consistent use was planned for the location.
Heralding change
With the latest restoration in place, Victoria Public Hall is expected to return to its glory days. Galleries have been installed on the premises for travelling exhibits and a permanent one on the reconstruction of the heritage building. The GCC plans to open the space for talks and occasional performances. There is also a plan to replicate the heritage walk model currently in place at the Ripon Buildings.
Abha Narain Lambah, the country's preferred conservation architect, who was roped in for the restoration project says that work primarily went into structural strengthening. 'A lot of archival research, assessment of documents and mapping the structure was undertaken one and a half years ago. We looked at fabric and structural assessment of buildings in the 19th and 20th Century for reference but also needed to conserve it in such a way that it could be in active use. The aim was to ensure that it does not fall back into dilapidation. We also looked into the acoustics of the hall because it was primarily a performance venue,' she says.
Raj Cherubal, Executive Director, Chennai Smart City and Christy Lemma, Communication Cell In-Charge, GCC, say that much of the original pillars of the building were maintained. Earthquake proofing was done and an attempt to conceal the use of modern embellishments like air conditioners and lighting were done in a manner so as to not appear garish.
'For the inauguration, we plan on hosting an exhibition on Chennai, its roots, the recent discoveries of the Tamil civilization and many more. There will also be a fete with cultural performances and a food festival,' says Christy.
Of contributions
Victoria Public Hall is about 90% ready to invite visitors as of today but a date is yet to be set on the inauguration. As workers put the final touches on the historic staircase of the building and the front yard, I ask a labourer what he thinks of working on the building and his thoughts on the recent sanitary workers' protest that was held close to the entrance of the hall. The labourer insists on a state of impermanence. He says that nobody will acknowledge his effort of having painted the building, the effort of daily wage labourers, or even the function of the government. 'Nothing is permanent but this building. That is where the beauty lies.'