Latest news with #LICBuilding
The Hindu
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Art Deco and its connect to insurance companies of Madras
It was on May 6 that I wrote about the Art Deco style completing a century across the world. I was not quite prepared for the flood of emails, comments, and calls that followed, recalling one or the other of the splendid examples of that architectural style we had in this city. I am taking up one of the threads which began with an observation of mine in that article, namely that many insurance company promoters seemed to have preferred Art Deco for their offices and headquarters. Sivasankar Chander sends me an email reminding me of the United India Building on South Esplanade, which now houses the offices of LIC. Long before his name became permanently linked with the iconic LIC Building on Mount Road, though he tragically did not live to see its completion, Chidambaram Chettyar (yes, that is how he spelt it) had conceptualised and built another building, this one an Art Deco icon. 'Favourite builder' The United India Building, facing the Law College, came up on what was then known as the South Esplanade and now simply the Esplanade. The architect was not Ballardie, Thompson & Mathew as Sivasankar writes, but Kaval Lal Mehta, who was 'favourite builder', as S. Muthiah writes in his book Unfinished Journey: The Story of M Ct M Chidambaram Chettyar. The building, when completed, was truly Art Deco and happily remains one, though I wish something could be done about its poorly maintained interiors. A landmark Sivasankar writes of how the Art Deco designed offices for insurance seemed to have inspired the residences of those involved in the business. Certainly, second residence in the city, Bedford Villa in San Thome, is all Art Deco. And, as Sivasankar says, so was the residence of S.T. Sadasivan, a man who played key roles in insurance and banking. That house, which was for long a landmark on Brihadambal Street (who was she?) at Nungambakkam, has been replaced by a high-rise, he says. But he has sent two photos, one of its exterior, and the other, more importantly, of its interior, which was also faithful to the Art Deco style. Sadasivan began his career in Central Bank of India, and when began the Indian Overseas Bank, was hand-picked to be its General Manager. He was a director on the board of United India Fire and General Insurance Company when began it in 1938, the older United India Life having started in 1922 and been taken over in 1924 by father Sir Muthiah Chettiar. Sadasivan wound up his career by joining the then Birla-run United Commercial Bank. It covered all Going back to the house on Brihadambal Street, the pictures make it clear that Art Deco was not just a façade when it came to India. Interiors too were faithful to the style, and this extended to furniture design in a big way. Why, even silverware had elements of it. But, even then, modernism was making inroads, it having replaced Art Deco, which had a good run for two decades at best. When dreamt big and conceptualised his United India Building on Mount Road in 1953, he turned to Brown & Moulin, an architect's firm from the U.K. When it was completed in 1959 in modernist style, the world had changed. had died in 1954 in an air crash in Singapore, aged 46. Insurance was nationalised in 1956 and so it was as LIC Building that the structure came to be known. (V. Sriram is a writer and historian.)
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Art Deco again, and its connect to insurance companies of Madras
It was on May 6 that I wrote about the Art Deco style completing a century across the world. I was not quite prepared for the flood of emails, comments, and calls that followed, recalling one or the other of the splendid examples of that architectural style we had in this city. I am taking up one of the threads which began with an observation of mine in that article, namely that many insurance company promoters seemed to have preferred Art Deco for their offices and headquarters. Sivasankar Chander sends me an email reminding me of the United India Building on South Esplanade, which now houses the offices of LIC. Long before his name became permanently linked with the iconic LIC Building on Mount Road, though he tragically did not live to see its completion, Chidambaram Chettyar (yes, that is how he spelt it) had conceptualised and built another building, this one an Art Deco icon. 'Favourite builder' The United India Building, facing the Law College, came up on what was then known as the South Esplanade and now simply the Esplanade. The architect was not Ballardie, Thompson & Mathew as Sivasankar writes, but Kaval Lal Mehta, who was 'favourite builder', as S. Muthiah writes in his book Unfinished Journey: The Story of M Ct M Chidambaram Chettyar. The building, when completed, was truly Art Deco and happily remains one, though I wish something could be done about its poorly maintained interiors. A landmark Sivasankar writes of how the Art Deco designed offices for insurance seemed to have inspired the residences of those involved in the business. Certainly, second residence in the city, Bedford Villa in San Thome, is all Art Deco. And, as Sivasankar says, so was the residence of S.T. Sadasivan, a man who played key roles in insurance and banking. That house, which was for long a landmark on Brihadambal Street (who was she?) at Nungambakkam, has been replaced by a high-rise, he says. But he has sent two photos, one of its exterior, and the other, more importantly, of its interior, which was also faithful to the Art Deco style. Sadasivan began his career in Central Bank of India, and when began the Indian Overseas Bank, was hand-picked to be its General Manager. He was a director on the board of United India Fire and General Insurance Company when began it in 1938, the older United India Life having started in 1922 and been taken over in 1924 by father Sir Muthiah Chettiar. Sadasivan wound up his career by joining the then Birla-run United Commercial Bank. It covered all Going back to the house on Brihadambal Street, the pictures make it clear that Art Deco was not just a façade when it came to India. Interiors too were faithful to the style, and this extended to furniture design in a big way. Why, even silverware had elements of it. But, even then, modernism was making inroads, it having replaced Art Deco, which had a good run for two decades at best. When dreamt big and conceptualised his United India Building on Mount Road in 1953, he turned to Brown & Moulin, an architect's firm from the U.K. When it was completed in 1959 in modernist style, the world had changed. had died in 1954 in an air crash in Singapore, aged 46. Insurance was nationalised in 1956 and so it was as LIC Building that the structure came to be known. (V. Sriram is a writer and historian.)
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Time of India
Chennai to get its own ‘Super Tree' like in Singapore
Chennai: A 34m-tall 'Super Tree', just 20m shorter than the LIC Building, will soon take root in the Kalaignar Centenary Park to offer visitors a panoramic view of the city. The structure, coming up on the eastern end of the park, is likely to be inaugurated early next year. "It's modelled along the lines of Singapore's Supertree Grove," said an official from the horticulture department. "The trunk of the structure, wrapped in greenery, will branch out and act like a canopy, which in turn will serve as an outdoor deck," said an official from the horticulture department. The ten-storied tower will have two elevators and 25 steps on a floor to take visitors to an air-conditioned glass viewing deck. "This will be unlike anything Chennai has seen," said an official involved in the project. From the top, visitors will be able to see the Gemini flyover fully lit." With 1,200 square feet of indoor viewing space and 1,850 square feet of outdoor deck area, the Super Tree aims to become both a tourist magnet and a serene retreat. "The structure is designed with sustainability in mind, uses energy-efficient materials," said Thousand Lights MLA Dr N Ezhilan. In 2023, state govt regained possession of prime land worth ₹1,000 crore in Chennai from the Agri Horticultural Society. It was handed over to the horticulture department for development. Today at least 500 people visit Kalaignar Centenary Park there every day.
