Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai

Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Top to bottom: Bombay High Court; Art Deco buildings along Marine Drive; and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
Location	Mumbai, India
Criteria	Cultural: (ii), (iv)
Reference	1480
Inscription	2018 (42nd Session)
Area	66.34 ha
Buffer zone	378.78 ha
Coordinates	18°55′46″N 72°49′48″E
Location of Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai in India

The Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Bombay is a collection of 19th-century Victorian Revival public and 20th-century Mumbai Art Deco private buildings in the Fort precinct of Mumbai.^[1] This ensemble was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018.^[2][3]

These buildings are set around the Oval Maidan, a large recreational ground that was once known as the Esplanade.^[2] The east of the Oval is flanked by the Victorian Gothic public buildings and the western side is flanked by the Art Deco buildings of Back bay Reclamation and Marine Drive.^[2] This nomination aims to safeguard a total of 94 buildings.^[4][5]

Location and extent of inscribed World Heritage Site:

Inscribed property 

Buffer zone 

The 19th century Victorian Gothic buildings that lie to the east of the Oval are mainly the Bombay High Court, The University of Mumbai (Fort Campus) and The City Civil and Sessions Court (Housed in the Old Secretariat Building).^[6][2] This stretch also houses one of the landmarks of Mumbai, the Rajabai Clock Tower. The 20th century Art Deco buildings flank the western stretch of the Oval and consist mainly of privately owned residential buildings and the Eros Cinema among others.^[2]

This ensemble of Victorian Gothic and Art Deco buildings was added to the list of World Heritage Sites on 30 June 2018 during 42nd session of World Heritage Committee at Manama, Bahrain.^[7]

List of heritage structures or sites

Victorian

Indian Neo-Gothic (Hindu Gothic) architecture

• City Civil and Sessions Court (Old Secretariat)
• University of Bombay complex:
  • Rajabai Clock Tower
  • University Library
  • Convocation Hall
• Bombay High Court
• Public Works Department Building
• Esplanade Mansion
• David Sassoon Library
• Elphinstone College
• Maharashtra Police Headquarters
• Indian Mercantile Mansion

Neoclassical

• Standard Chartered Bank Building
• Wellington Fountain
• Army and Navy Building
• Institute of Science
• Sir Cowasji Jehangir Hall, National Gallery of Modern Art

Indo-Saracenic

Further information: Indo-Saracenic architecture

• Western Railway Headquarters building
• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
• Majestic Aamdar Niwas

Art Deco

• Regal Cinema
• Eros Cinema
• Motabhoy Mansion
• Soona Mahal
• Keval Mahal
• Buildings around the Oval Maidan and Marine Drive

Gallery

• 
  Bombay High Court (Neo-Gothic)
• 
  Rajabai Clock Tower (Neo-Gothic)
• 
  Maharashtra Police Headquarters (Neo-Gothic)
• 
  Standard Chartered Bank Building (Neoclassical)
• 
  Army and Navy Building (Neoclassical)
• 
  Western Railway Headquarters Building (Indo-Saracenic)
• 
  The Eros Cinema (Art Deco)

References

1. "Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
2. "The Victorian & Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai - UNESCO World Heritage Centre". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
3. Mumbai's Victorian Gothic Art Deco Ensembles Is A World Heritage Site artdecomumbai.com. Retrieved 4 September 2021
4. "List of Buildings, Architectural Styles & Maps of the UNESCO Precinct – Art Deco". www.artdecomumbai.com. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
5. "Research | Art Deco". www.artdecomumbai.com. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
6. "History - City Civil and Sessions Court, Mumbai". District Courts of India. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
7. "Four sites added to UNESCO's World Heritage List". UNESCO. 30 June 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.

External links

1. Art Deco Buildings in Bombay (Flickr album)