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COLONIAL PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE
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In this section, the British era public architecture of Karachi is reviewed in the chronological order of its construction from the earliest days of Karachi till the creation of Pakistan. This section covers only non-religious civic buildings constructed in the city by the British government.
Old Pictures
From 1918
From 1960's
Present
The impressive building of the Frere Hall was constructed in the midst of sprawling grounds in the prestigious Civil Lines quarter. It was the first neo-Gothic building in Karachi intended for civic use. The building marked a turning point in the governing policy of the British Government, which, having recently assumed control of the subcontinent from the East India company (in 1857), now enlarged its scope from building palatial and residential accommodation for company representatives to accommodating more civic functions for an efficient government.
The Frere Hall was built to commemorate the services of Bartle Frere, Commissioner-in-Sinde from 1851-1859, to whom the modernization of Sindh was attributed (and who was later appointed the governor of Bombay). Construction of this building cost Rs. 180,000: out of which Rs. 147,000 were allocated by the Karachi Municipality (an organization started by Frere), Rs. 10,000 were contributed by the government, and Rs. 22,500 were raised through public subscription.
The architecture of the Frere Hall was selected through a design competition in which, out of twelve entries received, the design submitted by Col. Henry St. Clair Wilkins of the Royal Bombay Engineers was chosen. Wilkins' design drew strongly from the Domestic Gothic or Venetian Gothic styles that were then in vogue. The construction of the building was started in August 1863, and the hall was opened by Commissioner Mansfield on 10th October, 1865 although not yet complete. The building was built out of buff colored Gizri sandstone with a polychromatic effect in the columns and voussoirs of the arches achieved by interspersing it with white oolite limestone from Bholari, and red sandstone from Jangshahi. Part of the sharply pitched roof was covered with clay tile, whereas the rest was made out of corrugated iron imported from England. The spirelet and the octagonal tower were covered with 'Muntz's metal'. There were distinctive Dormer windows in the roof which were unfortunately removed in the roof replacement carried out in the 1970's. The building was designed with arcaded verandahs on most sides which provide a shade from the afternoon sun. There were statues of Victoria and Edward VII placed in the Queen's lawn and the King's lawn respectively.
The ground floor of the Frere Hall was utilized for the first museum of Karachi, and a Municipal library started by Bartle Frere in 1852. A collection of artifacts initiated by Charles Napier were also put on display in the building. The first floor hall was used for public meetings, lectures, balls, concerts and even dramatic entertainments.
(adapted from Lari, 1996)Present Status:
The Frere Hall is largely in a good state of preservation, however, the interior and window fittings need refitting and some minor refurbishments are needed to maintain the building in good shape. The main issue facing the Hall these days though, is its proximity to a mis-located American Consulate office whose overwhelming security needs have resulted in the Frere Hall and the surrounding gardens to be off limits to Karachiites. The Hall used to house an art gallery and the gardens used to host regular book fairs, however, the rising security demands that the nearby fortified American Consulate is placing on the city government means that none of these activities are accessible to the citizens anymore and the gardens including the hall have been sealed off.
