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COLONIAL PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE
Page 5
KARACHI CANTONMENT RAILWAY STATION (Frere St. Station, 1898)
Old Picture
Current Pictures
During the late 1890's, there was an outbreak of Bubonic Plague in the subcontinent, which reached Bombay from China in the autumn of 1896. By December, an epidemic was declared in Karachi. Therefore, not a lot of construction activity was seen in the city during this period; the only two important buildings from this time being the Lady Dufferin Hospital, and the Cantonment Railway Station of Karachi. (ref. Lari 1996)
The Cantonment Railway Station, earlier known as the Frere Street Station, was one of the many buildings created by the Public Works Department. The building was finished by 1898 and cost a total of Rs. 80,000. The architecture of the building is modest compared to the train stations of Bombay, however, it uses an elegant classical architectural style and is an impressively sized building. The central projecting entrance section employs large Renaissance doorways and Roman arches crowned by a triangular pediment. The facade is arcaded and at both ends of the building, there are sections capped with Romanesque gables.
THE JAFFER FADDOO DISPENSARY (1904)
The Jaffer Faddoo Dispensary was the first building made in Karachi due to the philanthropy of a Muslim resident, a testimonial to the rising prosperity of this community in the city. This dispensary, which served the poor, was constructed by the charitable efforts of Jaffer Faddoo, the editor and proprietor of the first native-managed English newspaper of Sindh, The Phoenix (which began publication in 1888) (ref Lari, 1996). Jaffer Faddoo was well respected throughout the city and known to be a knowledgeable and temperate man.
The dispensary is a simple building utilizing semi-circular arcading. Its most distinguishing feature is the central clock tower which is capped by octagonal projecting eaves carrying a cupola, and features a large clock in tradition with the other clock towers of Karachi.
The building has been damaged over the years, but due to the efforts of the Heritage Foundation, it has been restored to a certain extent, and adaptively re-used as part of a 100-bed hospital for the Kutiyana Memon Association.
The Khaliqdina Hall and Library was the first building built by local Muslim philanthropists for the literary and recreational pursuits of the native population. It was built in 1906, at a cost of Rs. 33,000. A generous donation of Rs. 18,000 was made by Ghulam Hussain Khaliqdina, for which the hall was immortalized with his name. The rest of the funding was provided by the Karachi Municipal Corporation. The Khaliqdina Hall housed the Native General Library and a meeting hall, and was located in Runchore Lines, close to the Old Town Quarter, to facilitate easy access by the residents of the area.
The architecture employed was predominantly palladian in style, choosing elements to convey an instant sense of grandeur. The entrance is reached through an Ionic portico set over a high podium, and is topped by an overbearing triangular pediment proudly displaying the name and construction date of the building. The meeting hall on the inside is 95 ft in length and 45 ft wide and is capable of seating from 600 to 700 persons. A ten foot verandah runs around the sides of the hall.
The Khaliqdina Hall assumed historical significance and became known throughout the subcontinent when it was chosen as the venue for the trial of Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar, leader of the Khilafat Movement. On July 8 - 10, 1921, the Khilafat Conference, held in Karachi, passed a resolution declaring it "unlawful for any faithful to serve from today in the [British] army or help or acquiesce in their recruitment" and stated that "if the British Government directly or indirectly, openly or secretly, fights the Angora Government (the Turkish National Government), the Muslims of India will start civil disobedience". The Jauhar brothers, Maulana Mohammad Ali and Maulana Shaukat Ali, made fiery and impassioned speeches in connection with the Khilafat conference, which led to their being arrested and charged with incitement against the British Government. The trial of Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar, in which he defended himself, was held in the Khaliqdina Hall and became known as the 'Trial of Sedition'. This building consequently became the symbol of the Muslim struggle during the Khilafat Movement and the movement for independence.
Presently, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation has completed renovation work on the Khaliqdina Hall with an estimated cost of Rs. 13.6 million. The building is now fully renovated and pending a reopening for the public.
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Architect: James Strachan
Style: Gothic
Completed: 1906
Cost: not known (please let me know if you have this information)Once located at the northern edge of the city, the Karachi Central Jail, completed in 1906, now lies almost in the heart of city. Orginally a 13 ft high wall enclosed an area of 10,889 square yards and was planned on what was then considered the modern cubicle design. It was meant to house 325 male and 17 female prisoners. The Karachi Jail has housed many prominent leaders of the Pakistan Freedom Movement, including Maulana Mohammad Ali Johar who in September 1921 was sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment here. During his stay in Karachi Jail, he wrote his famous autobiography my life: A Fragment.
Contribution note: More information and better pictures are needed regarding this building. Please help the website by contributing them.
