Ballard Estate

The Ballard Estate business district is situated in the financial district of Fort.[1] Located between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Fort in South Mumbai, it hosts the offices of shipping companies and the headquarters of the Mumbai Port Trust at the Port House. It has the Reliance Centre, many mid-priced hotels and a noted Irani cafe, Britannia.[2]

Overview

The Bombay Port Trust reclaimed 22 acres (89,000 m2) of land at Ballard Estate between 1914 and 1918, using material excavated from the Alexandra Docks for filling. Ballard Estate was named for Colonel J. A. Ballard, a founder of Mumbai Port Trust, which constructed the port and Ballard Pier.[3] George Wittet designed the buildings for the business district, imposing a uniformity of style and design through the use of European Renaissance facades.[4] As it is built in the Edwardian neoclassical architecture, it has a "London feel" to it and is often referred to as "London-like" by the locals. [5]

A plan to relieve congestion, conserve the structures and enliven the historic area under the auspices of the Heritage Conservation Committee has been proposed.[6]

Images
  • Ballard Estate building detail
  • Britannia cafe, an Irani cafe at Ballard Estate
  • Port Trust World War I memorial

References
  1. "Ballard Estate bounces back after 3-year lull". The Times of India. 2 July 2002. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  2. "My heart goes bombili, bombili". The Times of India. 31 March 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  3. "Mumbai Port Trust is 125", Indian Express (26 June 1997) Archived 9 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Ballard Estate", Mumbai Pages, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
  5. "If it feels like London, it must be Ballard Estate". DNA (newspaper). 12 March 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  6. "A Ballard for a heritage precinct", Indian Express, 4 June 1999.


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