Writers' Building, Colonial administrative building in B.B.D. Bagh, Kolkata, India
Writers' Building is a colonial-era administrative structure in the B.B.D. Bagh area of Kolkata that extends 150 meters along the northern side of Lal Dighi. The Georgian architecture features high ceilings and large windows across multiple floors.
The building was constructed in 1777 to house European clerks working for the British East India Company. Later the structure was converted to serve as the secretariat of the West Bengal state government.
The structure still carries the British term for clerks and junior employees in its name. Allegorical figures decorate the facade showing Minerva, Justice, Commerce, Science, and Agriculture in classical form.
The administrative complex sits in Ward 45 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and can be reached by several public transport routes. The large compound covers 550,000 square feet (51,000 square meters) along the central square.
In December 1930 three freedom fighters entered the offices and shot Colonel N.S. Simpson during working hours. The subsequent gunfight with British authorities became a symbolic moment in the Indian independence struggle.
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