Ripon Building, Administrative building in Chennai, India.
The Ripon Building is an administrative building in Chennai featuring white-painted walls, tall Ionic and Corinthian columns, and a central tower. It houses multiple government departments, a hall that can seat 500 people, and parking facilities for vehicles.
The foundation stone was laid on 11 December 1909 by Lord Minto, Viceroy of India, and the building was completed in 1913 at a cost of ₹750,000. It was designed by G.T.S. Harris and built by Loganatha Mudaliar. Named after Lord Ripon, Governor-General of British India and father of local self-government, it became the seat of the Municipal Corporation of Madras in 1913, when P. L. Moore was President.
The building is named after Lord Ripon, Governor-General of British India, called the Father of local self-government. The Greater Chennai Corporation, founded in 1688 and among the oldest municipal bodies in India, has had its seat here since 1913, when P. L. Moore was President and over 3,000 city elites attended the inauguration. The Tamil name is ரிப்பன் கட்டிடம்.
The building faces Poonamallee High Road beside Chennai Central station, with the arched portico inscribed "RIPON BUILDINGS" fronting a lawn and trees. The Mayor and Commissioner keep their offices in the main block; all other corporation departments work from the Amma Maaligai annexe behind it, inaugurated in September 2015.
The clock's four bells were cast by Gillet and Johnston in 1913, the same year the Westminster Quarter chime was installed by Oakes and Co. The mechanism is wound by hand each day, and the dial measures 2.5 metres across.
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