Each August, with Madras Week being celebrated, heritage buildings in the city come into focus. In the initial years, it was a uniform lament — they were all being neglected. The tide has since changed with the State government leading the way. As I write this, I know that work is either ongoing or planned on at least eight important structures. Even the Central government seems to have woken up. According to sources, plans are afoot to do something about historic post-offices, and they include the GPO. The one edifice that presents a sharp contrast to all of this is Bharat Insurance Building on Anna Salai.
It began life with everything going for it. Constructed in the 1890s, it had a vantage location, for it faces the curve of Mount Road. Originally fronted by a triangular garden space, it must have been striking as pedestrians and motorists proceeded south. The architect, J.H. Stephen of the Madras PWD, threw in practically every feature of the Indo-Saracenic into it. It could have resulted in chaos, but it was a work of genius that brought everything into a harmonious whole. The completed edifice was known as Kardyl Building.
The structure was constructed for WE Smith & Co, one of the city’s well-known chemists, druggists, opticians, sellers of medical instruments and manufacturers of soda water. The building was unique in its conception — it had, apart from the offices of the company, rooms to let to practising doctors, dentists and opticians, a small auditorium and wonder of wonders, a tramway on the premises that transported the bottled soda water from the plant at the rear to the showroom in the front!
