8 MADRAS MUSINGS October 1-15, 2010 Mount Road LISTED HERITAGE BUILDINGS and me Places of Historical Importance/Aesthetic Value/Popular Places of Worship in Central Madras & north of Anna Salai. 120 in number, listed in the Justice E. Padmanabhan Committee Report of 2008. (Continued from page 7) shop. This was a small shop Building/Precinct Name Location Grade Building/Precinct Name Location Grade which you could never enter for Kilpauk Water Works (KWC) Tamil Nadu Archives – Historical two reasons: one, it was too Complex New Avadi Road 1 Research Centre Gandhi Irwin Road 1 small and like a train bogie had KWC Main Building & Chimney New Avadi Road 1 Freemasons Hall Ethiraj Salai 1 one small entrance and stret- KWC Overhead Tank New Avadi Road 1 St.Antony’s Church Marshalls Road 2a ched inwards (in this case I KWC Rapid Gravity Filter Building New Avadi Road 1 Sacred Heart Shrine Pantheon Road 2a could never see the end of the KWC Pump Houses New Avadi Road 1 Veerasamy Temple Egmore 2a shop) and two, because it was Kilpauk Cemetery Kilpauk 1 Prasanna Vinayagar Temple Pudupet 2b so choked with books that only Shenoy Nagar Park Shenoy Nagar 1 Government Women’s and a single person could slide in Visveswaraya Tower Park Anna Nagar 1 Children’s Hospital Complex sideways. When you needed a Kasi Viswanathar Koil Kasi Viswanathar Out Patient Block W & C Hospital 1 book you just had to mention Koil Street 2a Gifford School W & C Hospital 1 the title to the ever-smiling Parasurama Lingeswarar Temple P.E. Koil Street 2a Female Ward W & C Hospital 1 owner who would produce it Karia Manicka Perumal Koil Perumal Koil Street 2b Gynaecology Block’G’ Ward W & C Hospital 1 Institute of Mental Health Complex Medavakkam Tank before you could say Arthur ‘H’ Operation Theatre W & C Hospital 1 Road 2a Hailey. Father did not encour- Assistant Resident Medical Sowmya Damodara age pulp fiction, so I skimped Perumal Temple Villivakkam 2a Officer Quarters W & C Hospital 1 and saved and from my meagre Sri Agastheeswara Resident Medical Officer pocket money committed my Swamy Temple Villivakkam 2a Quarters W & C Hospital 1 first cardinal sin (for which I re- Moppli Amman Temple Villivakkam 2b Nurses Quarters W & C Hospital 1 pented a million times in case Villivakkam Temple Villivakkam 2a Museum Complex Divine Wrath makes me forget Kurungalesswar Temple Koyambedu 2a Government Museum Theatre Museum 1 all my dates during the history Government Estate Anna Salai 1 Connemara Public Library Museum 1 exam) and bought A Stone for Rajaji Hall & Grounds Govt. Estate 1 Government Museum Main Danny Fisher for six rupees. Old Government House Govt. Estate 1 Building Museum 1 Soon I became a secret addict Government House National Art Gallery Museum 1 to deviant literature and often Entrance Gates Govt. Estate 1 picked up books that used Cooum House Govt. Estate 2a Centenary Exhibition Hall Museum 1 colourful Anglo-Saxon termi- Gandhi Illam Govt. Estate 1 Curator Residence Museum 2a nology. State Guest House Govt. Estate 1 Museum Activity Centre Museum 2b P.ORR & Sons Anna Salai 1 Ophthalmic Hospital Complex A passport size photograph Curzon’s Wallajah Road 2a Lawley Block G.O. Hospital 1 would be required for the airline Higginsbotham’s Anna Salai 1 Male Wards G.O. Hospital 2a concession form or for the Cosmopolitan Club Anna Salai 1 Connemara Block G.O. Hospital 2a Board Exam form or any such Bharath Insurance Building Anna Salai 1 X Ray Block G.O. Hospital 2a identification paper and all of us ‘Electric Theatre’(Mount Road P.O) Anna Salai 1 Septic Block G.O. Hospital 2a Madrasa – I – Azam Anna Salai 1 would en masse turn up at G.K. Cataract Block G.O. Hospital 2a Quaid-E-Millath Govt. College Anna Salai 2a Vale’s. The solemn coloured Elliot’s School of Ophthalmology G.O. Hospital 1 photograph of Dr. S. Radha- Gove Building Anna Salai 1 Chief Metropolitan Magistrate krishnan hung on the wall op- Thousand Lights Assembly Hall Peter’s Road 1 Court Harris Road 1 posite the entrance, next to the St. George’s Cathedral Cathedral Road 1 Office of the Police Commissioner Pantheon Road 1 elegant and smiling M.S. The Agri – Horticultural Society Cathedral Road 2a Subbulakshmi. Colour film was Memorial Pillar Anna Salai 2a Photography Studto (Old not used and so an artist Durgah Hazareth Syed Moosa Commissioner’s Office) Pantheon Road 2a painted the pupil black, the lips Shah Khaderi Anna Salai 1 Egmore Benefit Society Flowers Road 2a pale pink, and the jewellery yel- Directorate of Physical Spur Tank Chetpet 1 Education (YMCA) Anna Salai 2a low hoping to pass that off as Moti Baba Dargah Pantheon Salai 2a Thousand Lights Mosque Anna Salai 1 gold, with gaudy green, red and Anderson House Anderson Street 2a The Mail Anna Salai 1 Doveton House (Women’s blue for gemstones, thus turn- India Silk House Anna Salai 2a Christian College) College Road 1 ing them into coloured photo- Bata Building Anna Salai 2a graphs in one sense. In smaller State Bank of India Anna Salai 2a Sterling Gardens Sterling Road 1 studios it was less subtle and Poompuhar Building Anna Salai 2a Church Of Christ The King Nungambakkam 1 provided a lot of mirth but at Agurchand Mansions Anna Salai 2a Loyola College Main G.K. Vale’s it was rather elegant The Hindu Anna Salai 2a Building Nungambakkam 2a and tastefully done. Behind the Simpson’s Anna Salai 2a St.Theresa Church Nungambakkam High Rd2a low desk sat numerous sales Gymkhana Club Anna Salai 2a Agatheeswarar Prasanna people, including the smiling Addison’s Anna Salai 2a Venkatesa Perumal Temple North Mada Street 2a owner himself in white shirt and Connemara Hotel Ethiraj Salai 2a Department of Public white trousers. We were ush- Mahmoodi Mosque Anna Salai 2a Instruction Complex 2a ered one by one into the studio Horticultural Society Garden Madras Literary Society DPI 1 and flash went the bulb captur- (Woodlands) Cathedral Road 1 American Care Centre DPI 1 ing our dour expressions for- Christ Church Anna Salai 2a Office of the Inspector of ever. No instant delivery system Kamaraj Kalaiarangam Anna Salai 2a existed, and so we had to come C.S.I Zion Church Arunachalam Street 1 Anglo-Indian Schools DPI 2a back the next day to collect the Goschen Hall (Vijayarayalu Department of Teacher Training DPI 2a pictures. That provided us an Chetty Hall) Arunachalam Street 1 Department of Public excuse to visit Spencer’s for C.S.I Zion Church Nursery & Instruction (Gates) DPI 2a some pastries but, if we were Primary School Arunachalam Street 2a Regional Meteorological broke, then it was the Aavin F-1 Police Station, Centre College Road 2a milk parlour for an ice cream Chindadripet Arunachalam Street 2a Independence Day Park Nungambakkam 2a cone on the go. May Day Park (Napier Park) Arunachalam Street 2a Valluvar Kottam Kodambakkam High Adhipureeswarar Adhi Road 1 Kesava Perumal Temple Agraharam Street 2a I never did learn where Vadapalani Andavar Temple Andavar Koil Street 2a Sri Angala Parameswari Mount Road ended, but all my Vengeeswarar Temple Saidapet- Temple Venkatesan Street 2a shopping and eating ended with Kodambakkam Road 2a Nagaeswari Amman Temple Usman Khan Street 2b Spencer’s and the only reason I Adhimoola Perumal/ Lakshmi Vadapalani Andavar Murugavel Temple Iyya Mudali Street 2b ever ventured beyond it was Temple Koil Street 2a when I wanted to go to the Kalyanam Chetty Girls’ High Swarnambigai Sameda Sivan Koil South Street movies (we called them ‘flicks’) School Lafond Street 2b Bharatajeeswarar Temple Kodambakkam 2a at the Sapphire complex. Egmore Railway Station Gandhi Irwin Road 1