Denso Hall

Library in Karachi, Pakistan

24°51′11″N 67°00′15″E / 24.8530°N 67.0041°E / 24.8530; 67.0041Completed1886Opened1886Design and constructionArchitect(s)James Strachan

Denso Hall (Urdu: ڈینسو ہال), officially The Max Denso Hall and Library, is a library located in Karachi, Pakistan. It was built in 1886 as the first library in Karachi to serve the native population.^[1]

Location

Denso Hall and Library is located at a triangular corner formed by Mohammad Ali Jinnah Road, Murad Khan Road, and Marriott Road in the borough of Saddar Town, in central Karachi.

History

The British colonial government built libraries in Karachi, such as at Frere Hall, but they were restricted to British colonial officers and their families. Denso Hall was constructed in 1886 as the first library for the natives of Karachi.^[2] It was named for Max Denso, who chaired the Karachi Chamber of Commerce in the 1870s.^[3]^[4]

Architecture

James Strachan was the architect of the project and the building was completed in 1886.^[5] The architectural design is Venetian gothic, with Tudor elements on the top floor.^[6] Local Gizri sandstone was used in the construction. When the building was completed it had one library and one reading-room on the ground floor, and the main hall on the first floor. The main road facing side has balconies with sculpted balusters. The clock on the top was a gift from Rao Sahib Ramdas Morarji,^[7] a local Parsi philanthropist who also donated 1,800 books to the library.^[8] The local Khoja community donated another 1,200.^[8]

Conservation

In 2010, it was announced that the Heritage Foundation Pakistan, with financial support from Karachi Electric Supply Corporation, would restore Denso Hall as a Heritage site.^[2] In 2019, the hall's facade, along with other heritage structures on Marriott Road, were cleaned.^[9]

References

^ "Denso Hall, Karachi". heritage.eftsindh.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
^ ^a ^b "Karachi Heritage Site: Denso Hall". www.kesc.com.pk. Archived from the original on 2010-12-27. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
^ Raza, M. Hanif (2004). Karachi & Sindh: past & present. Best Books. ISBN 978-969-8657-04-8.
^ Ansari, Nuha (1997). Karachi, Edge of Empire: Jewels and Gems of Raj Architecture. Ferozsons. ISBN 978-969-0-01396-5.
^ Ansari, Nuha (1997). Karachi, Edge of Empire: Jewels and Gems of Raj Architecture. Ferozsons. ISBN 978-969-0-01396-5.
^ Somaya, Brinda; Mehta, Urvashi (2000). An Emancipated Place: The Proceedings of the Conference and Exhibition Held in Mumbai, February 2000 : Women in Architecture, 2000 Plus : a Conference on the Work of Women Architects : Focus South Asia. Hecar Foundation. ISBN 978-81-7525-194-6.
^ "City Walk – Around Max Denso Hall". The Karachi Walla. 2012-10-11. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
^ ^a ^b Michel, BOIVIN (2013-09-16). L'âghâ khân et les khojah. Islam chiite et dynamiques sociales dans le sous-continent indien (1843-1954) (in French). KARTHALA Editions. ISBN 978-2-8111-0959-2.
^ "Denso Hall Facade Cleaning Festival from April 14". Express Tribune. 3 April 2019.