Victoria hall to be opened to public on Aug 15, three-month-long expo planned
"Nearly 99% of the work has been completed. The hall will be inaugurated by chief minister M K Stalin next month. Exhibitions and other events will soon be conducted in the hall," said minister K N Nehru.
As part of the inauguration, a three-month-long exhibition will be held on the premises. Photo exhibitions tracing the history of Tamil civilization and Chennai's place in it will be part of the programme. It will also outline the social revolutions that the city bore witness to.
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"Galleries on the evolution of cinema and sports in Chennai will also be featured. Events will be held in the auditorium on the first floor, while the food and art festival will take place on the lawn. We will turn the place into a vibrant hub for families and tourists. A consultant is already working on the programmes," said a senior GCC official.
J Kumaragurubaran, GCC commissioner, said the interior works have been completed.
"Work on the lawn and greenery is underway. We have tied up with the tourism department to include Victoria Hall in the city attractions. The public can also book halls for programmes after the inauguration," he said.
The Victoria Public Hall, commonly known as town hall, was built to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria. Designed by Robert Chisholm (1840-1915) and built by Namberumal Chetty, it adopts the Indo-Saracenic architectural style.
The DMK govt had announced a 32.62-crore plan under Singara Chennai 2.0 to revitalize the hall. Work started in March 2023. Though it was slated to be completed mid this year, it was delayed. "We had to carry out stormwater drain work. Procuring Damask silk cloth for the interiors and covering acoustics, was a challenge as we did not get the required quantity. Rain also played spoilsport," said Krishna Iyer, director of Abha Narain Lambah Associates.
As part of the restoration, the building was strengthened with a seismic retrofit so as to withstand earthquakes and enhance its capacity to hold more visitors. "The wooden stairs have been fixed, and plaster work completed. The structural work on the roof, work on the main hall, restoration of the external brickwork, doors, and windows have also been completed," said Krishna Iyer.
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