Through her lived experiences and a lifelong study of the city’s cultural history, Shanta Gokhale explains what makes this Deco neighbourhood special.
Gallery
Jan 25, 2023

Park View, Sindhi Colony, Sion. The suburb of Sion was laid out in the early 20th century and developed simultaneously with Dadar and Matunga, under the Dadar-Matunga-Wadala-Sion Development Scheme. It emerged at a time of rapid new development in the city and absorbed the building style of its neighbouring areas which were witnessing a spurt of Deco buildings in the late 1940s. Sion also became home to the Sindhi community, which migrated to Bombay from the Sindh region after Partition.
Jan 25, 2023

Park View, a stunning Deco residential complex is an example of how the style was adapted in the suburbs, and also came to be linked to complex patterns of migration and partition histories. While it holds muted down features of Art Deco, the exaggerated stepped profile of the crown is hard to miss. The horizontal lines appear behind the crown to create an interesting geometric grid. The balconies subtly curve towards the centre, directing one’s gaze to the long vertical band leading to the geometric stucco motif on top.
Jan 25, 2023

The compound wall mimics the bands and stepped profile of the crown - a common design language seen even in Deco around Marine Drive.
Jan 25, 2023

An assortment of box metal grilles, pigeon nets and alterations to the windows have successfully hidden the sleek wavy railings on the balcony parapets. Is there a better way to carry out these design interventions?
Jan 19, 2023

Chikitsak Samuha’s Shirolkar High School, Girgaon. Year: 1937. The Chikitsak Samuha was founded as a social club in 1908, by the Saraswat community. Within a decade, the club took over a nearby primary school, expanding its philanthropic activities into education. By 1918, the first batch of students sat for their “matriculation” examinations. Till 1937, the school operated out of a rented premise on Girgaon Road, in a building called “Sanzgiri Bhuwan”.
Jan 19, 2023

With a timely contribution of Rs. 1 lakh by Vishnu Janardhan Shirolkar, the school got its own building on Sadashiv Cross Lane in Girgaon, a modest but stunning Deco structure, where it continues to run till date. It was eventually named Shirolkar High School, after Vishnu Shirolkar, for his generous donation. This new school building features a unique representation of the Indian vernacular style interwoven with Art Deco, a western import. The stepped crown boasts of a stunning bas-relief featuring Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge and learning, complete with her veena, peacock and lotus seat – apt for a school building.

Inventory
An inventory of Art Deco buildings with an interactive map showing you where they are located. Explore neighbourhoods, buildings, features and elements.
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Advertisements and Consumer Culture: An Illustrated Glimpse of Modern Life in 20th Century Bombay
An illustrated glimpse into consumer culture and modern life in 20th century Bombay, as seen through print advertisements.

Liberty Cinema: The Showplace of the Nation - A Short Film
This film is a tribute to Habib and Nazir Hoosein, the makers and custodians of Liberty Cinema who gave Bombay much more than a theatre.

An Exploration of Adaptive Reuse: The Case of El Rey Theatre, San Francisco
Formerly a theatre, then a place of worship, and now re-adapted for modern society - tracing the rise and fall of El Rey theatre, San Francisco's former Art Deco ‘movie palace’.

MUMBAI'S ART DECO
Mumbai’s Deco Colours and the Companies Who Created Them: An Examination of Print Ads from 1930s-50sAs much as these companies painted the buildings of the time, their print campaigns also paint a picture of the times.