This essay is a compilation of rare archival records listing the architects and firms that played a crucial role in shaping the city through the Art Deco style, particularly from the 1930s to the 60s. It is a result of years of extensive research on the city and the people who built it, and lists some of their prominent works.
In the early 20th century, as architects and artists around the world experimented with design and new construction materials, Bombay too came into its own. A dream for a new city was being visualised, in a country moving fast towards independence. The city’s built form as a reflection of its modern metropolitanism is often spoken of. But there were several architects and firms that shaped the modern city as we know it today, whose practice and vision are seldom acknowledged.
Art Deco became the language of modern expression for these architects and their practices. Many of them were a new generation of Indian architects graduating from homegrown schools like Sir J. J. School of Art in Bombay, or the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, among others. These prolific architects merged modernity with prevalent cultural and stylistic practices that reflected swadeshi sensibilities, using a unique stylisation of Art Deco that was adapted to Bombay.
We list (alphabetically) the ‘Architects‘ first, followed by the ‘Architectural Firms‘. You may notice overlaps in the practices, representative of a spirit of synergy and collaboration that shaped the city. Click on the buildings highlighted in blue to see them in our online inventory.
ARCHITECTS
ABDULHUSSEIN MEHERALI THARIANI
b. 1905
Architect with a practice spanning across present-day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Known for Karim Building, Mohammed Ali Road; Rawji Sojpal Building, Dadar and Cambridge Court, Cumbala Hill.
ABDULLA BHANJI PEERMAHOMED
Senior partner with architect and author Roshan H Namavati. Elected as a member of the Indian Institute of Architects in 1940, known for Kulsum Terrace and Elysium Mansion, Colaba. He also built several buildings in Bombay and Pune for His Highness The Aga Khan.
BHICAJI EDULJI DOCTOR
b. December 1901One half of Doctor & Vazifdar with Jehangir Phiroshaw Vazifdar. Known for the Onlooker Building, Fort (as Doctor and Mhatre) and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Girgaon (as Doctor & Vazifdar).
BHAGWANDAS MORARJI KAMDAR
b. 20 December 1903 - d. 10 December 1979Architect and engineer, also known as the ‘Furniture King’ for having founded Kamdar Karyalaya, a pioneering furniture and interior design practice, in 1934. The Kamdars furnished several prominent homes in Bombay and beyond, including the Manik Bagh Palace in Indore. He also built Sudha Kunj, Tardeo.
CHIMANLAL M. MASTER
d. 9 March 1961 Name partner in the first all Indian-led architectural practice, Master, Sathe & Bhuta. He was also actively engaged with the architectural department of J.J. School of Arts and served as head of department from 1943-48. He served as the President of the Indian Institute of Architects (1949-50).
CHARLES FREDERICK STEVENS
b. 1872 Son of Frederick William Stevens, born in Bombay and started his own architectural practice. Known as the architect of Regal Cinema, Colaba. He was also briefly senior partners with Thomas Sedgwick Gregson (of Gregson, Batley & King), as ‘Stevens, Gregson & Co.’
CLAUDE BATLEY
b. 13 October 1879 - d. 20 March 1956English architect, successful practitioner, academician, Head of the architecture department at J.J. School of Arts (1923-43) and name partner at Gregson, Batley & King (GBK). Also known to have designed Kismet and Gold Croft at Cumbala Hill.
DATTATRAY RAGHUNATH CHOWDHARI
b. 1906 - d. 1982 Senior partner at Gregson, Batley & King (since 1945). Designed Bank of India, Fort and South Court, Malabar Hill (former residence Muhammad Ali Jinnah) for GBK.
DADY BILLIMORIA
Architect for Ivorine, Oval Maidan.
DAVID WILLIAM DITCHBURN
b. 15 September 1883 - d. 9 May 1953Reputed architect who came to Bombay after World War I, one-third of Ditchburn, Mistri & Bhedwar. Previously a partner with W.A. Chambers & Co., which completed the Taj Mahal Hotel (originally designed by Sitaram Khanderao Vaidya and D N Mirza) in Apollo Bunder. Ditchburn also designed the Metro Cinema, Marine Lines with Thomas Lamb, and Malabar Court, Malabar Hill.
FREDERICK MCKNIGHT
Architect of Gresham Assurance Building, Fort, and BEST Bhavan, Colaba
GANESH LAXMAN KULKARNI
One-half of Marathe & Kulkarni with D.N. Marathe. Also designed Ganesh Baug, Matunga, and a temporary stage and open-air auditorium at Marine Drive for the Marathi Stage and Drama Centenary Celebrations.
GAJANAN BABURAO MHATRE
b. 1902 - d. 4 October 1973 Prolific practitioner who worked as a consulting architect with various firms in the city. Through works such as Empress Court, Oval Maidan, Shangri-La, Cumbala Hill, Soona Mahal and Sea Green Hotel, Marine Drive, Karfule Petrol Pump, Ballard Estate, among others, Mhatre’s practice shaped the city of Bombay. He was given the name “Shadow Architect” by Claude Batley.
HENRY FOSTER KING
b. 1885 - d. 20 November 1956Name partner at Gregson, Batley & King with Claude Batley and Thomas Sedgwick Gregson. First President of the Bombay Architectural Association, which predated the Indian Institute of Architects (of which he later became President from 1945-46). Also known to have designed the interiors for BEST Bhavan, Colaba.
JOHN A. RITCHIE
Architect of HSBC Bank Building, Fort formerly known as the Mercantile Bank of India. He worked on this project with his partner L. Palfi in association with Ditchburn, Mistri & Bhedwar.
JOHN BERCHMANS FERNANDES
Completed the design of the Liberty Cinema, Marine Lines, after the untimely death of M. A. Ridley Abbott. Worked with Waman M. Namjoshi who designed the interiors. President of the Indian Institute of Architects from 1952-54.
JAMSHEDJI PESTONJI MISTRI
b. 1863 - d. 1941Architect and founding partner of the well-reputed architectural firm Mistri & Bhedwar.
JOHN LEO MULVANEY
Architect known for designing Oval View and Ram Mahal, Churchgate, Shalimar, Marine Drive, and Pallonji Mansion, Cuffe Parade.
JEHANGIR PHIROSHAW VAZIFDAR
b. 1920 - d. 2011Artist and one half of Doctor & Vazifdar, co-founded by him at age 21. Designed Somerset Place, Cumbala Hill, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Girgaon, and Breach Candy Apartments, Breach Candy.
K.L. GUPTA
Architect who designed Oceana along Marine Drive.
KARIM NOORANI
Name partner in Adalja & Noorani. Designed Philo Mena in Dadar with G. B. Mhatre.
KUMAR RAMSINH
b. 26 October 1906 - d. 31 October 1956 Second Indian partner in Gregson, Batley & King in 1936, after Pierre A. d’Avoine. Designed the Morvi Palace in Gujarat, an Art Deco Palace. Also known for Resham Bhavan, Churchgate and Ilaco House, Fort.
MAGANLAL VORA
Engineer and name partner of the architectural firm Suvernpatki & Vora.
M. A. RIDLEY ABBOTT
M. A. Ridley Abbott was part of 'Prynne, Abbott and Davis’, a prominent architectural firm in Madras and southern India at that time, along with name partners John E Davis and Major Harold F Prynne. Appointed as the architect for Liberty Cinema, Marine Lines, J B Fernandes took over its completion after Abbott's untimely death.
MAHADEO KRISHNAJI JADHAV
Started a private practice with his two former students Janardan Ganesh Patki and Ganpat Shrikrishna Dadarkar in 1931; the same year he was selected as the first Wittet Scholar. Jadhav was also appointed the State Architect and Engineer at Baroda in 1940 and Architect to the Bombay Government in 1949. From 1954-55 he was elected President of the Indian Institute of Architects.
MINOCHER "MINOO" J.P MISTRI
b. 10 December 1915Son of Jamshedji Mistri (of Mistri & Bhedwar), Minocher Jamshedji Pestonji Mistri joined the firm in 1940 and became partner in 1941. After his father’s death, he and his sister Perin partnered with D. W. Ditchburn to form Ditchburn, Mistri & Bhedwar. He co-founded the art and architectural magazine Marg in 1946 .
PIERRE AVICENNA D'AVOINE
b. 1907 - d. November 1960First Indian partner of Gregson, Batley & King in 1935, partly of French-Mauritian descent. Designed the Cricket Club of India and the Ritz Hotel, Churchgate. Also a talented cricketer himself, he played for the GBK team.
P. C. DASTUR
Architect of three identical buildings along Marine Drive: Keval Mahal, Kapur Mahal and Zaver Mahal, Marine Drive.
PERIN JAMSHEDJI MISTRI
b. 1913 - d. 1989First-registered female architect of India, daughter of Jamshedji Mistri of the architectural firm Mistri & Bhedwar. After their father’s death, she and her brother Minocher Mistri partnered with D. W. Ditchburn to form the architectural practice of Ditchburn, Mistri & Bhedwar. Known for Shengre La, Cumbala Hill.
R. N. THACKER
Architect who designed Sicka Nagar, Girgaon.
RAGHUNATH SITARAM PATANKAR
d. 17 May 1980Architect known for the iconic Ruia College in Matunga.
SHANKARRAO H. PARELKAR
b. 28 September 1897 - d. 08 November 1979Architect known for Lamba Building (formerly Cooper Building) and Shri Krishna Bhuvan, Matunga. President of the Indian Institute of Architects (1943-44).
SRIDHAR JAYARAM NARWEKAR
President of the Indian Institute of Architects (1944-45), also known for designing Prabhat, Dadar. Narwekar was the first candidate to pass the inaugural R.I.B.A. Associateship Examination in Bombay, and also the only one at the time to achieve this in the first attempt.
SOHRAB KAIKUSHRO BHEDWAR
Architect of the iconic Eros Cinema, Oval Maidan and name partner in architectural firm Bhedwar & Bhedwar, along with his brother Cawas Kaikushro Bhedwar. Also designed Green Fields, Oval Maidan.
THOMAS SEDGWICK GREGSON
Name partner in Gregson, Batley & King. Vice President of Bombay Architectural Association in 1926-27. President of the Indian Institute of Architects for two consecutive years, in 1932-34.
THOMAS WHITE LAMB
b. 5 May 1870 – d. 26 February 1942Known as the 'King of theatres,' Lamb was the leading designer of cinema theatres in the world, and designed the Metro Cinema, Marine Lines.
VISHNU MAHADEO SUVERNPATKI
Name partner of the architectural firm Suvernpatki & Vora, he designed Fairlawn, Oval Maidan.
YAHYA CASSUMJEE MERCHANT
b. 1903 – d. 1990 Designed many buildings throughout India and Pakistan, including DCB Building (Ismailia Bank building), Umerkhadi and Baitul Saadah, Cumbala Hill, Mumbai; and the Jinnah Mausoleum in Karachi, Pakistan. He taught architecture at J.J. College of Architecture, from 1943-1961.
ARCHITECTURAL FIRMS
ADALJA & NOORANI
Firm that was commissioned to build Maskati House, Mohammed Ali Road, Madhuban, Dadar, and Philo Mena, Dadar (in consultation with G.B. Mhatre). Architect Karim Noorani was a name partner.
ARCHITECTURAL STUDIO
Founded in 1938 by the prolific architect G.B. Mhatre, architect K. A. Parelkar and interior decorator M. A. Mirza. Karfule, Ballard Estate and Marble Arch, Cumbala Hill are some of the most notable buildings.
B.J. SANJANA & SON
Founded by Burjoji Jamsetji Sanjana, the firm was responsible for building Summer Queen and Zohair Mansion in Colaba.
BALLARDIE, THOMPSON & MATTHEWS
Firm established in 1919 by Harold Sudlow and Hames H. de C. Ballardie, who was the City Architect for Calcutta. Later joined by Arnold John Thompson and Bernard Matthews. The Calcutta-based practice submitted the winning entry in a design competition for the ACC building (Cement House, Churchgate).
BHEDWAR & BHEDWAR
Architectural firm with Sohrabji Bhedwar and his brother Cawas Kaikushro Bhedwar as name partners. Commissioned to build Queens Court, Green Fields, and Eros Cinema at Oval Maidan and Syndicate Bank Building, Fort.
CONTRACTOR & KANGA
Architectural firm with name partners Mancherji Pallonji Contractor and Nusserwanji Dorabji Kanga. They were commissioned to build Empress Court, Oval Maidan with G.B. Mhatre as consulting architect, and Carmichael House, Cumbala Hill.
DITCHBURN, MISTRI AND BHEDWAR
Architectural practice established by the merger of the individual practice of D.W Ditchburn with the well-reputed firm of Mistri & Bhedwar, in 1944. Minocher J.P. Mistri and Perin Mistri, children (of J.P Mistri of Mistri & Bhedwar) were also partners in this firm. Architects for the HSBC Bank Building, Fort in association with John A. Ritchie & his partner L. Palfi.
DOCTOR AND MHATRE
Architectural firm with B.E. Doctor and B.D. Mhatre (President of the Indian Institute of Architects from 1958-60 and member of the Bombay Housing Board for several years) as name partners. Responsible for building the People’s Insurance Building (Onlooker’s Building), Fort.
GREGSON, BATLEY & KING (GBK)
Est. 1917Architectural firm with name partners Thomas Sedgwick Gregson, Claude Batley and Henry Foster King. Prominent works include Bank of India, Ilaco House and Maneckji Wadia Building, Fort; Cricket Club of India and Ritz Hotel, Churchgate; Windsor House, Oval Maidan; Dhanraj Mahal, Colaba; Shree Pant Bhuvan, Girgaon; Breach Candy Hospital and Lincoln House ( Wankaner House), Cumbala Hill; and Windmere and Sealand, Cuffe Parade. The firm “Indianised” later with the addition of Indian partners Pierre A. d’Avoine (inducted in 1935), Kumar Ramsinh (1936), D.R Chowdhari (1945), Pheroze Kudianavala (1960), Julius Lazarus Vaz (1961), Suryakant D. Chowdhari (1961) and S. G. Ranadive (1966). Their clientele included several princely states, which were primarily carried out by Henry Foster King and Kumar Ramsinh, who also designed Morvi Palace, in Gujarat.
IYENGAR & MENZIES
An architectural firm, with name partners Alf. C. Menzies and B. V. S. Iyengar, which was commissioned to build Warden House and United India Building in Fort.
K. P. DAVER & CO.
Architectural firm that designed Belvedere Court, Oval Maidan and Mody Mansion, Colaba
KORA & BHATT
Firm responsible for building the Universal Insurance Building, Fort.
MARATHE & KULKARNI
Prolific practice seen predominantly in Dadar, Sion and Matunga, including Matunga’s Aurora Talkies and Nalini Kunj, and filmmaker V. Shantaram’s bungalow, Raj Kamal, Dadar. Starting out as 'Marathe & Co.,' it became 'Marathe and Kulkarni' after G L Kulkarni joined in 1939. Name partners G.L. Kulkarni and D.N. Marathe.
MASTER, SATHE & BHUTA (MSB)
Est. 1932First all-Indian led architectural firm known for several public institution buildings with an emerging but strong Indian identity. Name partners Chimanlal Motilal Master, Laxman Vishnu Sathe and Gopal Mulji Bhuta. Prominent works include Sonawala Building and Seksaria Building, Marine Drive; Industrial Assurance Building and Indian Merchants Chamber, Churchgate; Lakshmi Insurance Building, Western India House, Bombay Mutual Building and New India Assurance Building, Fort; Mafatlal Bungalow and Sea Face Park, Cumbala Hill; and Sonawala Housing Scheme, Tardeo
MERWANJI, BANA & CO.
An innovative firm responsible for the design of some of the most flamboyant buildings like Shiv Shanti Bhuvan and Rajjab Mahal, Oval Maidan, Framroz Court and St. James Court, Marine Drive, and Court View, Oval Maidan with Maneckji Dalal and G.B. Mhatre as consulting architect. Name partners Bejonji Khurshedji Bana, Merwanji Maneckji Mistri; Other partners include Russi K. Bana (Rustom Khurshedji Bana, son of B.K Bana).
MISTRI & BHEDWAR
Est. 1891Architectural firm established in partnership between Dhunjishaw Pestonjee Bhedwar and Jamshedji Pestonji Mistri. The firm had the highest reputation for fair-dealing and integrity. Commissioned to build Palm Court, Oval Maidan and Roshera, Churchgate. Merged in 1944 to form Ditchburn, Mistri & Bhedwar.
PATKI, JADHAV & DADARKAR
Est. 1931Established in 1931 by Mahadeo Krishnaji Jadhav and joined by his students Janardan Ganesh Patki and Ganpat Shrikrishna Dadarkar. The firm was commissioned to build Bhalchandra Bhuvan, Matunga and Rustom Court, Worli. After Jadhav left in 1940 (upon appointment as State Architect and Engineer for Baroda), the other partners continued working under the name “Patki & Dadarkar”.
POONAGER, BILIMORIA & CO.
An established firm with N.H. Poonager, a well-known civil engineer, as the name partner. An important firm as they got many building commissions at a time when few were given to Indians. G.B. Mhatre served as the chief architect for this firm during the early period of his career. Commissioned to build Sunshine, Oval Maidan with G.B. Mhatre, Firuz Ara, Oval Maidan and Lentin Chambers, Fort.
POONAGER AND MHATRE
No formal partnership contract was drawn, but drawings of the projects N.H. Poonager and G.B. Mhatre collaborated on, like Rao House and Sunny Side in Matunga, were signed as “Poonager and Mhatre”.
SHAPOORJI N. CHANDABHOY & CO.
In 1907, Shapoorji N. Chandabhoy was joined by partners Vicajee A. Taraporevala, Sohrab Framji Bharoocha, Burjor Sorabshaw Jamshedji Aga. Taraporevala and Bharoocha later left and formed their own firms. Aga, nephew of S N Chandabhoy, continued the firm after his uncle's death in 1920 as the surviving partner.The firm was responsible for building NM Petit Fasli Agiyari, Churchgate and Dhanraj Mahal, Colaba with Gregson, Batley & King, and Chateau Windsor Hotel, Churchgate.
SOMJEE & PAYNE
Firm responsible for building the Gold Cornet, Cumbala Hill. Name partner included Habib Jussabhoy Alladinbhoy Somjee.
SUVERNPATKI & VORA
Est. 1936 Architectural firm with Vishnu Mahadeo Suvernpatki and Maganlal Vora as partners. They designed Soona Mahal and Sea Green Hotel, Marine Drive, (with G. B. Mhatre as consulting architect), and Tejookaya Park in Matunga.
SYKES, PATKAR & DIVECHA
Originally 'Sykes and Patkar' with name partners, H. J. Sykes (b. circa 1870 - d. 1936) and M. S. Patkar. Later joined by architect Krishnaram Tooljaram Divecha (b. 27 December 1898) in 1933. Responsible for building the Cotton Exchange Building, Kalbadevi, Swastik Court , Oval Maidan and Currimbhoy Mansion, Cumbala Hill, among others.
TARAPOREVALA, BHAROOCHA & CO.
Vicaji Ardershir Taraporevala, after his exit from Shapoorji Chandabhoy & Co., founded this firm, with Sohrab F. Bharoocha and himself as name partners.The firm was commissioned to build Awabai Mansion, Colaba. Later partners include Merwanji Pallonji Katgara and Eruch Ardeshir Tarapore. The partnership was dissolved in 1929, but Taraporevala continued working alone with the same name till 1937. He was later joined by his nephew, Kersasp Bhiccaji Taraporevala and son, Dorabji V. Tarapore, and the three worked under a new banner, “Taraporevala & Co.”
For architects and firms that shaped Mumbai’s World Heritage Site, click here.