| Senate House | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Interactive map of Senate House | |
| General information | |
| Location | Wallajah Road,Chennai,Tamil Nadu,India |
| Groundbreaking | 1874 |
| Completed | 1879 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Robert Chisholm |
TheSenate House is the administrative centre of theUniversity of Madras inChennai,India. It is situated inWallajah Road, alongMarina Beach. Constructed byRobert Chisholm between 1874 and 1879,[1] the Senate building is considered to be one of the best and oldest examples ofIndo-Saracenic architecture in India.[2]
Robert Chisholm was a 19th-century British architect who is considered to be one of the pioneers ofIndo-Saracenic architecture.[3][4] Initially designing buildings using the Renaissance andGothic styles of architecture,[5] Chisholm switched over to Indo-Saracenic with the construction of the PWD buildings of theChepauk Palace in 1871.[6][7]
In 1864, the Madras government gave an advertisement inviting designs for the Senate House building.[8] Chisholm's design was eventually approved and the building was constructed between April 1874 and 1879.[8][9][10] A saluting battery was present at the site prior to the construction of the Senate House.[11] Prior to the construction of the Senate House, university convocations were held at Banqueting Hall (now Rajaji Hall).[12] The first annual conference of theMadras Music Season was held in the Senate House in the year 1929.[13] During 14 July – 21 December 1937 thelegislature of theMadras Presidency met at the Senate House.[14]
The Senate built in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, incorporates many elements of the Byzantine style.[8] The great hall of the Senate House is of immense height and proportions and considered to be the finest of its kind in India. The unique interior of the building includes, stained-glass windows, rare fresco paintings, intricate murals and painted panels.[8][9]
The restoration of the Senate House was completed in 2006 to coincide withsesqui-centenary (150th year) celebration of theMadras University. Experts fromINTACH andArchaeological Survey of India were consulted to restore the various features of this historic building.[15] In September 2006, the Senate House was re-opened to the public by then president of IndiaA. P. J. Abdul Kalam.[16][17] Although, it remained largely unused for nearly a decade, until August 2015 when the prime minister of IndiaNarendra Modi, inaugurated the India's firstNational Handloom Day at the Senate House building.[18] Recently, it was the venue of a month-long exhibition of the second edition ofChennai Photo Biennale, a first-of-its kind photography conference in India during February–March 2019.[19][20]
![Senate House, Madras - Tucks Oileete (1911)[21]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSenate_House%2c_Madras_-_Tucks_Oileete_(1911).jpg)
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13°03′54″N80°16′58″E / 13.065082°N 80.282909°E /13.065082; 80.282909
