Anandashram, Matunga

The Dadar-Matunga Street Scheme, which was notified in 1899, contemplated laying out plots systematically on the land to the north of the Island City, which were primarily rice fields. (1/9)
The space that was laid out in grids, with a complete network of roads and easy accessibility to the tramway and railway stations, was demarcated as "residential". (2/9)
The scheme, which originally ensured private plots for bungalows and villas with their own gardens, had to be reworked as an increasing number of people migrated to the suburbs, creating a housing scarcity. (3/9)
The need for mass-housing and an increasing inclination towards using reinforced cement concrete (RCC) in the late 1930s led to a rise of low multistorey apartment buildings in the area. (4/9)
As one walks along the lanes of Matunga, one tends to come across several G+2 or G+3 apartment buildings that happily exist on their own spacious plots.

Anandashram is one such Art Deco apartment building, which occupies a corner plot on one of these iron-grid roads. (5/9)
The pristinely painted building in blue with red bands exhibit finesse in its construction and maintenance. Stripped off typical Deco ornamentation and stucco work, it comes through prominently in the streamlined, curvy eyebrows, and the balconies with their red eaves. (6/9)
The compound wall may not be a quintessentially Deco design. But the metal gateway with its frozen fountain, and the building beyond, are fine examples of suburban Art Deco. (7/9)
Red bands, speedlines and a stepped profile define the entrance of the Anandashram.

In sets of three as they are often found, speedlines are seen cleverly framing the Deco style lettering on the nameplate. (8/9)

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More from @artdecomumbai

Mar 18, 2021
#72YearsOfLibertyCinema Inaugurated on 21 March, 1949. The Liberty Cinema, now a Grade-II Heritage Site and also known as “the showplace of the nation” was designed to be both “local and global, modern and traditional’’. M A Ridley-Abbott was appointed the architect (1/7)
Unfortunately, soon after the completion of the first floor, he died in a plane crash while travelling to England on holiday. J B Fernandes completed the construction work.
(2/7)
W. M. Namjoshi, an interior and furniture designer, created the distinctive décor of the theatre’s exterior and interior with the help of Habib Hoosein. One striking details of the cinema's exterior is the theatre’s name spelled out in neon and a streamlined piano keyboard (3/7)
Read 7 tweets
Mar 15, 2021
#72YearsOfLibertyCinema Celebrating the inauguration of the iconic Liberty Cinema.

The Art Deco gem was built by Habib Hoosein, who was trained in the cotton trade but whose real passion was film. He famously named it “Liberty” in honour of India’s independence (1/8) ImageImageImage
Moving away from Hollywood, it showed only Hindi films. "That a house of this kind should declare itself exclusive for Indian films is a matter of pride and pleasure to the industry." - Motion Picture Magazine, April 1949 (2/8) ImageImageImage
Hoosein’s son, Nazir, who was seven years old at the time, was present at the cinema’s inauguration and ceremoniously cut the ribbon. Habib Hoosein insisted the first screening be for the workers who had built the Liberty, and their families (3/8) ImageImageImage
Read 8 tweets
Feb 19, 2021
Mr. Shiavax Cawasji Cambata, a prominent businessman and owner of Eros Cinema, spared no expense in the making of this magnificent theatre (1/5)
After 5 years of careful thought and planning with experts from all parts of the world, Cambata successfully built an ultra-modern enterprise that stood higher than anything that was attempted in the Entertainment world of this country and many European cities (2/5)
The chairs of the theatre were designed after Mr. Cambata personally examined chairs of all types in Europe and America. The air conditioners were manufactured by Clarage Fan Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.A (3/5)
Read 5 tweets
Feb 17, 2021
Eros cinema was designed with exquisite interiors to compliment its grand exterior.
The cinema theatre, claimed to be the most up-to date cinema of its time, was designed to produce the best possible acoustic properties (1/6) ImageImageImage
The perforated rubber cinema screen was the largest of its kind in India. The stage, measuring 46 feet by 26 feet was one of the largest in existence, and had an orchestra space to accommodate about 50 musicians (2/6) ImageImageImage
One of the highlights was the fire-proof safety curtain weighing two and a half tons, driven by motors – the only one of its kind in the whole of the East. The cinemas interior was surrounded with life-sized plaster reliefs, which were specially made by an Italian artist (3/6) ImageImageImage
Read 6 tweets
Sep 21, 2020
Ram-Nam, Marine Lines on Cinema Road, behind Metro cinema, the popular Art Deco picture palace in Dhobi Talao. #MeherMarfatia talks about its construction that obstructed the sea view. Resident of nearby Jehangir mansion, Pesi Khansaheb, paid Rs 4 extra a month - Rs 72
instead of Rs 68 for 4th floor sea views. Ram-Na m is a majestic streamlined street corner building with reeded spandrels and a cylindrical turret at the roof. Tanya George @tanyatypes says, "The lettering for the building name uses bold, geometric shapes. The stencil-like effect
created due to the lack of counter spaces creates a striking design. The letterforms are also quite similar to Milton Glaser’s famous Baby Teeth typeface seen in one of his most famous works, the Dylan poster. I wonder how much the design was influenced by the typeface
Read 4 tweets
Aug 24, 2020
Rajjab Mahal, Oval, 1936 - The curious case of the mullion & transom . Architects of that time took ownership for the overall design sensibility of the building. Apart from the facade, common spaces like the compound, compound walls, staircases, lobby, grilles, flooring, ImageImageImageImage
balconies and windows exhibited a harmonious aesthetic reflected through similar patterns, materials or the use of colours, all subtly pleasing to the eye. The diagonal mullion and horizontal transom in the stunning windows at Rajjab are a great example. They serve no purpose of
supporting the window frame but hold the glass panes in place. It's a visual element thoughtfully put in place by architect Merwanji Bana & Co. in consonance with the design patterns on the facade. Did you know that already? Sliding aluminium windows anyone?
#WindowDesign
Read 4 tweets

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