The vibrant and sophisticated style of Bombay Art Deco

Some of Mumbai’s architectural treasures in The Art Deco style have just been inscribed as World Heritage by UNESCO. Navin Ramani grew up in one facing the Oval Maidan, but it wasn't until much later,...

Jul 13, 2018, 12:49 IST2 min

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Built on a narrow triangular corner site, the EROS CINEMA (Churchgate, 1938) gives the impression of a docked ship. Designed by the architect Sohrabji Bhedwar, this plush cinema mirrored th...

Image by Roli Books from their book Bombay Art Deco Architecture: A Visua Journey,1930-53 by Navin Ramani

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Stylised forms of tropical imagery and lettering appear in a lot of the residential buildings, like the sun rays in SUNSHINE (Churchgate, 1933-39). These iconic typefaces have never gone ou...

Image by Roli Books from their book Bombay Art Deco Architecture: A Visua Journey,1930-53 by Navin Ramani

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The striking entrance to ELECTRIC HOUSE EXTENSION BUILDING (Colaba, 1936-39). This is one of the first grand civic buildings in the Art Deco style. On the right, the streamlined design styl...

Image by Roli Books from their book Bombay Art Deco Architecture: A Visua Journey,1930-53 by Navin Ramani

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Winged mythological figures frame the portal of BAI PIROJBAI DADABHOY MANECKJI VATCHA AGIARY (Fort, 1937-45). This Zoroastrian fire temple has an abstract geometric concrete grill and facet...

Image by Roli Books from their book Bombay Art Deco Architecture: A Visua Journey,1930-53 by Navin Ramani