In Kolkata, India, across from the Raj Bhavan on Esplanade Row and Marx Engels Beethi Road, stands the heritage edifice known as The Esplanade Mansions. It was a structure that Jewish businessman David Elias Ezra owned. The apartment complex was constructed in the Art Nouveau design. It now belongs to the Life Insurance Corporation and is home to business, railroad, and other governmental departments.
The Esplanade Mansion is located in the heart of the city, across the Esplanade from Curzon Park, Raj Bhavan, and the official residence of the governor of West Bengal. Esplanade Row to the south, Marx Engels Beethi Road (or Old Courthouse Street) to the west, and James Hickey Sarani (or Dacres Lane) to the east define the building’s location. Metropolitan Building, The LaLit Great Eastern, Currency Building, among other significant nearby buildings.
A Jewish business tycoon named David Elias Ezra owned it and had it constructed in 1910. In 1876, he also joined the Road and Conservancy Committee and was appointed Commissioner of the Calcutta Municipality. He also owned the Chowringhee and Ezra Mansions, among other properties. The location was formerly home to Scott Thompson’s shop and two homes. The building was done on a contract with Martin & Co. It was constructed as a home for the Ezra family. It was the American Library back in WWII.
It is the only remaining Art Nouveau structure in the city. The corner tower and cupola exhibit a fusion of Edwardian and Art Nouveau design. It includes arched windows and circular balconies. There are 24 flats on the residential property. It is recognised by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation as a Grade-I historic building.
In Esplanade, the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) is the owner of about 30 properties. It includes The Esplanade Mansions. On the ground floor, it also has the Railway Claims Tribunal on the Curzon Park side and the Chief Public Relations Office of the Eastern Railways on the Raj Bhavan side. LIC made the decision to renovate the structure in 2003. Building’s colour was changed from lilac to white for a cost of Rs. 11 lakh, which is equal to Rs. 34 lakh or US$43,000 in 2020.
Most likely the only art nouveau building in India is Esplanade Mansions. It was built in 1910 by Sir Rajen Mukherjee’s business, Martin and Co., for Jewish real estate tycoon David Joseph Ezra of Calcutta. It is located at the intersection of Esplanade Row East and Govt. Place East, across from the magnificent Government House’s Eastern gate (Raj Bhavan). The current owner is the Life Insurance Corporation of India, which is also in charge of repairing a number of other old structures in Calcutta.