Ripon Building

The Ripon Building is the seat of the Chennai Corporation (Madras Corporation) in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu. It is a fine example of the Neoclassical style of architecture, a combination of, Ionic and Corinthian. The Ripon Building is an all-white structure and is located near the Chennai Central railway station.

Built in the year 1913, the Ripon Building is the official seat of the Chennai Corporation and is painted white as a representation of Indo-Saracenic architecture. Situated close to the Chennai Railway Station, it was constructed by Loganatha Mudaliar and was named after Lord Ripon who was the then Governor General of British India.

This royal building is rectangular in shape with a 43 meters tower that has a 2.5 meter clock. Also known as Westminster Chiming Clock, this has been the main attraction of the building ever since it was built. It has a mechanical key system that is checked every day.

Apart from that, four bells also form a part of the building. Structured as three-storey, the flooring of the ground floor was initially done by Cuddapah Slate and later replaced by marble. The building is presently under renovation and entry is restricted till that completes.

The building is rectangular and is 85 metres (279 ft) long and 32 metres (105 ft) wide with a 43 metres (141 ft) central tower containing a clock 2.5 m (8.2 ft) in diameter. The first of its three floors has approximately 2,800 m² (30,139 sq ft) of space. The walls were constructed with stock bricks, set and plastered with lime mortar and the roof is supported with teak wood joists. The original flooring of the ground floor was Cuddapah Slate that has been replaced with marble.