Chowringhee - Calcutta

01/17/2026

Finally, the book available at amazon.in

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CHOWRINGHEE - CALCUTTA

01/16/2026

Here Ends "Chowringhee, Calcutta"

Chowringhee Road, built soon after new Fort William in 1781. There was initially no numbering system which came by the beginning of 19th century. In 1857, there were 48 numbers or plots but by 1874 the road had 58 plots which is still the current, starting from Dharmatala Street till present day Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road or then Lower Circular Road.

From various Directory listings, It appears that the numbering changed many times between 1857 and the end of the century, possibly depending upon sale of plots or construction of new buildings, and numbers and road crossings stood at the current by the early 20th century as may be confirmed from a 1918 Directory.

01/14/2026

P13 Chowringhee Square
Income Tax Building Annexe

This building stands on P13 Chowringhee Square, named Income Tax Building Annexe by the side of Income Tax Building on Bentinck Street, also built during 1970’s for use by the Income Tax Authorities. The building houses the Income Tax Sports and Recreation Club and Income Tax Bar Association.

01/12/2026

P12 Chowringhee Square
Andhra Insurance Building

This is the Andhra Insurance Building at P12 Chowringhee Square, next to the Income Tax Building on Bentinck Street, built during 1970’s as an annex or extension of the Income Tax Building. No prior history and it was possibly an open land. The building is occupied by offices, the most important of which is LIC Housing Finance Limited on the 3rd floor. The other offices in the building are Rayman Corporation, Geof W Rose & Company, Shuban Agrofarm Product Limited, Triotouch Pharma Limited, etc.

01/10/2026

P8 Chowringhee Square
Swastik Center

This is P8 Chowringhee Square on a left side plot of Income Tax Building, a 5-story commercial building, Swastic Center with offices on different floors, like Bapuji Mineral Pvt. Ltd. on 1st. floor, Lex Plus Systema LLP on 3rd. floor, Nityadhara Sarees Ltd. on 4th floor, etc. This is a fairly new building with no earlier history.

01/08/2026

P7 Chowringhee Square
Income Tax Building

This is the current Ayakar Bhavan or Income Tax Building on P 7 Chowringhee Square on the west of Bentinck Street, built in 1962. Ayakar Bhavan Guest House is located on the 9th floor. Also a 1924 established Income Tax Bar Association, Calcutta is housed on the ground floor of this building. The previous history of this plot is not known.

12/23/2025

4 Chowringhee Square
Statesman House

This is 4 Chowringhee Square where this magnificent Statesman House stands. This iconic structure was designed by Sudlow, Ballardie & Thompson. It was built on a wedge-shaped site in 1933 and formally opened by Sir John Anderson, the then Governor of Bengal. The printing press of R. Knight & Sons publishing Statesman, Friends of India and Indian Agriculturist shifted here in 1933 from its former location on Chowringhee Road. The Statesman Print Journalism School, set-up in 2008, is also housed in the building.

12/21/2025

3 Chowringhee Square
Basu House

This is 3 Chowringhee Square at the Central Avenue crossing. This 3 storied building currently named Basu House belongs to one of the oldest and still operating Chartered Accountants G Basu & Co. since 1924. Some other businesses are also operated from this building including a Gym, Fleet Flex Fitness. On the ground floor, there are pharmacies.

12/19/2025

2 Chowringhee Square
Tower House

This is JK Cement Tower House, at 2 Chowringhee Square, Calcutta’s pride when built in 1938 and was the tallest building, the first sky-scraper, in the city then. The design resembles the Empire State Building of New York. During the 1940’s Talbot & Co., Surveyors, Valuers, Land & Estate Agents had their offices in Tower House. Currently, whereas the building is mostly occupied by JK Cement, some other businesses also operate from this building. On the ground floor, there is JS Mohamed Ali, the oldest cloth merchant of the city. Later the building was renumbered to 2A and there is no 2 Chowringhee Square anymore.

12/15/2025

1 Chowringhee Square
Victoria House & Avenue House

This is 1 Chowringhee Square. Initially 1 Chowringhee Square was over a about 100 meter wide plot on the west side of Central Avenue. Two buildings were built on this plot, on the north side Victoria House, built in 1930’s and on the south side Avenue House built around the same time.

Victoria House was built as an office building. During the 1940’s Indian National Airways Ltd., agents for Imperial Airway & Indian Transcontinental Airways and Stewarts and Lloyds of India Ltd., manufacturers and stockists of wrought iron, steel tubes & fittings had their offices in Victoria House. The building is currently known as CESC House and occupied by the Central Regional Office of Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC). Various other business offices are also occupied in different floors of the building.

Avenue House was possibly named because of being the first building on Central Avenue. It was also built as an office building. During the 1940’s A. E. G. India Electric Co. Ltd., Electrical Engineers & Contractors for electrical goods & appliances and Butlerworth & Co. (India) Ltd., Law and Medical Book Publishers had their offices in this building. Later around 1995 Peerless Group took over the building and named it Peerless Mansion. The building was then numbered 1A Chowringhee Square. Currently, various services like Mutual Fund or Skill Academy of Peerless operate from this building, besides the Indian Railway reservation office on the entire ground floor.

12/12/2025

Chowringhee Square

Chowringhee Square, designed by Edwin P Richards, was established on the “Square concept” during the mid 1920’s. Initially plots were sold and monumental buildings were being constructed during the late 1920’s and early 1930's with no numbers and the buildings were recognized by building names only. Later building numbers were introduced. Interestingly, Bentinck Street and Central Avenue pass through Chowringhee Square. Originally there were only 4 plots and later during the 1950’s Calcutta Improvement Trust (CIT), apparently haphazardly created 4 more plots under the suffix P, P7, P8, P12 & P13 on Bentinck Street to accommodate Income Tax related offices.