Srinivasaroa Harti Lakshminarasappa

Born circa 1885 in Madras, as one of Professor Reilly's recruits from the British Empire, Srinivasaroa Harti Lakshminarasappa came to Liverpool already holding qualifications from the University of Madras and the College of Civil Engineering, Madras. He gained a Cert. Arch in 1912 and a B.Arch in 1921 before returning to India. Lakshminarasappa cut an impressive and commanding figure standing 6' 4" tall and was reportedly as strict and conservative in his personal life as he was in his professional capacity.

Man wearing light coloured turban and dark suit

Lakshminarasappa, date unknown. Photograph provided by Krishnarao Jaisim. Originally published as part of the Transnational Architecture Group

His early architecture in India, perhaps reflecting his Liverpool training with its emphasis on classicism, is characterised by precise classical detailing as seen in his Puttanna Chetty Town Hall of 1935. His style modified later as seen in the more relaxed eclecticism of the Greater Bangalore Municipal Corporation building constructed between 1933-36. In Mysore he was appointed first as Architectural Executive Engineer in the Mysore Public Works Department before being appointed as Principal of the College of Engineering in Bangalore. By 1931 he had risen to be Government Architect to the Government of Mysore.

Greater Bangalore Municipal Corporation, 2011 Photograph by Hari Prasad Nadig

Greater Bangalore Municipal Corporation, 2011
Photograph by Hari Prasad Nadig, CC BY-SA 2.0

Further Reading

Rachel Lee, Lakshiminarasappa, Koenigsberger, Jaism and Udaya: Architects of Bangalore, Transnational Architecture Group, The University of Liverpool, School of Architecture. https://transnationalarchitecture.group/tag/liverpool/

Charles Herbert Reilly, Letter Books, University Archives, The University of Liverpool, D207/2/3 25 October 1910.

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