Ripon Building

Ripon Building stands on EVR Periyar Salai in Periyamet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and is the headquarters of the Greater Chennai Corporation, the successor to the Madras Corporation established in 1688, which is regarded as India's oldest municipal body. The building was designed by the architect G. S. T. Harris, who worked in the Public Works department of the Madras Presidency, and was completed in 1913. It is named after Lord Ripon, the Viceroy of India from 1880 to 1884, who is remembered for his reforms in local self-government, including the extension of municipal councils with elected members. The style is Palladian, with Ionic and Corinthian columns, a central dome and a symmetrical facade finished in gleaming white lime plaster, giving it a stately appearance that contrasts with the busy streets of Periyamet around it. The central tower with a clock rises above the main block, and the surrounding wings hold the council chamber, offices and meeting halls. Inside, the council hall is used for meetings of the city's elected councillors, while the rest of the building contains the administrative offices of the corporation. Because it is a working government building, public access to the interior is limited, and visitors mostly admire it from the road or from nearby open ground. The building has been repainted and restored in recent decades to retain its white finish and to repair parts of the dome and cornices. It is close to Chennai Central railway station and the Park Town area, which makes it a convenient stop for travellers arriving by train, and it can be paired with a walk through the colonial government district and Fort St. George.