Asian Building on R Kamani Road houses offices of Life Insurance Corporation, New India Assurance Company, and Milton Housewares Private Limited, among other companies. The building was completed in 1932 and has some influence from Art Deco, including the bold lettering used over the cantilevered porch at the entrance.
The Contractor Building on R Kamani Marg was completed in 1922. On the first and second floors, strong contrast is created by a mix of yellowish brown regular dressed masonry with white plaster. The roof has a pediment flanked by urns and a low parapet with balustrades. Stone brackets support projecting balconies with balustrades on the upper levels.
Contractor Building houses offices of Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Private Ltd. It operates in construction, real estate, textiles, engineered goods, home appliances, shipping, power, and biotechnology. The company was headed by the grandson of founder Pallonji Mistry (1929-2022), also named Pallonji Mistry, until 2012, when he announced his retirement and the succession of his son, Shapoor Mistry.
Named after Adi Pherozeshah Marzban (1914–87), Adi Marzban Path is where the office of Jam-e-Jamshed (Marzban was its editor) originally stood. Asia’s second oldest running newspaper, Jam-e-Jamshed was launched in 1832, by Adi's great-grandfather, Fardoonjee Marzban. A doyen of Parsi theatre, Adi Marzban was awarded the Padma Shri in 1964.
The maritime nature of the Port House (Old Bombay Port Trust Building) is highlighted by the presence of medieval ships projecting from the wall on the upper level of the porch. Two ships jut out of the wall, only half of their length visible. Both feature a figurehead of a winged angel attached to the bow (the forward-most part of the ship).
A triple-arched projecting porch at Port House (Old Bombay Port Trust building). The semi-circular arches have projecting imposts and prominent keystones, the central arch being wider than the ones on the sides. The use of gray ashlar masonry blocks and brown sandstone accents provide strong color contrast.
Lettering at the Kaisar-i-Hind building that houses the Enforcement Directorate. The ornamental pilasters on either side are of the Tuscan order (the plain shaft that rests on an unadorned base and has a simple capital). The metal grille on the lintel has a swastika on a circular base. Similar swastikas also appear on the windows of the building.
Ballard Estate was named after John Archibald Ballard, founder of Bombay Port Trust (now Mumbai Port Trust), which was established as a corporation on 26 June 1873. The present-day docks were first built in the 1870s by the Bombay Port Trust and further expanded in phases on reclaimed land.
The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 resulted in shorter travel time from India to Europe, revolutionizing the maritime trade in India. Improved connectivity also brought more European tourists to Mumbai, and they stayed at the Grand Hotel, located close to Ballard Pier, from where ships disembarked passengers.