Bartle Frere had envisioned Mumbai as urbs primus in Indis as early as the 1840s, when he collaborated with architect Henry Conybeare for building the Afghan Church at Navy Nagar, Colaba. His vision of Mumbai as India's prime city set in motion the Gothic Revival phase, which reached its peak under his patronage and in the last decades of the nineteenth century.
Though they are mistaken as lions, the 'lions' at the BMC building are chimeras—a mix of various animals—hence they appear with wings and a serpentine tail. The chimera has been attributed to the British dominance over land, sea, and air. However, it is more likely that the motif was inspired by the flag of the Republic of Venice, which featured winged lions, one of the many elements Frederick W. Stevens incorporated from Venetian Gothic architecture.
The foundation stone for the BMC building was laid on December 19, 1884, by the Viceroy, the Marquis of Ripon. The commemorative plaque can be seen inside the BMC building at the entrance lobby. However, work on the site started five years later, on April 25, 1889. After four years of construction, the BMC building was finally completed on July 31, 1893.
FW Stevens submitted two colored drawings of his design, one of its exterior and one of the Council Chamber, backing it with convincing arguments. He had visited Europe to study town halls and proposed a well-ventilated building for the municipality. Steven's new design was accepted and he was awarded the project, and Chisholm's proposal was canceled.
Commemorative plaque dedicated to Frederick W. Stevens as the designer and superintendent of the Municipal Buildings. Below Stevens is his assistant and resident engineer, Rao Sahib Sitaram Khanderao, who would later design (with DN Mirza) the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Also mentioned is Grattan Geary, who was the President of the Corporation and a friend of Stevens. Stevens had designed Geary's private villa at Lonavala.
Frederick W. Stevens used allegorical figures to represent concepts like progress and prosperity. This, for example, is a Christian motif of a winged angel holding up a miniature ship to highlight Mumbai's association with maritime trade. The allegoric figure represented is urbs primus in Indis (Latin for the ‘primary urban city of India’), which was adapted as the motto of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai were recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage sites in 2018. The Art Deco buildings lie along Maharshi Karve Marg, and they face the Victorian Gothic buildings across the Oval Maidan, which consist of the Public Works Department, Bombay High Court and University Library & Convocation Hall.
Elevation drawings of Palm Court, Oval View and Belvedere Court. The stretch of reclaimed land around Churchgate Station underwent planned development in the 1930s. As a result of strict regulations, Maharshi Karve Marg has a dense concentration of Art Deco buildings, all built in uniform height and use common design idioms.
Elevation drawings of Art Deco buildings along Maharshi Karve Road. Seen here are Queen's Court, Green Fields, Swastik Court and Motabhoy Mansion. These were all built in the 1930s decade, during a flurry of building activity on land reclaimed from the Arabian Sea as part of the Back Bay Land Reclamation Scheme, which started in 1928.