Heritage structure: The State Bank of India building in Kakinada.
Dubbed as one of the oldest banking outfits in Andhra Pradesh having just turned 146, the State Bank of India's Dutch-style building in Kakinada has been restored to its original glory and rechristened “Bank of Madras - State Bank Heritage Gallery.”
The heritage building standing on a sprawling 1.83-acre site facing the main road has a rich past and played a key role in the banking history of Andhra Pradesh.
It was originally the Bank of Madras branch that commenced commercial operations on January 1, 1864, in rented premises, initially, before moving into this building, which was “Branch-cum-Agent's Residence” on November 4, 1929.
The Bank of Madras was one of the three Presidency banks, the other two being Bank of Bengal and Bank of Bombay.
When all these three banks merged into the Imperial Bank of India, the Kakinada branch came under the Madras circle and it continued to be so even after the Imperial Bank became the State Bank of India in 1955.
Later in 1965, it was brought under the Hyderabad circle along with all other branches in the State.
Built with Dutch architectural features (Dutch settlers called the place “Cocanada”), the high-roofed building has a large hall, side rooms with large windows and spacious balconies. A feature of the building was the provision of exhaust in the form of hidden vents on the ceiling close to the hook of the fan. These vents were covered with large inversed clay pots ensuring that the building remained cool in the hot and humid weather of the coastal town.
All these features were preserved in the restoration project that began in October 2010.
To commemorate the history of the branch as well as 200 years of the bank, old photographs, letters and copies of the cheques of prominent Indian customers down the years have been put up on display in the gallery. Also five rooms, two verandahs and entrance/exit points to the gallery have been named after famous personalities. For instance, Duffield Room was named after J. L. Duffield, the first agent of the branch (1864-1866), Rose Room after P. J. Rose, the ‘agent' (branch manager) of the Kakinada branch for the longest term (1901-1920).
Inauguration
The restored building was inaugurated by Shiva Kumar, Deputy Managing Director in the presence of the elite of this old trading and port city, recently.
He also opened a specialised agriculture commercial branch to cater to the needs of high-end agri-entrepreneurs. T. S. Krishnaswamy, general manager, was present.
The SBI's Dutch-style building in Kakinada has been restored to its original glory and renamed.
Source: The Hindu.
Source: The Hindu.