People Who Shaped Ahmedabad
Architects
Himmatlal Dhirajram Bhachech
Engineer Himmatlal Dhirajram Bhachech, Rao Bahadur - (1844-1922) was a Civil Engineer in the PWD (Public Works Department) of British India.
Himmatlal was born into a Brahmin family of Ahmedabad, Gujarat belonging to Nagar sub caste. His father, Dhirajram, died when he was ten years old. Although his family struggled with poverty, he received financial assistance that helped him complete his studies.
He received a bachelor of engineering degree from the University of Bombay thru College of Engineering, Pune.
Himmatlal worked as engineer in the PWD for many years. In 1892 he was credited with the re-building of the Ellis Bridge of Ahmadabad, which was originally built in 1869. Himmatlal reconstructed the bridge at a cost of only Rs.407,000/-
Himmatlal was honored in 1893 with title of 'Rao Bahadur' by the Viceroy of India, Lord Lansdowne. He was president of Ahmadabad Municipality in the 1890s and consulted in the construction of Gujarat College.
Himmatlal Dhirajram Bhachech died on September 30, 1922.
Claude Batley
Claude Batley (17 October 1879 in Ipswich – 20 March 1956, Bombay) was an English architect who as practitioner, teacher and President of the Indian Institute of Architects from 1921 to 1923, played an influential role in development of modern architecture in India in the first half of the 20th century.
Born in Ipswich in 1879 and educated at Ipswich School, Batley served his articles locally and in London leaving for India in 1913. In Bombay he started a successful independent architectural practice in 1917 with partners Gregson and King, a firm of architects which is still extant under the name of Gregson, Batley and King
Notable among architectural work by Batley were Ahmedabad Town Hall (1930s); Sheth Maneklal Jethabhai Pustakalaya public library (1938) in Ellisbridge, and Ahmedabad; Vijali Ghar (1930s), an office building in Ahmedabad;
Batley died in Bombay [Mumbai] on 20 March 1956
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Patrons
Ranchodlal Chotalal
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Ranchhodlal Chhotalal, (April 29, 1823– October 1898)was a pioneer of the textile industry in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. He is considered as founder of modern Ahmedabad and was also a social activist
He founded one of earliest high school of Ahmedabad, the RC High School in 1846, which is also named after him.Ranchhodlal started the first women's hospital in Ahmedabad in 1865, which is known as Victoria Jubilee Hospital.
In 1879 Ranchhodlal Chhotalal was responsible for founding and restarting of Gujarat College, which was put under management of the Gujarat College Committee, headed by him.He further donated money to Gujarat Vernacular Society to start a girls' high school now named RC Ranchhodlal Chhotalal Girls High School in 1892.
Further, an endowment fund named Ranchhodlal Chhotalal C I E Research Award Endowment was also started by him to help bright but poor students complete their education
Restoration work
Balkrishna Doshi
Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi OAL ( 26 August 1927 – 24 January 2023) was an Indian architect.He is an important figure in Indian architecture and noted for his contributions to the evolution of architectural discourse in India. Having worked under Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, he was a pioneer of modernist and brutalist architecture in India
In 2018, he became the first Indian architect to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize. He was also awarded the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan, the Padma Vibhushan, and the Royal Institute of British Architects' Royal Gold Medal for 2022.
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Rahul Mehrotra
Rahul Mehrotra (b.1959) is an architect, urbanist and educator who is the Founder Principal of RMA Architects and is Professor of Urban Design and Planning at the Department of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.
Mehrotra has designed projects that range from recycling urban land and master planning in Mumbai to the design of art spaces, boutiques, weekend houses, factories, social institutes and office buildings across India – thereby engaging diverse issues, multiple constituencies and varying scales: from interior design and architecture to urban design, conservation and planning.