Edward House
ایڈورڈ ہاؤس
Edward House located on Abdullah Haroon Road (formerly Victoria Road) in Karachi
General information
Typecommercial
LocationCivil Lines
Karachi
Pakistan
Coordinates24°51′00″N 67°01′48″E / 24.850103°N 67.030048°E / 24.850103; 67.030048
Completed1910
Design and construction
Architect(s)Moses Somake

Edward House (Urdu: ایڈورڈ ہاؤس) is a building which is located in the Civil Lines area of Karachi, Pakistan[1] It was designed by the Iraqi-Jewish architect Moses Somake in 1910,[1] and named after Somake's son, Ellis Edward.[2]

Architecture

Edward House is made of local Gizri sandstone and limestone,[3] with ornamental molds.[4] Adjoining, there is another mansion known as Victoria Mansion,[5] which may have also been designed by Samoke given the similarity in style - although no records exist recording his work there.[6]

Use

It used to house the Cafe Grand, operated by Herbert Bertie Cumper.[2] The cafe was frequented by Karachi's elite, including the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and his sister Fatima Jinnah.[7] The building also housed the Stars Club - which was re-established in 2017 in the building.[8]

Conservation

Edward House

The building is protected by the Sindh Cultural Preservation Act, 1994.[7] In 2012, renovation of the house was completed at the cost of Rs. 6 million, a rehabilitation and conservation project which started in 2010.[1] The restoration was criticized on the grounds that the Sindh Department of Antiquities awarded works to an inexperienced contractor who "over-restored" the building,[9] and chiseled away some original stone work in attempt to remove the patina which had formed on the building.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Reporter, The Newspaper's Staff (February 17, 2012). "Edward House renovated". DAWN.COM.
  2. 1 2 "Karachi's Lost Jews".
  3. ↑ "Indian Industries and Power," Incorporating "Indian Motor News" ... 1914.
  4. ↑ Concrete. Concrete Publishing Company. 1911.
  5. ↑ "House in (dis)order". DAWN.COM. October 4, 2009.
  6. 1 2 "Moses Somake: Edward House at Karachi, Pakistan | Archive | Diarna.org". archive.diarna.org. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  7. 1 2 "Flawed renovation threatens historic Edward House". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  8. ↑ "Stars Club: Karachi welcomes its first film-themed café - Farheen Abdullah - Youlin Magazine". www.youlinmagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  9. ↑ Silva, Kapila D.; Chapagain, Neel Kamal (2013). Asian Heritage Management: Contexts, Concerns, and Prospects. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-52054-6.
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