Metcalfe Hall, Kolkata
About Metcalfe Hall
History
Initially, the building housed the Calcutta Public Library collection, formed by Lord Metcalf, then the Governor General, who transferred 4,675 volumes from the library of the College of Fort William. These volumes and donations of books from individuals formed the nucleus of the library, which was created under private auspices. Dwarkanath Tagore was the first proprietor of Calcutta Public Library. Presently, the ground floor houses the Asiatic Society's rare foreign journals and manuscripts section, while the first floor houses offices, exhibition galleries and a sales counter of the Archaeological Survey of India.
Architecture
The main entrance from the West comprising a giant flight of stairs has been closed. The building is now accessed through the portico on the East, from the portico on the 'Hare Street'. The building is raised on a solid basement and thirty huge Corinthian pillars support a massive entablature. The columns and colonnade surround the whole building. Internally there are two stories comprising five halls.