HistoryThe House of MG is in the memory of Mangaldas Girdhardas, amongst Ahmedabad's foremost businessmen and philanthropist of the 20th century. He started his career as a store-keeper in a textile mill. Within a decade, he became its owner and soon after, he was over seeing an empire comprising of a clutch of mills and other related businesses. With his increasing influence in the community, he decided to build a new residence for himself and his family in the centre of the city in the year 1924, across from the famous Sidi Saiyed Jali. He died in 1928 and by 1950, his entire family moved to another location, leaving this house vacant. A lot of it was requisitioned by the government to house their offices between 1955 and 1960 and the rest was utilized as an accounts office by the family. In 1994, it was taken over by The Victoria Capital Ventures Ltd. for renovation and reuse. The first restaurant, Agashiye, a terrace eatery serving a contemporary Gujarati thali, began operations in June, 1999 followed by The Green House in October 1999, a courtyard café serving Gujarati snacks, fruit juices and ice-creams. The HBM Lounge and Courtyard, a multi-function space for banquets business conferences and parties opened in February 2001. Ten residential rooms and a retail shop opened to business in November 2003, followed by another two rooms (one of them a full service apartment suite) in 2005. September 2006 saw the renovation work completed in another wing of the house that was converted into an indoor swimming pool, a health club and a poolside restaurant - The Lotus Pool. Work continues on the house as a portion is still left to be renovated.
The House Of MG The House of Mangaldas Girdhardas (MG for short) was the home of Mr. Mangaldas Girdhardas - amongst Ahmedabad's foremost businessmen and philanthropist of the early 20th century. He started his career as a store-keeper in a textile mill. Within a decade, he became its owner and soon after, he was over seeing an empire comprising of a clutch of mills and other related businesses. With his increasing influence in the community, he decided to build a new residence for himself and his family in the year 1924, across from the famous Sidi Sayed Mosque. He died soon after in 1928. By 1950, his entire family moved to another location, leaving this house vacant. A large portion of the house was requisitioned by the government between 1955 and 1960 and the rest was used by the accounts offices of the family. One half of the house, that is covered by bill boards and has not been restored, belonged to his brother, Chimanlal Girdhardas and his descendents continue to be its landlords. In 1994, the House of MG was taken over by Victoria Capital Ventures Ltd., a company managed by Abhay Mangaldas, great grand son of MG, for renovation and reuse.
Spread over a 2500 square yard plot, the building has a built up an area of approximately 25,000 square feet. Its architecture is a confluence of different styles. An ornamental façade with a Boroquish influence that is difficult to place, Italian mosaic and marble flooring, stained glass windows, courtyards and passages spread over multiple levels with asymmetric rooms. It is a building with surprises around every corner. The aim of the project is to adaptively reuse the spaces to cater to a modern lifestyle without losing either the historical perspective or the traditional customs of a Gujarati home.
The master plan, right from the start, was to make The House of MG a Heritage Hotel complex. The first restaurant, Agashiye, started in June 1999 on the terrace of the building. The Green House, a courtyard café, began operations in October 1999 followed by ‘The HBM Lounge’, a banquet facility, in February 2001. As the tenants vacated the third floor in 2002, work on the hotel began and by November 2003, ten rooms were ready. Late 2004 saw an additional of two more rooms, with one of them a ‘Full Service Apartment’ designed for long stays.
About the House The House of Mangaldas Girdhardas (MG for short) was the home of Mr. Mangaldas Girdhardas - amongst Ahmedabad's foremost businessmen and philanthropist of the early 20th century. He started his career as a store-keeper in a textile mill. Within a decade, he became its owner and soon after, he was over seeing an empire comprising of a clutch of mills and other related businesses. With his increasing influence in the community, he decided to build a new residence for himself and his family in the year 1924, across from the famous Sidi Sayed Mosque. He died soon after in 1928. By 1950, his entire family moved to another location, leaving this house vacant. A large portion of the house was requisitioned by the government between 1955 and 1960 and the rest was used by the accounts offices of the family. One half of the house, that is covered by bill boards and has not been restored, belonged to his brother, Chimanlal Girdhardas and his descendents continue to be its landlords. In 1994, the House of MG was taken over by Victoria Capital Ventures Ltd., a company managed by Abhay Mangaldas, great grand son of MG, for renovation and reuse.
Spread over a 2500 square yard plot, the building has a built up an area of approximately 25,000 square feet. Its architecture is a confluence of different styles. An ornamental façade with a Boroquish influence that is difficult to place, Italian mosaic and marble flooring, stained glass windows, courtyards and passages spread over multiple levels with asymmetric rooms. It is a building with surprises around every corner. The aim of the project is to adaptively reuse the spaces to cater to a modern lifestyle without losing either the historical perspective or the traditional customs of a Gujarati home.
The master plan, right from the start, was to make The House of MG a Heritage Hotel complex. The first restaurant, Agashiye, started in June 1999 on the terrace of the building. The Green House, a courtyard café, began operations in October 1999 followed by ‘The HBM Lounge’, a banquet facility, in February 2001. As the tenants vacated the third floor in 2002, work on the hotel began and by November 2003, ten rooms were ready. Late 2004 saw an additional of two more rooms, with one of them a ‘Full Service Apartment’ designed for long stays.
About the House The House of Mangaldas Girdhardas (MG for short) was the home of Mr. Mangaldas Girdhardas - amongst Ahmedabad's foremost businessmen and philanthropist of the early 20th century. He started his career as a store-keeper in a textile mill. Within a decade, he became its owner and soon after, he was over seeing an empire comprising of a clutch of mills and other related businesses. With his increasing influence in the community, he decided to build a new residence for himself and his family in the year 1924, across from the famous Sidi Sayed Mosque. He died soon after in 1928. By 1950, his entire family moved to another location, leaving this house vacant. A large portion of the house was requisitioned by the government between 1955 and 1960 and the rest was used by the accounts offices of the family. One half of the house, that is covered by bill boards and has not been restored, belonged to his brother, Chimanlal Girdhardas and his descendents continue to be its landlords. In 1994, the House of MG was taken over by Victoria Capital Ventures Ltd., a company managed by Abhay Mangaldas, great grand son of MG, for renovation and reuse.
Spread over a 2500 square yard plot, the building has a built up an area of approximately 25,000 square feet. Its architecture is a confluence of different styles. An ornamental façade with a Boroquish influence that is difficult to place, Italian mosaic and marble flooring, stained glass windows, courtyards and passages spread over multiple levels with asymmetric rooms. It is a building with surprises around every corner. The aim of the project is to adaptively reuse the spaces to cater to a modern lifestyle without losing either the historical perspective or the traditional customs of a Gujarati home.
The master plan, right from the start, was to make The House of MG a Heritage Hotel complex. The first restaurant, Agashiye, started in June 1999 on the terrace of the building. The Green House, a courtyard café, began operations in October 1999 followed by ‘The HBM Lounge’, a banquet facility, in February 2001. As the tenants vacated the third floor in 2002, work on the hotel began and by November 2003, ten rooms were ready. Late 2004 saw an additional of two more rooms, with one of them a ‘Full Service Apartment’ designed for long stays.
About the House The House of Mangaldas Girdhardas (MG for short) was the home of Mr. Mangaldas Girdhardas - amongst Ahmedabad's foremost businessmen and philanthropist of the early 20th century. He started his career as a store-keeper in a textile mill. Within a decade, he became its owner and soon after, he was over seeing an empire comprising of a clutch of mills and other related businesses. With his increasing influence in the community, he decided to build a new residence for himself and his family in the year 1924, across from the famous Sidi Sayed Mosque. He died soon after in 1928. By 1950, his entire family moved to another location, leaving this house vacant. A large portion of the house was requisitioned by the government between 1955 and 1960 and the rest was used by the accounts offices of the family. One half of the house, that is covered by bill boards and has not been restored, belonged to his brother, Chimanlal Girdhardas and his descendents continue to be its landlords. In 1994, the House of MG was taken over by Victoria Capital Ventures Ltd., a company managed by Abhay Mangaldas, great grand son of MG, for renovation and reuse.
Spread over a 2500 square yard plot, the building has a built up an area of approximately 25,000 square feet. Its architecture is a confluence of different styles. An ornamental façade with a Boroquish influence that is difficult to place, Italian mosaic and marble flooring, stained glass windows, courtyards and passages spread over multiple levels with asymmetric rooms. It is a building with surprises around every corner. The aim of the project is to adaptively reuse the spaces to cater to a modern lifestyle without losing either the historical perspective or the traditional customs of a Gujarati home.
The master plan, right from the start, was to make The House of MG a Heritage Hotel complex. The first restaurant, Agashiye, started in June 1999 on the terrace of the building. The Green House, a courtyard café, began operations in October 1999 followed by ‘The HBM Lounge’, a banquet facility, in February 2001. As the tenants vacated the third floor in 2002, work on the hotel began and by November 2003, ten rooms were ready. Late 2004 saw an additional of two more rooms, with one of them a ‘Full Service Apartment’ designed for long stays.
