Charan/ Bharat Bhawan, 1945
Location : Rani Jhansi Road, Sadar Bazaar
Patron : Charan Singh Gupta, Bharat Singh Gupta, Rama Singh Gupta
People : Ashok Master ji
A set of two adjacent residences part of the same complex that stand out for their unique hybridisation of the Art Deco style and Indian elements and iconography are Charan and Bharat Bhawan, built in the year 1945, on Rani Jhansi Road. Each side of the houses showcase a different facade that belonged to brothers, Charan Singh Gupta, Bharat Singh and Rama Singh Gupta. Charan Singh was a contractor and supervised the residence which was immensely popular in the neighbourhood. Guptas owned a lot of properties in Model Basti and this was their last residence. During the time when the entire residence was constructed, it was the only place to have a fountain seater inbuilt on its terrace with a dome like water tank. The drops of the water canopy had lights as well, almost like a carousel, which many people came to see.
One can spot some of the Deco style features in its form with the central rising tower flanked with symmetrically curved balconies on either sides of it, emphasis on its entrance porch, eyebrowed cantilevers, porthole windows, ornamental details on its elevation as cement bas-reliefs and cement grills and coloured or black and white terrazzo flooring.
Late Ashok Masterji, son of Charan Singh, had his tailoring shop in the same residence who lost his life during COVID post when his wife sold the property to the current owners. Even though the new owners are appreciative of the style, their visions for a new complex led to the demolition of the residence. Charan Bhawan, was of the finest examples lost during the documentation phase.
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Image Copyrights : Rishi Kochhar x Deco In Delhi Acknowledgements : Suman Gupta (Charan Singh Gupta's daughter in law); Sandeep Tandon
Symmetrical Facade
Facade having symmetrical division of mass and features along the central axis, usually the entrance of the building
Staircase Towers
A cylindrical / helical staircase tower situated either at the centre or edges of Deco style buildings marking staircase shafts. The Flat-roofed towers are ornate with patterned jaalis and additional features such as bandings and flutes.
Curved Balconies
Balcony projections from facades often have curving edges, which adds the notion of flow and smooth edges to the profile. Often eyebrows or eyelids accompany the balconies
Circular Flat Roofs
A circular flat roof projection over the highest part of the building, e.g. mumpties or the central tower. They add emphasis to the towering part and an ornamental visual feature
Window Grills
Often seen casted in cement / metal are window grills with motifs and symbols, such as sun burst, swan or name initials of owners, adding to the ornamentation of the buildings
Terrazzo Finish
A mix of Coloured cement with Terrazzo works adding to the details of craftsmanship within the style. Vibrant coloured floors were common to Art Deco interiors and coloured cement further enhanced the details
Vertical Fluting
Flutes are shallow bands curving outwards running as vertical bands on building facades, sometimes wrapping along the flat roofs of the Art Deco structures
Typography
Signages integrated in the building facade. Typically for cinemas and hotels, letters are placed on top of the facade, while in residences, terrazzo work generally helped integrate the text to the artwork, found over entrances