Refurbished Lloyd's opens for business
The refurbished Lloyd's building was opened by Secretary, Ministry of
Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the invitation of Governor of the Central
Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Ajith Nivard Cabraal, on Wednesday.
The CBSL purchased this historic building in 2009 with the intention
of meeting its growing space requirements due to expansion of
activities.
The building, constructed in 1908 was originally named Freudenberg
Building. Designed by Architect E Skinner and constructed by Clifford
Lake & Company, it is of late 19th century British architectural
heritage.
The richly decorated conference room, elegant marble corridors,
classical motifs, quaint woodwork and attractive exterior design of the
building symbolise the commercial heydays of early 20th century Sri
Lanka.
Initially, the main occupant of the building was Freudenberg & Co.
and by 1917, several floors were leased out to Colombo Apothecaries Co.
Ltd., Shanghai Life Insurance Co., Morrison & Bell, Standard Oil Company
New York, C W Mackie & Co., Clark Young & Co., The Vacuum Oil Company
and the Consul for the United States of America.
In 1933, the joint owners of the building, Walter Edward Moncrieff
Peterson, Henry Seymour Jeaffreson, Basil Walter Cuthbert Leefe and Ian
Woodford Aitkeen sold the building to Ceylon and General Properties Ltd.
In 1950, the ownership was transferred to Badrawathie Fernando
Estates Ltd. and in 1957 to United Ceylon Insurance Co. Ltd who owned
and managed the building as business premises till the CBSL purchased it
in 2009.
Located among buildings neglected for 30 years without any major
repair due to terrorist activity, the refurbished building signals the
dawn of a new era, contributing to the government's effort in making
Colombo one of the most attractive cities in Asia.
The building has five stories and a basement consisting of over
30,000-sq. ft. office space. In the course of the renovation, elevators,
modern electrical, communication, fire alarm and air conditioning
systems were added.
The CBSL believes that the renovation would encourage other building
owners in Colombo City also to take measures to beautify their
buildings. |