While the commercial part of Daryaganj was redeveloped in the early-20th c along Faiz Bazaar road (now Netaji Subhash Marg), the inner areas of Daryaganj, to the east of Netaji Subhash Marg, were developed into residential and institutional zones. In this and the next three posts I explore different parts of the residential areas of Daryaganj. These contain many existing examples of residential architecture from the first half of the 20th century. My particular interest is in the modified versions of Art Deco that were employed in many of these buildings, which I am calling “Desi Deco“, mostly from the 1930s-1950s. Buildings in more neoclassical colonial styles, as well as hybrid styles that include older decorative elements from haveli architecture and late-Mughal architecture have also been included.

 

General location of Daryaganj within Old Delhi

Portion of Daryaganj covered in this post. General sequence of photos is from north to south

 

Area North-East of Ansari Road

 

Desi deco examples from the northern portion of the area covered

A desi deco and a more modernist building side-by-side

A building in a simple neoclassical colonial style, with a “haveli” type stone-clad doorway that was popular in Shahjahanabad in earlier decades

A large residence/haveli in colonial neoclassical style

View of the large residence/haveli from outside the walls of the walled city, which would have abutted the floodplain of the Yamuna river

Residences in the more southern portion of the area covered in this post

A deco building with stone-clad doorway popular in earlier decades

A more modernist building from the 1960s, but with deco-inspired decoration, what could be called “post-deco”!

 

Along Ansari Road