History has it that the building that was gutted in Friday’s fire, lent its name to the North Chennai neighbourhood.
According to historians, the East India Company used the building to mint coins for the Nawabs of Arcot. Hence, the name ‘Mint’.
Even as the premises was later converted into a printing press, the building had already lent the name to the neighbourhood and the street adjoining it was named Mint Street, which is known to be one of the longest streets in Chennai.
The Red Building, in which the binding unit of the press was functioning, was known for its French architecture involving the use of massive wooden planks.
“I vividly remember visiting this building as a member of the Heritage Conservation Committee member. The building was found so healthy and we strongly felt that it could be preserved for very long. The architecture seemed to be much inspired by the French style. Large amount of wooden planks were used in the building as beams. Probably that explains the reason why it collapsed soon after the fire,” said Dr G Venkataraman, chairperson, School of Historical Studies and Head of the Department of Indian History, University of Madras.
The campus also has a building that was built in 1831 where a power mill was reportedly functioning earlier.