LIC Building
LIC Building is a 15-storied building in Chennai, India, serving as the southern headquarters of the Life Insurance Corporation of India. It is the first skyscraper built in India and an important landmark in the city. Located on the arterial Anna Salai (formerly Mount Road), the building is 54 m (177 ft) tall. Initially built with 12 floors, the LIC Building was the tallest building in India when it was completed in 1959 and was surpassed by Mumbai's first skyscraper, the Usha Kiran Building, in 1961, which is about 80 m (260 ft) high. The building marked the transition from lime-and-brick construction to concrete columns in the region. The building is also known for using pile foundation technique for the first time in the region. It was the tallest building in Chennai for over 35 years before being surpassed by the Hyatt Regency Building (erstwhile Magunta Oberoi) on Anna Salai and the Arihant Majestic Towers in Koyambedu, both in the mid-1990s.
| LIC Building, Chennai | |
|---|---|
| Record height | |
| Tallest in India from 1959 to 1961[I] | |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Architectural style | Modernism (RCC-framed construction) |
| Location | Anna Salai, Chennai, India |
| Address | 102, Anna Salai, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600 002, India |
| Coordinates | 13.064283°N 80.266065°E |
| Construction started | 1953 |
| Completed | 1959 |
| Inaugurated | 23 August 1959 |
| Cost | ₹87 lakh ₹330 crore (2016 prices) |
| Owner | Life Insurance Corporation of India |
| Height | |
| Roof | 54 m (177 ft) |
| Top floor | 44 m (144 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 15 |
| Floor area | 11,700 m2 (126,000 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | H. J. Brown and L. C. Moulin (1953-1957) L. M. Chitale (1958) |
| Developer | Coromandel Engineering Limited (Murugappa Group) |
| References | |