Southern Railway headquarters administrative building, Chennai, is an Indo-Saracenic structure located adjacent to the Chennai Central railway station. Built in 1921 as the new Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway Company (MSMR) headquarters, the building now functions as'the headquarters of the Southern Railways, Built for the first time in India in reinforced concrete in classical and Dravidian styles, the building was designed by N. Grayson, a 'company architect', working for the Madras 8 Southern Mahratta Railway, It took nine years to complete the building. !i was , inaugurated on 11 December 1922-The central bay has two rectangular wings, both of which are arranged around a lush courtyard. The structure was built with large windows to allow the sea breeze to watt through, reaching the courtyard from the front and then going out through the opposite wing.

Photo: L. Vivian Richard