A remarkably intact building facade with balcony, carved teak wood columns and stone bases. This wooden structure was held within thick masonry walls and faced a courtyard. The building the façade was a part of was a city mansion or “palace” that was four stories tall. It dates to the early 19th Century and was sourced from a standing structure located in India’s M--- state.
The wooden structure was painstakingly removed before the masonry parts of the mansion were demolished in 2019. The wooden facade was originally painted and had been repainted multiple times. After the structure was dismantled, all the wooden parts were stripped and cleaned, revealing the valuable teakwood underneath. Teak was prized for its resistance to moisture and insects, and was the preferred wood for architectural decoration and structure. It is also a relatively soft hardwood, which is easy to carve.
The style of the architecture is a rich Indo-Islamic hybrid with architectural features such as balconies supported on carved brackets, foliated arches and latticed screens. Only the first two stories are available, as the upper stories were substantially damaged. A steel armature has been created to allow the façade to free-stand. It may be attached directly to a masonry structure without use of the armature. The upper story may be removed from the base and used separately, if desired. The wood may be stained, bleached, washed or painted to suit the buyer’s preference.
