Historic Colombo Club Building

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Walking into the Taj Samudra Hotel from Galle Face Road, visitors often notice a colonial-era building standing apart from the main hotel complex. This elegant structure is the Grand Crystal Ballroom, once known as the Colombo Club Chambers. Built in 1871 (Brohier, 2002), it is now a protected monument under Sri Lanka’s Department of Archaeology.

Origins of the Colombo Club

The Colombo Club, founded in 1871, is among the oldest social clubs in Asia and the second oldest in Sri Lanka. Established “for the promotion of social intercourse among gentlemen residing in Ceylon,” it began with just twenty-three members, including notable figures such as Sir Hercules Robinson, the then Governor of Ceylon (Wright, 1907/2004).

During the colonial era, the club was the most exclusive gentlemen’s institution in the country, open only to the British and European elite. Over time, however, this exclusivity changed. After independence, Sri Lankans were admitted as members, and in 1995, the club finally opened its doors to women.

A Glimpse Into Its Colonial Prestige

A 1934 account by Muirhead highlights the club’s high standing:

“Priority of place among the clubs of Ceylon must be awarded to the Colombo Club. A sanctuary dedicated to the male, it occupies an unrivaled site overlooking the Galle Face lawn and the sea. Its members are principally composed of the Burra Sahibs, or chiefs of the various big European business interests operating in the island, together with Colombo’s principal professional men and members of the fighting services. Government officials are conspicuous by their almost entire absence from the roll of this club. ‘This fact is not surprising, as the members of the Colombo Club are a class by themselves, controlling the big business interests and sporting interests of the island. Consequently Ceylon Government officials with their heavy-weather airs cut little ice in these alert business and professional circles. The standard of entertainment and catering at the Colombo Club is of the highest and would do credit to many a London club. It is the fashionable venue, by courtesy, for the various sporting club dances, which are held during the August week festivities. “

The club was not just a private retreat for the elite; it also became a fashionable venue for social events and dances, especially during the festive August racing season.

From Dutch Schoolhouse to Clubhouse

Grandstand at Colombo Racecourse, Sri Lanka. circa 1860s Royal Army Medical Corps Muniment Collection

Colombo Club of Ceylon and the Galle Face Hotel

The site of the present building has a much older history. It originally housed a Dutch school, built in 1734 and rebuilt in 1746. Two stone plaques from this early period still survive. One reads:

T. SCHOOL VAN COLPETTY. TOT VOORT PLANTING VAN DE WAAR CHRISTELYKE GEREFORMEERDE RELIGIE
(The school of Colpetty. For the propagation of the true Christian Reformed Religion.)

The other plaque records the dates:

A° 1734 OP NTEUW GEBOUWT IN HET JAAR 1746
(1734 A.D. Rebuilt in the year 1746.) (De Vos, 1899)

Later, with the development of the Galle Face racecourse, a large Grand Stand with a semicircular open design and conical roof was built here. This eventually gave way to the Colombo Club building in 1871, designed in a similar architectural spirit.

Architecture and Legacy

The Colombo Club building was owned by the Colombo Assembly Rooms Co. Ltd. and leased to the club. By the turn of the 20th century, its upper floor had become the finest ballroom in Colombo, with satinwood flooring admired by visitors (Skeen, 1906).

Following Sri Lanka’s independence, the club house was handed over to the government of Sri Lanka and the Colombo Club moved to the Grand Oriental Hotel.

Today, preserved as part of the Taj Samudra Hotel complex, the Grand Crystal Ballroom retains its colonial grandeur. It stands not only as a venue for modern gatherings but also as a living monument to Colombo’s complex history—Dutch, British, and postcolonial alike.

Eagle's-eye view of the current Colombo House

Current Colombo House Building under Taj Samudra Hotel

References

Brohier, R. L. (2002). කොළොම් පුර පුරාවෘත්තය (Padma Edirisinghe, Trans.; 1st ed.). Visidunu Prakashakayo (Pvt) Ltd. (Original work published 1984)
Cave, H. W. (1904). Golden Tips : A Description of Ceylon and Its Great Tea Industry (3rd ed.). Sampson Low, Marston and Company, Limited. (Original work published 1900)
Lewis, J. P. (1913). Notes and Queries. Journal of the Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon, vol IV(1), 43–44.
Muirhead, J. T. (1934). Brother Ceylon. Lincoln Williams Publishers Ltd.
Official Colombo Club web portal. (n.d.). Colombo Club. Retrieved September 2, 2025, from https://colomboclub.lk/#header
Skeen, G. J. A. (1906). A Guide to Colombo : With Maps: A Handbook of Information, Useful Alike to the Visitor and the Resident (6th ed.). A. M. and J. Ferguson, “Observer” Office. (Original work published 1892)
Wright, A. (2004). Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries, and Resources (1st ed.). Asian Educational Services. (Original work published 1907)
De Vos, F. H. (1899). Monumental Remains of the Dutch East India Company in Ceylon. Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, XV (1898)–49, 213–290.

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