Historic Prince Building in Colombo

RATE THIS LOCATION : 1 Star

(2 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

Completed in 1910, the Prince Building on Sir Baron Jayathilaka Road (formerly Prince Street) is a five-story landmark originally built for Harrisons & Crosfield Ltd., London. Despite being constructed on a relatively small plot, it stood out as a pioneering design in Colombo. Unlike the prevalent neoclassical style of the era, this concrete monolithic structure broke tradition, introducing a more modern aesthetic to the city’s skyline.

Builders of Prince Building

Although Harrisons & Crosfield Ltd. was incorporated as a public company in 1908, its roots go back to a private partnership formed in 1895 between Arthur Lampard and Harrisons & Crosfield. Originally established in 1844 as a tea-buying firm, Harrisons & Crosfield focused heavily on the China tea trade. The partnership quickly expanded in Ceylon, and Lampard later opened a branch in Calcutta under the name Lampard Clark & Co. With the steady growth of business, both partnerships were eventually merged into Harrisons & Crosfield Ltd. in 1908, forming a strong public company (Villiers, ~1940).

To establish their Colombo presence, Harrisons & Crosfield acquired a small plot of land on Prince Street and commissioned the construction of their new office. Breaking away from the dominant neoclassical style of the area, they opted for a modern five-story structure—later known as the Prince Building—though elements of neoclassical influence can still be traced in its design.

Architectural Character

According to Villiers (~1940), the building was completed in 1910, though Drury (1955) suggests that construction may have concluded in 1911. The project was executed by the Colombo Commercial Company, based on plans prepared by Walkers & Adams. (Manathunga, 2005/2020)

The Prince Building represents an important shift in the architectural character of early 20th-century Colombo. While nearby landmarks such as the Lloyds Building (1910s) and the Whiteaway Building (1907–1908) embodied ornate neoclassical or commercial styles imported from Britain, the Prince Building’s monolithic concrete design signaled a move toward modernity. Together, these buildings transformed the Fort area into a thriving hub of colonial commerce, banking, and trade, reflecting Colombo’s emergence as a strategic port city within the British Empire.

Architecturally, the building features a square-shaped entrance portal supported by five columns. Inside, wooden staircases connect the floors, while the façade incorporates square windows with handrails and rain covers. The upper floors are distinguished by graceful arched windows, topped with smaller ventilation windows and decorative semi-circular and oval motifs (Manathunga, 2005/2020).

In 1970’s the building was purchased by the Government of Ceylon for the Central Bank. In later years, the building came under the ownership of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, which also led to its alternate name, the B.O.I. Building.

References

Drury, N. D. (1955). History of Forbes & Walker, Ltd., 1881-1954: Containing Some Memoirs of Past Personnel (1st ed.). Whittall Company Limited.
Manathunga, S. B. (2020). කොළඹ දිස්ත්‍රික්කය: පෞරාණික ස්ථාන හා ස්මාරක (3rd ed.). Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka. (Original work published 2005)
Villiers, T. (~1940). Mercantile Lore (1st ed.). The Ceylon Observer.

Also See

Map of Historic Gaffoor Building

Click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map

Show Location on Google Maps

The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites

Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.