Futnani Chambers
heritage building in Calcutta, India
Futnani Chambers is a Grade I heritage building located on the Surendranath Banerjee Road in central Calcutta, West Bengal, India. Situated on over 100 cottahs, the building is known for its distinctive twin domes. It is a notable example of Calcutta's colonial-era architecture and accommodates around 120 tenants, besides numerous commercial establishments and offices.
Previously known as the Hindustan Building, the Calcutta Municipal Corporation leased the building to the Hindustan Insurance Company in 1910 for a period of 99 years. In 1956, it came under the ownership of the Life Insurance Corporation of India after the Hindustan Insurance Company was merged into it. Later, the building acquired its present name after it was subleased to the Futnani family.
History
The three-storey building was originally a part of Rani Rashmoni's estates. In the late nineteenth century, the British-run Calcutta Municipal Corporation acquired this building from Rani Rashmoni's descendants. In 1910, the Calcutta Municipal Corporation leased the building to the Hindustan Insurance Company for a period of 99 years. After the change in ownership, the building came to be known as the Hindustan Building.
“Futnani Chambers” enters the record as heritage building in Calcutta, India. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Futnani, Chambers and heritage can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Futnani Chambers” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Futnani, Chambers and heritage provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q140408090. The first chronological checks are 1910 and 1956.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Futnani Chambers”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Futnani Chambers primary sources, Futnani Chambers archive and Futnani research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Futnani Chambers”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Futnani Chambers” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.