Watson's Hotel

Watson's Hotel
Watson's hotel, now known as Esplanade Mansions at Kala Ghoda
Location within Mumbai
General information
Town or city	Mumbai
Country	India
Coordinates	18°55′42″N 72°49′52″E / 18.9283°N 72.8311°E / 18.9283; 72.8311
Construction started	1867
Completed	1869
Client	John Watson
Technical details
Structural system	Cast iron
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Rowland Mason Ordish
Engineer	Rowland Mason Ordish

Watson's Hotel (actually Watson's Esplanade Hotel), now known as the Esplanade Mansion, located in the Kala Ghoda area of Mumbai (Bombay), is India's oldest surviving cast iron building.^[1] It is probably the oldest surviving multi-level fully cast-iron framed building in the world, being three years earlier than the Menier Chocolate Factory in Noisiel, France, which are both amongst the few ever built. Named after its original owner, John Watson, the cast and wrought iron structure of the building was prefabricated in England, and it was constructed between 1867 and 1869.

The hotel was leased on 26 August 1867 for the terms of 999 years at yearly rent of Rupees 92 and 12 annas to Abdul Haq. It was closed in the 1960s and was later subdivided and partitioned into smaller cubicles that were let out on rent as homes and offices. Neglect of the building has resulted in decay and, despite its listing as a Grade II–A heritage structure, the building is now in a dilapidated state. A documentary film about the building was made in 2019 called The Watson's Hotel.