The Victoria Public Hall will be thrown open to the public by July with
the Chennai Corporation set to complete the project to restore the
heritage structure by June.

The project, to restore the nearly 110-year-old building
to its original glory, was taken up a year ago at a cost of Rs.3.96
crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

Mayor M.Subramanian, who inspected the restoration work
on Monday, said the damaged roof has been replaced and work on the
wooden flooring and staircase is in progress.

Once the work is finished, sound and light show would be
conducted on the ground floor, whose built-up area is 13,342 sq.ft. The
first floor, which has a built-up area of 12, 541 sq.ft., would be used
to conduct cultural programmes. The hall would have a seating capacity
of 600 persons.

Archaeological Survey of India, Anna University and
Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, a voluntary
organisation, are some of the agencies that conduct periodical review of
the restoration work.

A press release from the Corporation said that the
Victoria Public Hall, which is an example of Indo-Saracenic
architecture, was built by Namperumal Chetty in 1890. Renovation work of
the hall was first carried out in 1967 and the then Chief Minister
C.N.Annadurai dedicated it for public use.

After a few years, the building remained closed for over
40 years. Several eminent personalities, including Mahatma Gandhi and
Swami Vivekananda, have visited the hall.