Qualla: Karachi Port Trust Building

Karachi Port Trust Building: Introduction

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Framjiarnaz, CC BY-SA 4.0. The Karachi Port Trust Building was designed to be the first thing visitors saw when they arrived by sea, a showpiece that would announce the city's importance. Instead, within months of its January 1916 inauguration, it became a 500-bed military hospital. World War I had different plans for George Wittet's grand creation, and the building spent its first three years treating wounded soldiers rather than administering port affairs.

Image: Framjiarnaz | CC BY-SA 4.0

Karachi Port Trust Building: Wittet's Curved Masterpiece

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Junaidkureshi, CC BY-SA 4.0. George Wittet, the consulting architect to the Government of Bombay, designed the building in a style that fused British, Hindu, and Gothic elements. Wittet was already known for designing the Gateway of India in Bombay and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya museu...

Image: Junaidkureshi | CC BY-SA 4.0

Karachi Port Trust Building: Teak, Anchors, and an Open-Cage Elevator

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Zak Kazi, CC BY-SA 4.0. Inside, the building reveals a love of materials that has aged remarkably well. Costly teak wood appears everywhere, from window frames painted dark green to a polished staircase that connects the floors. The elevator itself is wooden, featuring an open-cage design through which ...

Image: Zak Kazi | CC BY-SA 4.0

Karachi Port Trust Building: From Hospital to Headquarters

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Kabeer Khusroo, CC BY-SA 3.0. Construction began in 1912, with the Napier Mole Road extended to the site by 1914, terminating at a spot called Willingdon Place. The Marquess of Willingdon, Governor of Bombay, inaugurated the building on January 5, 1916. But the ongoing First World War immediately diverted it ...

Image: Kabeer Khusroo | CC BY-SA 3.0

Karachi Port Trust Building: Standing Watch on Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Rabab Fatima Turabi, CC BY-SA 3.0. The KPT Building occupies approximately 1,400 square meters in central Karachi's Kharadar neighborhood, near the Native Jetty Bridge and Merewether Clock Tower. It is adjacent to the Imperial Customs House and sits opposite Qamar House on Eduljee Dinshaw Road. The Pakistan Navy h...

Image: Rabab Fatima Turabi | CC BY-SA 3.0