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| Hotel Metropole | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Karachi-75520, Sindh |
| Address | Abdullah Haroon Road, Karachi |
| Coordinates | 24°51′01″N 67°01′51″E / 24.850366°N 67.030740°E / 24.850366; 67.030740 |
| Opening | 1954 |
| Owner | Habibullah Khan (Mega & Forbes Group) |
| Design and construction | |
| Developer | Cyrus Minwalla |
Hotel Metropole (Urdu: ہوٹل میٹروپول) is a defunct hotel situated on Victoria Road in Karachi, Pakistan.
History
Hotel Metropole was founded by Cyrus Minwalla. It was inaugurated in 1951 by Emperor Reza Shah Pahlavi of Iran, along with then Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan and Fatima Jinnah. The construction of the building began in 1949 on land provided by the Dinshaw family. The hotel was officially opened to the public in 1954.
The ground floor of the hotel once accommodated the offices of Pan American and KLM. The hotel introduced a music and dance floor to Karachi and housed the nightclub "Summer".
Due to economic challenges following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, half of the hotel was converted into office spaces. The hotel also had a dedicated floor for Lufthansa crew members up until 1998.
After the 9/11 event, Lufthansa and Swissair ceased their Pakistan operations in 2001. Given the global economic challenges, the hotel's ownership decided to close the Metropole and began demolition in 2004.
By 2006-2007, reconstruction plans were abandoned and half of the building remained dismantled.
In 2018, a Pakistani billionaire, Habibullah Khan, acquired the building and land of the hotel.
In September 2019, the Government of Sindh decided to acquire the Metropole Hotel land to halt a high-rise construction and proposed the establishment of a park for children and the elderly.
In February 2020, the Sindh High Court suspended the demolition of the Metropole Hotel.
References
- "KARACHI: A landmark fading into history". DAWN.COM. 2006-06-12. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
- "Roznama Dunya". dunya.com.pk. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
- "The Talk of Karachi; Pakistan's Metropolis; Karachi's Loyal Inhabitants Deplore The Construction of a New Capital". June 13, 1964 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Masood, Tooba (October 2, 2019). "Once a cornerstone of heritage, Hotel Metropole in search of new identity". DAWN.COM.
- ^ "کراچی کا میٹروپول ہوٹل، پرانے دور کی خوبصورت یادگار". Dastak. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
- "High court allows Metropole Hotel renovation". DAWN.COM. 2011-10-13. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
- Ghori, Habib Khan (2019-09-05). "Sindh govt to replace Metropole Hotel with modern park for children, elderly". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
- "Sindh High Court halts Metropole Hotel's demolition".