Hotel Greens, where the Taj Tower Hotel Now Stands, Bombay, 1902 Photo
A remarkable 1902 photograph of Bombay (Mumbai) captures the now-lost Hotel Greens. A prominent European-style establishment that once stood at Apollo Bunder, exactly where the Taj Mahal Tower (Taj Hotel annex) rises today. This rare visual offers a fascinating glimpse into the city’s colonial waterfront just before one of its most iconic landmarks, the Gateway of India, took shape.
The image features the distinctive “L”-shaped structure of Hotel Greens. It was a well-known lodging choice among European visitors and officials in early 20th-century Bombay. During this period, Apollo Bunder functioned as a key maritime gateway to the city. Where passengers arriving by steamships would disembark.
Interestingly, on the far left of the photograph, one may notice what appears to be the early stages of construction of the legendary Taj Mahal Hotel. It officially opened in 1903, commissioned by industrialist Jamsetji Tata.
In the decades that followed, the area underwent a significant transformation. The Gateway of India, built in 1924 at Apollo Bunder, commemorated the 1911 visit of King George V and Queen Mary.
Much later, in the 1970s, the Taj Group acquired Hotel Greens, and the aging structure was eventually demolished. In its place, the modern Taj Mahal Tower, a 24-storey luxury hotel annex, was constructed. Creating a striking architectural contrast alongside the original heritage Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Click image to enlarge.
Read more Strange Bedfellows: The Taj And Greens.
Did you know – the Taj Hotel was not the first to get five-star hotel status, that honour went to Juhu’s Sun N Sand Hotel in 1962. The Taj couldn’t qualify because it didn’t have a swimming pool then.
