Port Authority Offices
Location
Basra
Basra
Country
Iraq
Iraq
Architect/Engineer/Team
(Team) J. M. Wilson & H. C. Mason
(Team) J. M. Wilson & H. C. Mason
Construction
1927/1929
1927/1929
Project Status
Built
Built
Building Type
Public building
Public building
Notes
The office building's style combined Ottoman and Palladian. Its periphery was over 76 meters long and 20 meters wide and it rose around 20 meters to the top of the dome. The plan is simple and constitutes of a central hall around which the offices are located. The double height arches on the main façade give shade onto the upper walkways facing the street.
The architect kept in line with the Iraqi tradition and used local bricks for construction and glazed tiles to cover the dome. The inside stairs and floors were paved with marble and in the center of the building underneath the dome, six marble columns rise to support a gallery space.
The architect kept in line with the Iraqi tradition and used local bricks for construction and glazed tiles to cover the dome. The inside stairs and floors were paved with marble and in the center of the building underneath the dome, six marble columns rise to support a gallery space.
Sources
World Architecture A Critical Mosaic, Middle East, Vol. 5, pp. 30-31
Baghdad Arts Deco Architectural Brickwork (Pieri) 1920-1950 (Caecilia Pieri), p. 34
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Front elevation
Source: Courtesy: Wilson & Mason
© Wilson & Mason
Interior view watercolor
Source: Courtesy: Wilson & Mason
© Wilson & Mason
Watercolor of the main façade
Source: Courtesy: Wilson & Mason
© Wilson & Mason