The Asiatic Society, Mumbai

The Asiatic Society of Mumbai occupies the Town Hall, defined by a massive portico with eight Doric columns that rise from a high, imposing stone plinth. Sir James Mackintosh founded the society in eighteen oh four to promote Oriental studies. When the building opened in eighteen thirty-three, it served as a library and a museum. Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy once donated ten thousand rupees to keep the collection intact when the society faced financial ruin during a particularly difficult drought.