English
Vasco da Gama Club (Current Headquarters)
Panaji [Panagi/Pangim/Panjim/Nova Goa], Goa, India
Military Architecture
Situated on the old Avenida da República, the Headquarters building was built in the early 1920s to house the Vasco da Gama Club and was already functioning in late 1922 or early the following year, when it was described by the newspaper Diário da Noite as being a majestic construction. The reasons why the Vasco da Gama Club sold its building are unknown. It had clearly invested a great deal both financially and regarding its image. But in June 1924 the Estado da Índia was authorised to acquire the building to install its Headquarters, which had already been located in the former prison, as well as in the large barracks. The biggest façade of the two-floor rectangular construction faced the Avenida Marginal [shoreline avenue]. This was probably the main façade, which was divided into five sections by rusticated pilasters. The main entrance was topped by a pediment containing a small niche. It was located in the central part and distinguished from the other sections by being rusticated on the ground floor and because the fulllength windows on the second floor, topped by small triangular pediments, were different from the others. On the first floor the other sections had semicircular twin windows with verandas whose frames simulated small pediments; on the ground floor the window and door decoration was imitation full-length. The other façades were also marked by rusticated pillars and had the same kind of windows. In 1925 renovation work was undertaken so that the Headquarters could be installed. It is not precisely known what work was done, but it is possible that the construction of the galilee which marks the east side entrance, nowadays the main entrance, dates from that time. It is not very common, nor probable, that the Vasco da Gama Club had two such prominent entrances. It is therefore thought that when the building was converted the entrance location was changed so that it could be associated to the large barracks located west of the club. The exterior shows no signs of other major interventions. The only one worthy of note was the construction of a fence that cuts off all physical relations between the barracks and the avenue. The building stands out in the urban landscape due to its site placement and careful design.