Montgomery Hall (Quaid-i-Azam Library)

The Quaid-e-Azam Library is a public library located within the Bagh-e-Jinnah in Lahore. The library was constructed in the mid-19th century during the British Raj compromising of Victorian era Lawrence and Montgomery Halls. The complex includes two halls; the first was built in memory of John Laird Mair Lawrence and the second in memory of Robert Montgomery Martin. It was built in 1866 at the initial cost of Rs.108,000, contributed by the Punjab Chiefs and leading Lahore citizens. The conformity of style with the earlier building was ensured by G. Stone who, in order to present a single unified whole, linked the space between the two halls by a covered corridor. A park previously known as Lawrence Gardens was added. The original curved roof of the Montgomery Hall was disassembled and substituted in 1875 with a teak floor for singing and dancing. The roof was coated, stimulated and corrugated with a decorative carved wooden cling stunningly painted in Egyptian and Italian patterns and fitted with glass windows. On May 1, 1878, the services of the halls, library and the reading room officially got the name of Lahore and Mian Mir Institute. The amenities, particularly the elitism of the place, turned it into a club where the people started getting registered as members. The name was changed to Lahore Gymkhana Club on January 23, 1906.