One of the 32 heritage buildings of the Bangladesh Archeology Department, a century-old building located on Tipu Sultan Road in Old Dhaka is included in the list of 93 historical and aesthetic buildings of the Dhaka City Corporation and the Capital Development Authority, called Songkhonidhi House. At the beginning of the 20th century, the merchant brotherhood of Lalmohan Saha, Bhajahari Saha and Gaur Nitai Saha discarded the title of merchant and accepted the title of Sankhanidhi i.e. conch bearer due to the great development in business. In 1920-1926, they constructed several buildings from Tipu Sultan Road in Old Dhaka to Rankin Street in Warri. One of the three brothers, Lalmohan Saha built Sankhanidhi House in 1921.
Gothic-Indian and Indo-Saracenic influences are seen in the construction of the two-storied Sankhanidhi House. The main building has 3 entrances on both sides and a temple on the north side. On the eastern side of the Sankhanidhi House, a single-storied structure about 50 feet wide is known as the Sankhanidhi Dance Hall. The dance hall's elaborate reliefs, colorful tiled walls and entrance look a lot like a Hindu temple. The south facing Sankhanidhi House building was placed 5 feet above the level. There was a 20 feet wide step leading to the verandah. Apart from the dance hall, Sankhanidhi House has 5 rooms of different sizes.
During the Liberation War in 1971, the residents of Sankhnidhi House migrated to India. Later in 1980 Sankhanidhi House was listed by the Directorate of Archaeology. In 1991, part of the Sankhanidhi House and the dance hall were demolished. The Graduates High School currently stands on the site of the dance hall.
CholoZai