The Sassoons: An Architectural Heritage

A special lunchtime lecture with Professor Esther da Costa Meyer (Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University and School of Architecture, Yale University) on the Sassoon family, and their architectural patronage in India. Moderated by Professor William Whyte (Social and Architectural History, Faculty of History, University of Oxford).

After persecution drove them from their home in Baghdad, the Sassoons established themselves in Mumbai in 1832, and founded a flourishing business empire that eventually stretched across Asia. Over one hundred buildings in Iraq, India, China, and their final home in the United Kingdom, ranging from synagogues, hospitals, schools, libraries, and housing for the working classes, attest to the legacy of this extraordinary multicultural family in diaspora. Dependence on the British undoubtedly entailed political accommodation, but they were also sensitive to the needs of local populations. Their exposure to different languages and cultures became an empowering engine of cultural syncretism, as they adapted their architecture to different cultural contexts and styles, while trying not to lose their own identity as Baghdadi Jews. The Sassoons’ architectural patronage reflects the taste of discriminating men and women whose buildings, erected during the heyday of colonialism, exemplify not only entrepreneurial success but also civic engagement and cultural philanthropy.