Vice-Chancellor’s Lodge and guest house of the University of Colombo

When I took over the reins of the University of Colombo as its Registrar in 1984, the university did not have a Lodge for the Vice-Chancellor nor a guest house to accommodate visiting academics, especially from abroad who had to be accommodated in good hotels at an additional cost to the university.

I proposed to the Vice-Chancellor that we submit estimates to the General Treasury to get funds to construct the Vice-Chancellor’s Lodge and a guest house. After having submitted the estimates, we met the officials of the Treasury. The officials told us instead of trying to construct these two buildings, to select two suitable buildings to be acquired and the Treasury will release the required funds for the purpose.

The advertisement was inserted in the newspapers calling for tenders to select suitable buildings to meet the requirements of the university. Of the buildings submitted two were selected to be approved by the Director, Department of Buildings. For the Vice-Chancellor’s Lodge, the house owned by Mr. SW Walpita on Bagatalle Terrace and for the guest house a three storied building on Bauddhaloka Mawatha were the two buildings selected.

A team comprising the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Stanley Wijesundera, then Chairman of the University Grants Commission, Prof. Stanley Kalpage and the Director Buildings inspected the two buildings. The Director Buildings was happy with the house belonging to Mr. Walpita, but did approve the other building as it was on filled land. He stated that it would not last long and so not worthwhile spending money on a building that would not last for a long time.

After more than 25 years the building still looks solid as it was then and the university lost the opportunity of having a guest house. And it was available for a mere Rs. 2.million, so that even if the university used it for two years and disposed of it, it would have been worth it.

It took a long time to get the building belonging to Mr. Walpita as we had to go through all the red tape that is there in government administration, such as valuation of the building by the Department of Valuation, etc. However, after about six months we were able to acquire the building at a price of Rs.6.5 million. Mr. Walpita told me that he had received very good offers but kept it for the university because of my persistence.

Prof. Wijesundera and the next three Vice-Chancellors did not use it as the Lodge. It was used as the International House to accommodate visiting staff from abroad and Vice-Chancellors of local universities who come to Colombo to attend official matters. But now it is being used as the official residence of the Vice-Chancellor.

HM NISSANKA WARAKAULLE