17/08/2026
Kandawalla Building – Where Karachi’s History Came Together
The historic Kandawalla Building on M.A. Jinnah Road was much more than an old commercial building. During the 1950s and 1960s, it was connected with some of the most important institutions, businesses and events of Karachi’s history.
The building housed offices of the American Embassy and USAID before the American diplomatic mission eventually moved to its own premises. The early Institute of Business and Public Administration (IBPA)—later known as IBA Karachi—was also associated with the building. Established in Karachi in 1955 with American assistance and technical support from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, IBA became one of Pakistan’s leading business institutions.
The building was also associated with the Kandawalla family's automobile business. Eastern Automobiles, which was already operating in Karachi as a Ford agent in 1938, was later located in the Kandawalla Building. The Kandawallas were prominent automobile dealers and businessmen, with their automobile workshop located off Garden Road near Makki Masjid, in the area associated today with Makki Apartments.
The Kandawallas also had their family estate on Club Road, near the Metropole, between the State Guest House and the Commissioner’s House—another reminder of the family's prominent place in Karachi's commercial and social history.
One of the most fascinating episodes connected with the building dates to 1959, when American President Dwight D. Eisenhower visited Karachi. He travelled through the city alongside President Ayub Khan in an open car and was later transferred to the presidential carriage before proceeding to the President’s House. According to a local historical recollection, a U.S. Marine on the roof of the Kandawalla Building sounded a bugle salute as the presidential procession passed.
At that time, Karachi was still the capital of Pakistan, making it the centre of the country's political and diplomatic life.
There is another intriguing architectural detail still waiting to be established. Historical photographs of the Kandawalla Building show different versions of the structure—some appearing as Ground + 2 floors and others as Ground + 3 floors. The American flag can be seen in both photographs. By comparing the photographs with their dates and other historical records, we may be able to determine when the additional floor was constructed and whether the extension took place during the period of the American Embassy's occupancy.
From the American Embassy and USAID to the early days of IBA, Eastern Automobiles, the Kandawalla family and a visit by an American President, this remarkable building witnessed a fascinating chapter of Karachi’s history.
Kandawalla Building — another forgotten landmark of the Karachi that once was.
