BENGALURU: The iconic Falnir House on

, which is over 100 years old and has been witness to the changing visage of the city, will soon make way for a swanky building. Demolition of the house commenced on Saturday.

One of the last structures from the British era, it stood as a fine example of colonial architecture. Believed to be constructed as the residence of the principal of then St Joseph’s European High School, the house was later purchased by Captain George J Ferris, a

surgeon, in the early 1940s. The house, with large and well-ventilated rooms, was the principal dwelling of the Ferris family for almost six decades until they sold it in early 2000s.

Captain Ferris hailed from Falnir area in Mangaluru and that’s how the house got its name. “My grandfather was a highly decorated army surgeon and was one of the first doctors to face chemical warfare when the Germans used chlorine gas in World War I in Ypres (Flanders). When

began, he was denied retirement and asked to continue in service. He was put in charge of Bowring Hospital and lived on Dispensary Road. Later, he bought the house on Church Street and renamed it Falnir House as we come from Falnir region (at that time a village) in Mangaluru,” said Anil Ferris, one of his grandsons.

For the services he rendered during World War II, Captain Ferris was awarded OBI (Order of British India) and the MBE (Member of the

) with the title of Sardar Bahadur. On retirement, he settled in Bengaluru. He passed away on May 15, 1967 at the age of 81.