In the mid 19th century Baroda saw the transition of traditional doctors such as “vaidyas” and “hakims” to European medicine and doctors. Accordingly, bungalows started coming up for the use of these doctors. One such bungalow was the Head Nurse’s bungalow built, in 1916, behind the Yavteshwar Mahadev Temple.
As the name suggests the bungalow was used by the head nurse of the SSG Hospital as a residence. Spread in 2500 sq meters, the bungalow showed prominent use of wood. It had a veranda on the ground floor with a wooden staircase leading to the veranda on the first floor. Both the verandas had wooden jalis covering their front, used to diffuse the harsh sunlight. With 8 rooms, it was said to have had a fireplace on the first floor, the chimney of which peeked out from the roof.
Apart from being an example of the architecture prevalent in those times, the building was a reflection of the transformation of the history of medicine of the Baroda State.
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Sadly the use of the bungalow decreased in the late 1980s. This happened because the place came to be known as dangerous due to a robbery and murder at a nearby place. Slowly the building fell into disrepair and was finally demolished by the authorities in 2017.
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