Ballard Estate, named after Colonel J. A. Ballard, a founder of Mumbai Port Trust (erstwhile Bombay Port Trust) who constructed the port and Ballard Pier, is an old European style business district situated in South Mumbai. It is in the close vicinity of the Fort area. Nearest railway station is Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus/Boribunder). Being along side Mumbai port, it hosts the offices of number of shipping companies and the headquarters of the Mumbai Port Trust in the Port House. It also has the headquarters of one of the busines giants in India "Reliance Industries Ltd. and many mid-priced hotels.
The Bombay Port Trust(now known as Mumbai Port Trust, MbPT) reclaimed 22 acres of land at Ballard Estate between 1914 and 1918, using material excavated from the Alexandra Docks(renamed as Indira dock). George Wittet designed the buildings for the business district in European Renaissance facades. ( Wittet's designs are amongst the most well known buildings in Mumbai—Bombay House, the Institute of Science, the Gateway of India, the Grand Hotel in the Ballard Estate, the King Edward Memorial Hospital, the Prince of Wales Museum, the Small Causes Court at Dhobitalao and the Wadia Maternity Hospital at Parel. He died of acute dysentery in the year 1926 in Bombay.)
Ballard Estate has a "London feel" and hence, it is often referred to as "London-like" by the locals.
The Grand Hotel in Ballard Estate is a grade-I heritage structure. There are 24 grade-II and some grade-III heritage buildings.
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