Gujarati Samaj Center Closer to Reality

By Jawahar Malhotra

HOUSTON: If you drive down West Bellfort west towards the Beltway 8 or north along the feeder road, you might catch the big yellow sign proclaiming the coming of a Community Center and Sports Complex. Just below, is a silhouette of the map of Gujarat and the name of the Gujarati Samaj of Houston.

The sign’s been up for about nine months but the building project is getting closer to fruition, according to Suresh Patel, the tireless Treasurer and Director of the GSH. “We have received the building permits from the City and are now getting bids from contractors,” he said. “We expect to finish within 18 months.”

The $6.5 million project will include a 1,000 person state-of-the-art auditorium, parking lot and landscaping, as well as a serving kitchen only, for outside caterers to use. Phase two will include other elements that will fill up the site, including the Sports Complex. The architect for the facility is Siu-Hong Cheung, with support by by Dr. Banawalker and Vimal Parikh. Of Vertika Structural Engineers aho have worked on the VPSS Haveli. Civil engineering is by A. Rana and MEP engineering is by Infra Structure, led by Vasant Hariayani, formally of Baroda.