Ice House is one of the main landmark in
Chennai. It was built by Mr. Frederic Tudor, the 'Ice King' in
Kolkata,
Mumbai and Chennai. Ice House was built to keep ice under proper insulation so that it could be stored for months together.
The building was rechristened as Vivekananda Illam in 1963 by the Government of Tamil Nadu, in memory of Swami Vivekananda’s brief sojourn here (in 1897 when he delivered seven historic lectures at Chennai). Ice House now houses a gallery exhibiting about 150 rare photographs on the life of Swami Vivekananda. The building also houses a section on India's cultural heritage and on the history of the building itself.
Ice House is open from 9:00 to 12:30 and 15:00 to 18:30 hrs on all days, except Wednesdays.
