The Art Deco Buildings of Nairobi: An African Asian Heritage by Barbara Adair

“For the immigrant Indians in Kenya the Art Deco architectural style took on a form of expression that represented the growing and promising life of the Kenyan Asian. It was a European style, not the stodgy, brick cottage covered with ivy of the British coloniser. And so they built houses in the genre of Art Deco and stream-lined modern, blending in the cultural needs of the community and motifs drawn from their Indian roots.

Currently, in Parklands the landscape is changing. Only a few of these buildings are well maintained. In most, the decorations have faded, or they no longer exist. This is because Parklands sits on prime Nairobi land and every couple of months a building that holds much historical significance is demolished and replaced with modern high-rise apartment blocks”

But the space is still rich in a heritage that has been little documented; it holds memories of an immigrant past that cannot, or should not, be erased”.