Mackinnon Mackenzie Building, Colombo Fort Mackinnon Mackenzie Building (Sinhala: මැකිනන් මැකන්සි ගොඩනැගිල්ල) is located at the intersection of York Street and the Layden Bastian Road in Colombo Fort, Sri Lanka. The popular Grand Oriental Hotel is situated next to this building (Manathunga, 2016). History
The Mackinnon Mackenzie and Company of Ceylon Limited is one of the oldest companies in the country. It has a history associated with the British India Steamship Company [(BI) a company founded in 1856 and closed in 1972] and the Peninsular and Oriental Steamship Company [(P&O) a company founded in 1837 and closed in 2006]. The P&O started an agency in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) in 1842, and their local shipping agent at that time was E. Coates & Co. (Galle) Ltd., situated within the Galle Fort . However, the P&O was taken over by the newly formed Mackinnon Mackenzie & Co. in 1871.
In 1917, the Mackinnon Mackenzie & Co. established their office in Colombo Fort in a building owned by the Earl of Inchcape. T…