Curzon, from the very beginning, had laid out in impeccable details, how he envisaged the Memorial for the Queen. Emphasis was placed on symbolism. The Victoria Memorial Hall was conceived to be not only a monument in memory of the deceased queen but to project the building as ‘a standing record of our wonderful history.’ Curzon had desired the building to serve as an impressive example of colonial presence. Hence Curzon entrusted architect William Emerson who already had to his glory the famous architectural buildings like the Crawford market in Mumbai and All Saints Cathedral in Prayagraj. With his affinity towards classical style, he insisted Emerson to submit designs in the Italian Classical Renaissance style. As assistant to Emerson, Vincent Esch was appointed in 1902 and he was encouraged to sketch an original design for Victoria Memorial Hall. Esch was promoted as the project’s Superintending Architect. It is noteworthy that even though Curzon had employed British architects to build the memorial, it necessarily reflected not only a classical style but also a reflection of the Taj Mahal, which Curzon regarded as the epitome of architecture in India.