Brief History

The College provides accommodation / hostel facilities for boys as well as girls. The hostel buildings are located in the college campus which is spread over 65 acres. The establishment of hostels has a great history and it was with the donations of well wishers and then management team who were great visionaries, the facilities were established and since then made available to students.

Twenty five patrons and more than one hundred fellows were enrolled during the year1892-1895. The most munificent donation received was that of His Highness the Thakoresahib of Gondal who contributed Rs. 20,000.00 to the building fund.

The building for “SirBhagvatsingji Student’s Quarters” was designed by Rao Bahadur Vasudeo Bapuji Kanitkar, the architect of the ready market of Poona. The opening ceremony of the new building of “Sir Bhagvatsingji Student’s Quarters” was performed on March 27, 1895 by His Excellency the Right Honorable Lord Sandhurst, the then Governor of Bombay. The President of Society, Shri Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaja of Kolhapur was present on this occasion to welcome His Excellency and other distinguished guests. A large and beautifully decorated pavilion was erected in the college building and Sir Bhagvatsingji Student’s Quarters.

The hostel accommodation provided by the Sir Bhagvatsingji Student’s Quarters was so much in demand. Therefore, the provision of additional hostel accommodation was taken up as an urgent proposal for the construction of new hostel block No II. The second block was constructed in 1915 with the funds raised by issuing debentures of the amount Rs. 75.000.00.

The accommodation in this block consisted of single seated rooms measuring 10’x 8’. The Block No. III was constructed in 1919 at the cost of Rs. 1, 00,000.00 . The major portion of the funds required for this project was raised by subscriptions among which the sum of Rs. 45,000.00 was contributed by Seth Tulsidas Tejpal, Rs. 5,000.00 by Messrs. Soorjee Pragjee and Rs. 5,000.00 by Seth Madhavji Hariram.

The next step in the direction of providing additional residential accommodation was taken up in 1925 for students from under privileged communities in education. Out of total cost Rs. 1, 45,000.00 and Rs. 30,000.00 came by way of donations and one half of the entire cost came from Government. This block No. IV was declared open on June 25, 1925 by Sir Leslie Wilson, the then Governor of Bombay who had himself contributed Rs. 1,500.00 to the funds to this block No. IV. His Excellency eulogized the efforts of the Deccan Education Society on behalf of student community and complimented Principal Shri. K. R. Kanitkar on the signal success of his efforts to make this possible.

Later on Block No. IV was extended which consisted of 17 rooms measuring 13’x10’ equipped with solar water heating system and supply of bore-well water facilities.

The first instance of accommodation for girl students in the form of ladies’ hostel at Fergusson College became a reality in 1909 with a donation of Rs.3,100.00 from Agarkar Memorial committee. Two more blocks were added in due course of time viz. Kesarbai block (in 1925) and Saraswati Quarters (in 1934). These blocks are now connected together by additional construction and together are now as Agarkar Block of Ladies’ hostel.

Sir Leslie Wilson wished to the scheme of providing greater hostel accommodation for girls student of the college and spoke appreciatively of the donation of Rs.8,000.00 promised by the Ranisaheb of Sangli for that purpose. Additional accommodation for girl students wished for ever since 1926 – 26 had to wait till 1934. Saraswati Quarters were completed with the donation of her Highness the Ranisaheb of Sangli. This block stands on the eastern side of the Agarkar block, symmetrical with the Kesarbai Block constructed in 1921-22. On 27th March 1934, the Saraswati Quarters in Fergusson College were opened at the hands of Shrimant Chief Saheb of Ramdurg. This hostel block for girls student’s was named after Her Highness Shrimant Saubhagywati Saraswatibai Patwardhan, Ranisaheb of Sangli, who donated Rs.8, 000.00 for its construction. Rani Saheb was past student of Fergusson College and it was a gracious act of loyalty to the College on her part to have enabled the College authorities to provide additional hostel accommodation for 16 girls student’s. “In remembrance of happy days passed at the College.” on she says in the inscription on the building. Sister of Ranisaheb, Smt. Manikbai Bhide, contributed Rs.1, 000.00 towards the cost of Construction. The Birla Block of the Ladies Hostel was constructed with a total cost of construction was contributed by Mrs. Sarla Birla, an eminent Ex-hostelite.