Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall

Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall (พระที่นั่งอนันตสมาคม) stands on the plaza of Dusit Palace. The museum of the Secretariat of the House of Representatives says it was built in B.E. 2450 (1907), in the reign of King Rama V, as a place to receive royal guests from abroad and a place to consult on the affairs of the kingdom. Chaophraya Yommarat (Pan Sukhum) was in charge of the construction. The Italian architect Mario Tamagno designed it. The Tourism Authority of Thailand, on its Hua Lamphong page, also names Tamagno as the designer of this hall. Professor Galileo Chini and Si Riguli (ซี ริกุลี) painted there.

The parliament page says the hall is Carrara marble from Italy, in the architecture of the Italian Renaissance. It is two storeys, with one large dome in the centre and six smaller domes around it. The upper floor is a large hall, split into a meeting hall and a hall for ceremonies. The lower floor has ten small rooms, two medium rooms, two large rooms, and one central hall.

After the change of government in B.E. 2475 (1932), King Rama VII granted the hall for parliament meetings. It was the first parliament building. The first sitting of the first group of Thai members of parliament was held there on 28 June B.E. 2475 (1932). It remained a meeting place until B.E. 2517 (1974). It was also used for the investiture of the Crown Prince of Siam, the granting of a constitution, and the opening of parliament. When membership outgrew the hall, a new parliament building went up on land to its north, on U Thong Nai Road in Dusit.

The page does not print current visiting hours, a ticket price, a house number, a telephone, or an email for the throne hall. It places the hall in Dusit.

Photo: 0017-Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall.jpg by Nawit science, CC BY-SA 4.0 (2020), the throne hall with the equestrian statue in front.