The plans to build a commercial centre was ideated when the Indian capital was being shifted to Delhi. So, Britishers decided to create the market modelled after Royal Crescent in Bath, England.⁣
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It was designed by Robert Tor Russell. Originally, the idea for a central plaza in the new Imperial capital came from WH Nicholls, the chief architect to the Government Of India.⁣
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It was named after Prince Arthur, 1st Duke of Connaught, third son of Queen Victoria and uncle of King George VI of England, who visited India in 1921 and laid the foundation of the Council House (now Sansad Bhavan, or Parliament House).⁣
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Construction work began in 1929, with the construction of the Viceroy House (present Rashtrapati Bhavan), Secretariat Building, Parliament House, and All-India War Memorial, India Gate were completed by 1933, long after the inauguration of the city in 1931.⁣
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The Imperial, New Delhi’s first luxury hotel opened in 1931 on Queen’s Way, (modern-day Janpath) and eventually became a haunt for the royalty and a place for political discussions. It was her that Nehru, Gandhi, Jinnah and Mountbatten met to discuss the Partition of India and the birth of Pakistan.⁣
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Connaught Place did not have many takers when it was ready for occupation in 1933. In fact, most traders of the Walled City joked that the big shops of CP will end up serving as horse stables and car garages.⁣
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In 1935, New Delhi Traders’ Association was set up, with Seth Ramchand Lila Ram as its first president. It was the first traders’ association akin to a chambers of commerce, with members drawn from various trades.⁣
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Some iconic shops in this central plaza easily rivalled high-end European stores in the 1940s. Todays it’s one of the most expensive commercial spaces in the city Delhi.⁣
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In 2008 Delhi bombings, two of the five terrorist blasts were in Connaught Place.⁣
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In 2018, CP was ranked as the 10th most expensive office location in the world. With rate of 153.26 USD (11500 INR on current exchange rate) / sq.ft /annum.⁣
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(To compare : Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Nariman Point Central Business District ranked at 27th and 40th positions respectively.)⁣