It stands silently at one corner of the Charing Cross -- amongst the most historical areas in the city to date. Silently, it has witnessed the transformation of Pakistan for exactly a century now and it is with this silence that it celebrates a hundred years of its existence -- no banners, no fliers or signs of any celebration to mark an occasion so momentous. Yet, the plaque gracing the exterior clearly reads "1914" - the year the building came into being - looking out at all those who spare a glance.

"Architecturally, the building is important to the layout of the Charing Cross," says I.A. Rehman. "On one side stands the Masonic Lodge and on the other the Shahdin building," he adds.

The Shahdin Manzil building has stood on the corner of history for a hundred years now. It has witnessed the growth of the Mall Road from a vast open area populated with trees to the variety of buildings now lined on either side. It remembers a time when the Mall was the centre of the city and Shahdin Manzil was an important destination for those belonging to the higher rungs of the British society.

K.K. Aziz, in his book The Coffee House of Lahore: A Memoir (1942-1957), describes the vibrant life that surrounded the building, "In the two hall-size rooms of the Shahdin building was the Lorangs, the finest restaurant in town, patronised by the elite. Near it stood the Stiffles where the guests dined in dinner jackets, danced in the evening and lunched with their friends in as English an ambience as could be conceived."

"The Stiffles restaurant was amazing," reminiscences Majid Sheikh, in a 2011 newspaper column. "People used to come in two horses coaches -- this is what we have heard."

Sheikh quotes the menu card of the restaurant as reading "chocolates, sweets, cakes etc., made only from the best British manufacturing materials and unrivalled in the Punjab."

It was a home away from home for the foreign rulers, provided by none other than Mian Arain family of Lahore and named after Mian Shahdin, the first Muslim judge of the Punjab Chief Court.

"There were a total of two to three owned by Muslims on the Mall and the Shahdin building is one of them," says Rehman.

It was also, perhaps, the first building to be made by a Muslim on the Mall, since Ferozsons and other buildings came later. At the time the Shahdin building was made, the Mall was sparsely populated with buildings.

The Masonic Lodge was constructed on the pattern of the Shahdin Manzil in 1917, following the same neo-classical architectural style. The designer and planner behind the layout of the Charing Cross in 1914, Basil M. Sullivan wanted the two buildings to be mirror images in terms of style and design to maintain the symmetry of the area. A renovation in 2005 a metallic dome added to the Shahdin Manzil now gives it a different look; the balconies and detail on the outer pillar remains the same.

For I.A. Rehman, the Shahdin building is symbolic of another British trend of the "colonnade which can be seen in Connaught place in India and in some areas of Karachi, too." This style was first introduced by Haussman in Paris after the French Revolution. It was significant since it was used to denote centres of public life where activity or action takes place. It was used to showcase the spectacle of the city -- and it served its purpose well in the Shahdin Manzil catering to the elite of the British era. It gave them the perfect opportunity to step off their fancy carriages pulled by horses, dressed from head to toe, prepared for dinner and dance.

Shahdin Manzil has seen this spectacle change over the century. Not only did it witness the construction of the Assembly hall by the British right across but also the movement and riots that eventually pushed the British out.

It has seen India divided into Pakistan and Pakistan become the confused state it is today. It saw the Mall become the Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam and the Charing Cross turn into Faisal Chowk. It has changed and evolved as if merging with the changing landscape.

It is unclear how long Stiffless and Lorangs survived after partition. Since the Shahdin building has always been privately owned the records of its arrival into the present state are scarce. Nostalgic accounts from individuals who have once or twice observed the building, however, still remain. "Lorangs was quite popular after partition as well," says Rehman, "it catered to the upper class."

From high-end restaurants to the office of the United Press of Pakistan to housing an EMI office where recordings took place, the building has transformed multiple times to suit the needs of its owners.

In the ‘60s, the backside of the building became a PIA office as well. At one point the front of the building also housed Hico snack bar and eating joint, a reminder of the more classy restaurants that had once graced its premises.

It has been a silent spectator of history. Despite standing at the cross roads of the political and cultural centre of Lahore for a century it is rarely mentioned by those who have recorded history.

Inside the international bank that Shahdin Manzil now houses, life goes on as always, as fluorescent lights illuminate an interior that is the stark opposite of the neo-classical exterior. Renovations made to the building let only the façade remain while it was stripped of its interior and refurbished with a taste of the new and the modern.

On the other side, a group of construction workers weld, hammer and cement restoring the building while a banner loosely hangs announcing the name of the building and its year of construction.

There is activity all around the place but its nature has changed -- it is no longer the destination of the high and mighty. But the building stands steadfast, still observing the political spectacle that takes place right across the road. From long marches to protests demonstrations to politicians arriving in their sleek cars -- none glance at it as the city’s attention is somewhere else.