The mansion was built in 1913 along the lines of a
Tuscan villa by
veterinary surgeon and
philanthropist W. A. de Silva, member of the
Legislative Council of Ceylon and the
State Council of Ceylon, and who served as Minister of Health (1936 - 1942). One of the largest houses in Colombo at the time, Dr de Silva hosted many dignitaries such as
Jawaharlal Nehru,
Rabindranath Tagore and
Lord Donoughmore. He later gifted the mansion to the nation. With Ceylon gaining independence, the house was converted by the Government of Ceylon as a hostel for
Member of Parliament who had to travel to Colombo from their constituencies to attend Parliamentary sittings. Following the construction of the
Madiwela Housing Complex (consisting of 120 housing units for Members of Parliament), the functions of Srawasthi as a hostel ceased. It was then taken over by the
Western Provincial Council as its office complex. ==References==