The Balaji Palace

DR. MALUR BALAJI

From South India, to the Northeast, to the North Coast

Beginning in February of 1982, Dr. Malur Balaji started vacationing on the north coast of the Dominican Republic with his wife and 5 children. During this recess each school year, they traveled from the snowy northeast of the United States to Sosúa, Puerto Plata where they fell in love with its warm beaches and even warmer townspeople.

Dr. Balaji was born in South India and came to America as a medical doctor in 1969 after graduating from Bangalore Medical College. He further specialized in general surgery at the University of Rochester and cardiovascular surgery under Dr. DeBakey at Methodist Hospital in Houston with Baylor Medical College. He returned to Rochester, NY in 1975 and practiced as a General surgeon and Vascular surgeon, becoming chief of vascular surgery at St.Mary’s and Unity Hospital.

The Balaji Palace construction took place from 2000-2008. During these 8 years there was no final plan. Similar to the construction story of the famous Hearst Castle, the grandiose concept was painstakingly iterated every three to six months. While actively practicing medicine, Dr. Balaji would visit every six to eight weeks. He admits to have shaken things up and frustrating the crew each time. In one example, six different palace pillars were produced (to scale) so Dr. Balaji could choose the most eye-pleasing design. There were governmental regulatory hurdles to a U.S. citizen building a new estate on virgin rainforest next to the ocean, but Dr. Balaji’s reputation as volunteer cardiac-surgeon was a bypass to “red tape” others in his shoes might have faced.