Published caption : What is now the Army Audit Office on Khao Road, near King Taksin Bridge, was once the residence of Phraya Burusrattana Ratchapallop. Born Nop Krairiksh, this high-ranking government official and close aide to King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) was given a plot of land by the king near the end of Ratchawithi Road plus a grant of 24,000 baht (then a substantial sum of money) to build a home for his family. Phraya Burusrattana played a large role in designing the structure, commissioning features like hip roofs composed of kite-shaped tiles and inset with several small skylights. The main house was said to have been inspired by the Renaissance-era architecture of Europe and specifically by Neuschwanstein, the soaring Romanesque Revival palace in Germany built for King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The construction of Phraya Burusrattana’s villa took six years to complete and was supervised by the same team of European architects and engineers who built Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. On the day set for the official house-warming ceremony — March 13, 1905 — King Chulalongkorn himself paid a visit accompanied by Crown Prince Vajiravudh, the future King Rama VI. The residence was registered by the Fine Arts Department as a heritage site on Nov 14, 1978. In the immediate vicinity are two other mansions built for members of the Krairiksh clan. The first, originally known as Thamnak Thip, was once the residence of Princess Arthornthippayanipa (whose mother was a Krairiksh); it is still owned by a member of the same family. The second was the former home of Phraya Prasertsuppakit (Perm Krairiksh), chief of the Royal Pages Corps during the Fifth Reign. Designed by Italian architect Mario Tamagno (best known for his work on Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall), this villa later became an elite social club called Dusit Samosorn. The building is now used as offices for the management of a block of apartments called Dusit Avenue which was built on the site in 1997.