[1][2][3] The house was built in 1928, with work commencing in 1927 following the demolition of the French styled villa, St Margaret's, which was located on a plot of land, situated in Kollupitiya along Galle Road and stretching to the Indian Ocean.
However, Mohamed Hussain tore down villa and commissioned the architect, Homi Billimoria, to build a larger Italian renaissance styled house.
On the suggestion of Herbert Sri Nissanka, Mohamed Hussain named the new house after his youngest daughter, Mumtaz.
Following the fall of the Vichy government in 1943, the French Consul left the island and the house was requisitioned for use by Vice Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton, Commander-in-Chief, Ceylon who lived in it till the end of the war.
It served in this capacity till 2001, when the Speaker moved to a newly built residence in close proximity to the new parliamentary complex at Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.