For the first time, the state government has allocated Rs 15 crore for the conservation of important heritage buildings.
Important public buildings in the city will soon be restored to their former glory after the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) gave a green signal for the restoration of public buildings like Elphinstone College and the Institute of Science recently. Proposals for the Old Customs House, Old Secretariat and Town Hall are still awaiting clearance from MHCC.
This decision came after the state government made a budgetary allocation of Rs15 crore for the conservation of these important public buildings for the first time this year.
“The proposal for Old Customs House and the Old Secretariat buildings will be passed soon. We have yet to receive a proposal on the Town Hall,” said MHCC chairman Dinesh Afzalpurkar.
City collector IA Kundan, whose office is based in the Old Customs House, heads the committee to carry out the tendering process and finalisation of architectural consultants for the restoration of these five public buildings. “The idea is to restore public heritage buildings in a phased manner. The state government has allocated Rs 15crore, and if this idea continues, there will be some amount kept aside each year for restoration,” Kundan said.
The public works department has appointed conservation architects Abha Narain Lambah and Vikas Dilawari for the restoration of the buildings. Dilawari’s aim is to repair the Elphinstone College and Institute of Science buildings to make them watertight, aesthetically appealing and historically correct in terms of finish.
Built in 1874, the building was designed by famous architect Col Henry St Clair Walkins. Today, it functions as the City Civil and Sessions Court. Lambah plans to focus predominantly on the restoration of the external facade and roof.
A lot of stone-cleaning will be done, and broken cornices replaced. Certain elements like stone spouts from where rainwater comes out are blocked, and will be cleaned. Paint from doors and windows will be scraped off to bring it back to its natural wood colour. The divisional commissioner’s cabin will be refurbished.
Approved ProjectsInstitute of ScienceIt was designed by George Wittet, then consulting architect to the government of India in a controlled Renaissance Revival style, and the foundation stone was laid in 1911. Although completed earlier, the Institute was opened only in 1920. The building is a Grade II A listed building, serial number 155, as per Development Control Rules of 1995 of the government of Maharashtra.
The structure will be given an anti-termite treatment and new flooring, appropriate for its historic look. This will be followed by new plinth protection in the courtyard and new toilets. New weather sheds in the courtyard, wood work repairs to existing doors and windows and complete repairs of the Mangalore-tiled roof of the library building will be carried out. Stone facades will be cleaned, and wooden surfaces painted and polished.
Pipes and existing toilets will be renovated.
Elphinstone CollegeA Romanesque transition style, it was designed by Trubshaw, supervised by Khan Bahadur Muncherjee Murzban, and completed in 1888. The building is a Grade I listed structure.
Established in 1824, Elphinstone is one of the oldest colleges in Bombay. Its alumni are among the greatest names of the Indian Nationalist Movement, strongly establishing the institution’s contribution towards shaping the history of India.
The structure will receive anti-termite treatment, new flooring, new Gothic revival details to the parapets, new paving in the courtyard and around the building, renovated toilets, re-plastering where essential and RCC repairs.
Repairs to existing windows and doors, new weather sheds on the rear and in the courtyard and weld mesh shutters will also be carried out.
Stone facades will be cleaned, paint scraped off from stone, wooden surfaces painted and polished. Defective pipes will also be changed.
Projects in the Pipeline
Old Customs HouseIts foundation was laid in 1770, but it’s unrecognisable today. The building, housing the city collector’s office, is a combination of stone porch courtyard enveloped by timber verandahs, with sloping terracotta-tiled roofs. Its multi-tier wooden balconies are sagging and the roof requires urgent restoration.
Lambah says a host of government departments in this building underwent ad hoc additions, like toilet blocks, closed-up balconies and fibre glass waterway cutting through the main courtyard, dealing a huge blow to the heritage integrity of the structure. Lambah plans to remove all the ad hoc changes.
Town HallA Grade-I heritage structure built in 1833, it was once the seat of government and carried out important activities concerning the city’s functioning, via the BMC, High Court and university examinations. Till recently, the governor’s tea was hosted at Town Hall on August15. Today, it houses the Central and the Asiatic libraries and has stamp offices in the basement.
“The city’s most precious manuscripts and valuable books are housed in this building. But there are severe leakages in the roofs and a lot of wood rot, which was a cause of concern for conservationists. So, for structural stability and prevention of leakages, major work needs to be done on the roof,” Lambah says.
She adds that the original Corinthian columns which were gilded with gold leaf have been coated with ordinary gold paint. “Five years ago, the main central hall was painted lilac. We will scrape the paint off and get it back to its original colour scheme. Many historic furniture and marble statues need restoration. We will have special lighting to illumine the exterior facade of Asiatic library in detail.”
Old SecretariatBuilt in 1874, the building was designed by famous architect Col Henry St Clair Walkins. Today, it functions as the City Civil and Sessions Court. Lambah plans to focus predominantly on the restoration of the external facade and roof.
A lot of stone-cleaning will be done, and broken cornices replaced. Certain elements like stone spouts from where rainwater comes out are blocked, and will be cleaned. Paint from doors and windows will be scraped off to bring it back to its natural wood colour. The divisional commissioner’s cabin will be refurbished.
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