August 17, 1998

Old, neglected colonial buildings in Mumbai regain their pristine grandeur as corporates and architects collaborate to restore them. 

By Farah Baria

In the grand old days of the Raj, when carriages clip-clopped through the streets and angrez memsahibs strolled about with their parasols, the Army and Navy Store was the place for a spot of shopping. A fine example of Renaissance Revivalist architecture, the three-storied structure was built in 1889 and stood in the heart of the Bombay Fort.

Once a walled city, the Fort contains what is possibly the world's largest ensemble of colonial buildings. Today, it is the Central Business District, and the carriages are strictly for tourists. Yet the buildings remain. Still beautiful. But of little value in a city where a square foot of floor space is far more precious than a clustered cupola. Pockmarked by air conditioners and neglected by tenants, they have languished unnoticed for over half a century.

Then one fine day in 1995, the Mumbai branch of Deutsch Bank moved from a crummy basement office at Nariman Point to the Tata Palace, a splendid turn-of-the century French villa in sparkling white limestone. And created conservation history. "For the first time, corporate money had actually been used to rescue a heritage building which would otherwise have gone to seed," recalls city architect Jal Arya. "Now heritage conservation has become fashionable in corporate circles."

Conservationists call it "adaptive re-use" or recycling historical buildings for a modern purpose. The cost, however, isn't exactly negligible. Deutsch Bank is said to have bought the villa from the Tatas for Rs 2.5 crore -- and spent twice the amount on restoration and redesign. Both were executed by architect Raja Aderi who offset the building's whimsical baroque style with sleek, state-of-the-art furniture. Not a purist's cup of tea, but the effect was striking.

A couple of months later, Jardine Fleming, a Hong Kong-based foreign investment consultancy, moved into Amarchand Mansion, designed in that curious blend of colonial and Moorish architecture called Indo-Saracenic: white, geometric balconies, pretty minarets and chhatris (cupolas), all offset by mellow brown sandstone. "The roof was leaking badly and the verandahs were crumbling," says conservation architect Vikas Dilawari. Using traditional limestone he bolstered the balconies, and stripped the facade to plug cracks. Inside, the stained glass was cleaned and the flooring redone with Minton tiles in an attempt to replicate the original design. Cost of the project: Rs 7 crore.

Dilawari has also done the American Express Bank at the Oriental Insurance Building, a majestic grey basalt structure topped with ethereal clusters of domes, spires and turrets in the Gothic Revival style of late 19th century. Inside, generations of pragmatic managers had turned it into a contemporary nightmare of oil-painted teak beams and RCC-coated Corinthian columns. "What it needed was sensitive restoration," says Dilawari. The project took over a year, cost Rs 2.5 crore and tested the patience of the bank's most loyal employees.

In the next couple of months, MacDonalds', the American fast food chain, will move into the Empire Hindu Hotel, an eclectic hybrid of colonial styles. MacDonalds' is thinking of foregoing their standardised plastic-and-chrome interiors for a more appropriate Victorian theme.

"Foreign corporations appear to be more interested in conservation. Also, projects of this sort cost money which can only be forked out by multinationals. The rationale? "An old building is like an umbilical cord that binds you to local history," says Mehrotra. "You become part of the city. Besides, conservation is image-building for the firms."

For antiquarians, it's also a solution to Mumbai's conservation dilemma. With 633 vulnerable buildings on the heritage list, astronomical real estate prices and a ludicrously low rent structure, the city's historical skyline is constantly under threat from greedy builders backed by political patrons. Says D.M. Sukhtanker, former municipal commissioner and chairman of Mumbai's Heritage Committee: "Regulations prohibit owners from demolishing listed structures, but expect them to be maintained."

Now, Indian firms are also rising to the occasion. Last year, the Tatas commissioned Dilawari to restore the Army and Navy Building, which housed the Army and Navy Stores for about Rs 1 crore. Not far away, the Associated Cement Companies' conservation cell has restored a couple of stately buildings at Ballard Estate. The cell executes the restoration using a blend of traditional methods and modern techniques.

The upshot of this cosmetic surgery? "A beautiful skyline, proud citizens and an improved quality of life," says cell manager Ravi Gundurao. Forget the congestion, the slums and the noxious pollution. What else does a city need?

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