Conservation can begin at home

It’s high time that private owners of heritage buildings adopted sensitive restoration methods to ensure both longevity and retain the historicity of their sites

OFTEN, while I am out on the field, and especially with projects related to the conservation of heritage structures, I always look for lessons from a practical perspective, and how it can be incorporated in lived-in, private spaces. I don’t come from a space of an expert’s view, but there are plenty of takeaways even from an observers’ viewpoint. More often than not the approaches are relatable. Recently, I was reminded of this while visiting the restored twin residential spaces of Ashley House and Somerset House in Colaba that date back nearly a hundred years. It needed the necessary TLC that comes with maintaining such legacies.

It’s always a delight for yours truly to step into a home in a heritage building, especially since one has mostly grown up within the four walls of a suburban 1BHK with a non-existent cool origin story et al [you get the drift]. In the course of our tour of the buildings’ façades by the conservation architect and the owners, we met a resident who waxed eloquent about the unobtrusive manner by which work carried on while the site’s occupants carried on with their daily lives. As we walked around the premises, we noted the visibly beneficial changes that were implemented, sensitively and pragmatically, all the while keeping in mind the historicity of the place. In fact, the adjacent residential complex was impressed with the makeover of their neighbours and made enquiries of the restoration process.

Prior to the pandemic, we had written about the Commissariat Building that was restored in a similar manner on Dr DN Road, where its occupants were operating from the site while work continued. Despite being a mostly commercial space with offices and enterprises keeping daily office timings, the approach was the same. In both cases, the owners of these heritage buildings saw reason and merit to take the conservation route in order to protect not only the longevity of the sites but to also pay tribute to its origins and historic relevance. This, my dear readers, is what kept echoing in the head after that visit to the Colaba address.

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And, as if to read my mind, I received a letter from a reader after reading my story that appeared in last Sunday’s mid-day edition. He suggested that ward-wise restoration of heritage buildings should be implemented. To give this an exciting spin, he even added that prizes could be awarded to the best maintained spaces post restoration. It made sense. It is one thing to sign off on a well-done restored space but another altogether to continue residing/occupying a restored space and ensure its upkeep follows the principles in the true spirit with which it was taken up in the first place. The residents of the Art Deco buildings that face the Oval Maidan and Marine Drive come to mind as classic examples where a collective sense of responsibility has ensured that the ensemble, which forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, continues to retain its original and much-hailed grandeur.

We liked the sound of the suggestion. I am sure some of you reading this column would echo the sentiment. But there is a long gap from discussing whether your heritage valued residential or commercial building needs to be preserved, and another to actually go ahead and bite the bullet. I keep coming back to Matunga, because the charming locality that I have a close connection with has lost a sizeable part of its original charm, thanks to redevelopment and/or uninterested owners who seem to have let things slide. Of course, we aren’t privy to the wheelings and dealings of what might have conspired in the backrooms before such buildings were razed or continue to lie in neglect, but the ghastly change of the streetscape is there for all to see. Bandra is another address where barring a few neighbourhoods, chunks of spaces that were once home to quaint bungalows with sprawling verandahs and well-tended gardens have given way to glass façade high-rises. A walk down St Sebastian Road or Turner Road is bound to throw up several such ‘Then’ and ‘Now’ montages.

It wouldn’t hurt, at least for some of the visionary building complexes of a certain vintage in our city and its suburbs to start the trend, where they consider taking this route when the time comes to undergo repair and maintenance. The city is blessed with plenty of urban conservationists to choose from, who are experts in the field and will offer the right guidance to retain its original character, keeping in mind budgets and other restraints. Not only will this mantra ensure and insure the site’s health but it will also encourage others to follow suit. Making it a mandatory decision for every ward would, of course, be the icing on the cake. How and if this can be considered as a long-term idea, is a thought that we have to deposit with the gods who govern our city. Until then, we’d love to see likeminded and progressive citizen groups and housing societies take up this critical case to retain our precious local heritage.

mid-day’s Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city’s sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana

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