150-yr-old municipal building in Prayagraj to undergo makeover

A150-year-old Municipal Corporation Office building, which also served as the first hotel in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, is undergoing a Rs 27 crore makeover. It is scheduled to be completed by December 2024 and will be showcased as a ‘heritage site’ during the Mahakumbh due in early 2025. However, the face-lift might have never happened had the original plan to demolish the building been accepted.

The demolition plan was initiated after a roof in one of the rooms of the building collapsed in December 2020. But the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) did not accept the plan and suggested to restore the building instead.

The IIT Bombay was also consulted on the restoration project. Suraj VS, a consultant with the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation, told PTI, “The decision to preserve the building came after consultations with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and IIT Bombay. The ASI recommended preserving the building as a heritage site.” “The old records revealed that the building originally constructed around 1865 had first served as the ‘Great Northern Hotel’ -- the first Hotel of Prayagraj during the Raj days,” he said. Vaibhav Maini, Joint Secretary of INTACH, highlighted the building’s historical significance. “American writer Mark Twain stayed at the hotel during his visit to Allahabad in 1896.

The building later served as an administrative building under British rule,” he said. Following the recommendations, the building is undergoing a Rs 27 crore makeover. The renovation exercise undertaken by Savani Heritage, Mumbai, involves using traditional materials and techniques to restore the building’s original character.

“Instead of modern cement and sand, the construction team is using a mixture of lime, surkhi, sand, bel giri, jaggery, urad dal, and fenugreek, which are more durable and sustainable,” officials said. Municipal Commissioner Chandra Mohan Garg admitted the building’s historical value for Prayagraj and felt that the renovated building would attract visitors whose numbers are expected to grow manifold during the Mahakumbh, the mega religious gathering on the banks of the river Ganga. Chief Engineer Satish Kumar told PTI, “The renovation is expected to be complete by December 2024.” Municipal Councilor Anand Gildhiyal said the building stands on the Nazul land of Kamouri village, a former village in the Civil Lines area.