The 108-year-old Fort High School building in Chamarajpet has braved the vagaries of time. The school that was built in 1907 has also witnessed several students graduate from its portals, right from freedom fighter H.S. Doreswamy and political statesman V.S. Krishna Iyer to the former cricketer G.R. Vishwanath.
However, the old building is crying for attention. The clay-tiled roof needs urgent replacement, while the walls are damp due to leakages. The steel and wooden trusses in the building need to be treated, the walls need plastering, and flooring and wooden staircase need work. Even the stucco work on the walls look damaged.
The structure has now been taken up for preliminary assessment by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), which will suggest areas that need restoration so as to bring back its colonial grandeur. “We will share our study with the Department of Public Instruction and anyone who is interested in taking up the restoration,” said Meera Iyer, co-convener of INTACH.
There are thousands of such old buildings in the city that can be preserved for value of antiquity. “As per INTACH’s listing, Ulsoor alone has nearly 90 heritage buildings,” she said.
The buildings in INTACH listing are grouped into various categories and grades, as per international standards. This helps identify the heritage potential of the buildings. Some of the buildings that have a public connect are assessed in depth by restoration experts and conservation architects to establish their social relevance.
“Recently, INTACH took up a study in Lalbagh to advice the Department of Horticulture for the restoration of three buildings — Library Building, Krumbigal Hall and Old Aquarium,” Ms. Iyer said.
It is the cost-factor that plays the spoilsport in the restoration of heritage structures, she said, and added that to bring back the bygone glory of a building, one requires not just “a feel for the old”, but also flair to identify the techniques required for restoration.
Published - February 09, 2015 01:06 pm IST
