Work on restoring the grandeur of the central hall of the Asiatic Society Library has begun, and if all goes as per schedule, a refurbished grand staircase leading to a well-lit town hall will be ready in the next six months.
The restoration work started about 10 days ago and will include not just strengthening the structure, but also refurbishing the library with gothic-style furniture.
“The carvings, ornamental pillars, capitals will be restored. It will significantly include structural stabilisation of all the roof trusses. The old chairs that were in use in the library are being repaired,” said Shrinivas G Sulge, managing director of Laxmi Hericon, the company executing the restoration work, which is in its second phase now. In the first phase, the Asiatic Library and the Durbar Hall were restored.
Estimated at Rs 9 crore, the restoration work is making use of not just raw material, but also processes that will not compromise on the original look of the 1833 structure. “The lime mortar is being sourced from quarries in Rajasthan. Timber for the roof has already been imported from Myanmar and is currently being seasoned. Basalt stones, which match the existing profile, are being sourced from Kolhapur,” Mr Sulge said. Hericon has earlier restored the Gateway of India, Mani Bhavan, and J J School of Arts.
For the grand staircase, injection grouting will be done to fill in the cracks along and other repairs will be carried out. The staircase will be covered and cordoned off for the work next week.
It took eight months to vacate the central hall as people were using it, and now the library has been moved to a makeshift structure adjacent to the main building. Once ready, the central library will not only be more structurally stable, but also better-lit. Mr Sulge said light fittings will be a high point of the restored central hall and will include chandeliers – decisions that will be taken after checking archival details and the original design.
