The Town Hall, an iconic colonial-era monument that has fallen into decay over the years, is now on a journey of restoration towards its former glory.
It is one of two heritage buildings in the city identified by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) for conservation under the Smart City project, the other being the old GVMC building. Both structures are located adjacent to each other in the Old Town area.
Restoration work has been taken up under the Smart City project. After a tendering process, work has been allotted to Mumbai-based Savani Heritage Conservation Private Limited. While a sum of ₹5 crore has been allotted for the GVMC building, the Town Hall will be restored and renovated at a cost of ₹3 crore.
Challenging task
“The process of conserving and restoring a heritage structure is a challenging task, as we have to work on an existing structure instead of building something new,” said N. Sravani, project in-charge of Savani Heritage.
The work involves conservation and restoration and it has to be done within a stipulated framework, without compromising on the authenticity and losing out on its originality, she said.
Among the two structures, restoration of the Town Hall appears to be a more challenging task.
The foundation stone for this edifice was laid on April 3, 1901, and it was inaugurated on March 8, 1904, by the District Collector of Vizagapatam, R.H. Campbell.
It was reportedly built at a cost of ₹50,000 by the Rajah of Bobbili, Venkata Svetachalapathi Ranga Rao, and was named the Victoria Diamond Jubilee Town Hall.
“Work on Town Hall needs a lot of expertise. The Gothic structure has two tiled conical roofs and the entire support system is made of Burma teakwood. Even the flooring is made of wood,” said Ms. Sravani.
The tiles are Mangalore tiles, which need to be carefully restored and manufactured if necessary and the restoration work includes plastering of granite structures (GVMC and Town Hall) that are being done with lime mortar.
“Lime mortar is an ancient ingredient and is made of lime, bael fruit (Aegle Marmelos), jaggery, soorma, urad dal and meethi seeds. These are mixed with sand and water in 1:2:3 ratio and boiled till it becomes a thick paste. Its cohesive property is high and is stronger than cement and can weather moisture from the sea,” Ms. Sravani said.
Conservators are not adding anything new and work is being done by using the material on site. If required, material is being manufactured to retain the originality of the structures.
Project deadline
While the deadline for the GVMC project is February 2020, for the Town Hall it is April.
“We are eagerly awaiting the restoration of the buildings. The Town Hall is steeped in history and has a rich legacy,” said history enthusiast Edward Paul.
“This hall has seen illustrious performances. M.S. Subbulakshmi and Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu performed here when they were young. Other stalwarts like C. Rajagopalachari, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, C.V. Raman and Rabindranath Tagore delivered lectures here,” he said.
