NEW DELHI
MCD has made the decision to convert the historic town hall into a museum that will showcase its rich history through photographs, documents, and more. In pursuit of this, MCD has established a heritage cell responsible for restoring the building to its authentic state by removing the modifications added over the years.
An official from the MCD said that the MCD has decided to restore and redevelop the 160-year-old town hall into a museum, which is situated at Chandni Chowk. The official further added that MCD aims to showcase the history of the city’s urban local body through photos, documents, etc. “We will develop a museum to highlight the history of the building and to tell about Delhi’s first mayor and commissioner as well as the important events that took place in the municipal body,” said the official.
He further said that over time, many modifications had been made to Town Hall, such as the installation of a false ceiling in the building. “We aim to remove all these additions. We will shift all the documents and other stuff currently stored there, though we had already shifted the library to the Civic Centre some time ago.” A source who is aware of the matter said, “Previously, MCD had come up with the idea to turn the town hall into a heritage hotel, but the idea didn’t work as no one came forward to take the project forward, so finally, MCD has decided to turn it into a museum. In 2018, it was proposed to transform the building into a heritage hotel. The civic body has decided to give it on lease for 33 years with a minimum reserve price of Rs 1.9 crore per month. Tenders were issued in mid-June 2021. But there was no response to the idea.”
He added that later in 2022, the Union culture ministry had expressed interest in taking over the historic structure on a 33-year lease period and developing it into a world-class museum with a library research centre and a restaurant. However, the plan hasn’t moved forward due to a lack of clarity over how the ministry and MCD would share the revenue.
The construction of Town Hall began in 1860 and was finished three years later. The building, reflecting both colonial architecture style and building material, is listed as a Grade A heritage structure. The structure was known as Lawrence Institute in its early days, and it housed the Delhi College of Higher Studies. It was purchased by the then-municipality for Rs 1.35 lakh in 1866.