Referring to Framroze Court repairs by MHADA, residents say there should be a way to ensure UNESCO guidelines are followed while restoring art deco bldgs
Framroze Court. Pic/ Suresh Karkera
Atul Kumar, founder of Art Deco Mumbai Trust, said, "It is essential to have a heritage conservationist on board to oversee the repair work of art deco buildings. There should be some accountability to ensure that the UNESCO guidelines are respected," he said.
Supporting Kumar's opinions, Swarn Kohli, chairman of the Nariman Point Churchgate Citizens Association, said, "This is a very serious matter. They should consult a heritage expert even before touching the external facade."
Stressing the need to follow the norms that apply to heritage buildings, Ashok Rao, president of the Federation of Churchgate Residents, said, "The repair work must comply with heritage norms to ensure that the art deco character of the building is not destroyed. Any damage to the façade will also damage the entire precinct."
Repair work
According to MHADA officials, repair work of the Framroze Court, which was started in April, would cost around Rs 1.04 crore. They further mentioned that the work would be completed before December 2020. One of the officials overseeing the project said the work would include waterproofing the terrace, external and internal plastering, drainage pipe repair and polymer treatment of the reinforced concrete columns.
Earl's Court
According to the building inventory of the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble that was part of the submission made to UNESCO, Framroze Court was built in the 1940s and was earlier known as Earl's Court. It was always a residential building and it has small curved balconies on the front facade, polygonal balconies on the side facades and large curved balconies in the rear facade.
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