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The Times of India (TOI)
November 10, 2012 Saturday
Heritage hotel on Royal Calcutta Turf Club campus
by Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey
KOLKATA
KOLKATA: To most of us,this patch land on Russel Street will appear as
a forsaken plot overgrown with weeds. But old timers say they had seen
tickets for the famous Kolkata races being sold from here. Still now,
one cannot miss the crown and other insignia of the Royal Calcutta
Turf Club (RCTC) on multiple entrances to the campus of the hallowed
164-year old club. Soon, this grand old building will become one of
the most sought after destinations in the city.
The grand RCTC clubhouse is not only getting restored, a heritage
hotel is also being set up on its campus. However, three other
heritage hotels - the one at the Old Minton Strand Road, another at Basu
Bati near Bagbazar and the one at Sir Rajen Mukherjee's house - are yet
to see lightof day.
As you enter through the gates of the Russel Street premises, you are
bound to stare at what you see. A grand two-storied pure colonial
structure faces you in all its dilapidated grandeur.There are bamboo
scaffoldings all around this huge building that served as the club
house of RCTC since January 1920. Long after RCTC came into being in
1847, the need for a separate premise was felt, where members and
their guests could be entertained. The Maidan campus of RCTC was not
considered fit for socialising because it was primarily meant for
racing and horse-keeping.
According to the records available with the Indian National Trust for
Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach ),the land on Russel Street
initially belonged to a wealthy Armenian businessman, AA Apcar. After
his death, it was bought by another famous Armenian businessman,JC
Galstaun,who was also a steward of RCTC then. He sold it to the club
in 1920 for Rs 1.75 lakh. The two-storied building inside the premises
was converted into the club house. Gradually, the club house sank into
oblivion and even tickets stopped being sold from here. The premise
was taken over by weeds.Allthiswhile,RCTC kept reviewing the idea of
restoring the premise. However, this would require a lot of money and
perhaps that kept postponing the project. Recently, however, the club
was able to achieve a breakthrough. Real estate major Emaar-MGF
entered into an agreement with RCTC to restore the heritage building
and construct a 19-storey hotel behind it.
Intach has already taken stock of the extent of damage and started
restoring the clubhouse. `The roof is heavily damaged and needs to be
strengthened. It is a lime-and-mortar building and has been attacked
by advancing damp from below. We have peeled off these portions,'
explained GM Kapur, state convenor of Intach.
The conservation architects at the site claim that the grand staircase
connecting the ground and first floors is perhaps of biggest
proportions in any heritage building in the city. Nothing remains of
the erstwhile ballrooms with wooden floors, bars and libraries at
present, but you marvel at their proportions, design, ventilation and
architectural grandeur.
`It would be a heritage hotel project. While the hotel building behind
the club house is where people will come and stay,they will enter
through the restored heritage building. This will give them a feel of
the past,'said Soumitro De,the spokesperson of Emaar-MGF.
Historian Barun Dewashappy.`I am happy that Intach has been assigned
the restoration job because they are experts in conservation,' he
said.
November 10, 2012 Saturday
Heritage hotel on Royal Calcutta Turf Club campus
by Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey
KOLKATA
KOLKATA: To most of us,this patch land on Russel Street will appear as
a forsaken plot overgrown with weeds. But old timers say they had seen
tickets for the famous Kolkata races being sold from here. Still now,
one cannot miss the crown and other insignia of the Royal Calcutta
Turf Club (RCTC) on multiple entrances to the campus of the hallowed
164-year old club. Soon, this grand old building will become one of
the most sought after destinations in the city.
The grand RCTC clubhouse is not only getting restored, a heritage
hotel is also being set up on its campus. However, three other
heritage hotels - the one at the Old Minton Strand Road, another at Basu
Bati near Bagbazar and the one at Sir Rajen Mukherjee's house - are yet
to see lightof day.
As you enter through the gates of the Russel Street premises, you are
bound to stare at what you see. A grand two-storied pure colonial
structure faces you in all its dilapidated grandeur.There are bamboo
scaffoldings all around this huge building that served as the club
house of RCTC since January 1920. Long after RCTC came into being in
1847, the need for a separate premise was felt, where members and
their guests could be entertained. The Maidan campus of RCTC was not
considered fit for socialising because it was primarily meant for
racing and horse-keeping.
According to the records available with the Indian National Trust for
Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach ),the land on Russel Street
initially belonged to a wealthy Armenian businessman, AA Apcar. After
his death, it was bought by another famous Armenian businessman,JC
Galstaun,who was also a steward of RCTC then. He sold it to the club
in 1920 for Rs 1.75 lakh. The two-storied building inside the premises
was converted into the club house. Gradually, the club house sank into
oblivion and even tickets stopped being sold from here. The premise
was taken over by weeds.Allthiswhile,RCTC kept reviewing the idea of
restoring the premise. However, this would require a lot of money and
perhaps that kept postponing the project. Recently, however, the club
was able to achieve a breakthrough. Real estate major Emaar-MGF
entered into an agreement with RCTC to restore the heritage building
and construct a 19-storey hotel behind it.
Intach has already taken stock of the extent of damage and started
restoring the clubhouse. `The roof is heavily damaged and needs to be
strengthened. It is a lime-and-mortar building and has been attacked
by advancing damp from below. We have peeled off these portions,'
explained GM Kapur, state convenor of Intach.
The conservation architects at the site claim that the grand staircase
connecting the ground and first floors is perhaps of biggest
proportions in any heritage building in the city. Nothing remains of
the erstwhile ballrooms with wooden floors, bars and libraries at
present, but you marvel at their proportions, design, ventilation and
architectural grandeur.
`It would be a heritage hotel project. While the hotel building behind
the club house is where people will come and stay,they will enter
through the restored heritage building. This will give them a feel of
the past,'said Soumitro De,the spokesperson of Emaar-MGF.
Historian Barun Dewashappy.`I am happy that Intach has been assigned
the restoration job because they are experts in conservation,' he
said.