Considering the heritage value of 86-year-old Johnson Market, which is proposed to be demolished, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has written to Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner G. Kumar Naik with a request to reconsider the decision to bring down the market.
The communication comes in the paradoxical backdrop of the market finding its name prominently in the first comprehensive heritage listing for Bengaluru and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announcing that tenders would be called to bring down the structure to make way for a modern multi-storeyed complex.
“From the time it was built when the British ruled us to the day when its heritage value was considered and included in T.P. Issar’s book The City Beautiful, Bengalureans know that Johnson Market is steeped in heritage value,” says Meera Iyer of INTACH, which had also included the market in its list of heritage buildings drawn in the 1980s.
Johnson Market also finds mention in the recent heritage structure listing backed by the Department of Archaeology, Heritage and Museums, undertaken by Hubballi-based ADEI Consultants.
Johnson Market made it into the heritage listing as “it is one of the few landmarks left in the area; a public realm with distinct architectural and urban design character. It reflects a strong associational value built through the ages, bridging the past and the present,” explained architect and urban designer Gitanjali Rao of ADEI Consultants.
“The market structure has not reached a complete state of deterioration which calls for pulling it down,” says Ms. Rao, although she suggests that the condition assessment for the building, even in a case of adaptable reuse, has to be done by bringing together traders, local people and experts along with local bodies for taking a decision.
‘No structural threat to the building’
Pankaj Modi, conservation architect of INTACH, says their first-hand “visual assessment” or the “architects’ scan” of Johnson Market done in January this year says, “It is stable, with no structural threat to the building seen.” What is required though is a redevelopment of the open spaces within the market and providing better infrastructure and services, says Mr. Modi.
“The plan is excellent with four large open pockets running through the length of the building. The building should be redone and made adaptable to include better flooring, lighting, along with new toilet blocks. The defunct water tank has to be made accessible to all. Imagine all this with cultural activity in the open spaces?” he says, underlining the fact that markets don’t really work on upper floors, as proposed by the BBMP.
* Johnson Market in Richmond Town was built in 1929 and was part of then Bangalore Cantonment.
* The market is Sir Mirza Ismail’s gift to the city, as recorded in T.P. Issar’s The City Beautiful
* Shaped like an aeroplane, Issar called this market the poor brother of Russell Market
* Earlier called Richmond Town Market, it was renamed Johnson Market after a Municipal Commissioner of the British times.
* The market has the evenings up and alive when the surrounding kebab joints spring to life, and the aroma of smoking meat on skewers goes well with Irani cafes, giving the market a distinct Hyderabadi flavour.
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Such a heritage listing is crucial to a city where urban design, and land and building use come into play in urban contexts. The inventory leads us to special areas of importance when city plans and regulatory frameworks are being drawn up. The growth of a city can be guided by such ‘selection lists.’
Gitanjali Rao, architect and urban designer, ADEI Consultants, Hubballi
In association with the Kannada and Culture Department and the BBMP, INTACH can speak of the glory of Johnson Market with a plaque installed on its premises for the public to be aware of its heritage value. I had suggested to INTACH that heritage buildings and areas with a hoary history in Bengaluru could be highlighted by installing boards akin to the ‘blue plaque’ system of the U.K.
Chiranjeev Singh, former IAS Officer
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Rajani Govind /Bengaluru – July 03rd, 2015