Reviving Heritage: Exploring Repurposed Spaces in Bangalore

Introduction

Bangalore, a city steeped in history and culture, is witnessing a heartening trend – the transformation of old homes or heritage spaces into vibrant hubs of art, cuisine, and community. Abandoned schools, ancestral homes, and vintage buildings are being lovingly restored, breathing new life into the city's architectural landscape. In this blog post, we'll delve into some of these repurposed heritage spaces, now home to cafes, galleries, and retail outlets, preserving the city's legacy while making it accessible to the public.

1. Kaash Gallery

Location: Off MG Road, Bangalore

Ownership: Private

Architectural Touches: This 100-year-old bungalow turned art gallery retains its original wooden flooring, high ceilings, and colonial-era charm. Originally a home, the bungalow dates back to the 1800s, with a classic Mangalore-tiled roof and carved wooden monkey tops typical of colonial architecture found in Bengaluru. It carries a serene old-world charm and authenticity that is hard to come by these days.

Kaash Gallery showcases an impressive collection of contemporary art, providing a platform for local artists to exhibit their work.

Pic Credit : Architectural Digest

2. Cinnamon Gallery & Cafe

Location: Near Commercial Street, Bangalore

Ownership: Private Radhika Poddar

Architectural Touches: Housed in a beautifully restored 19th-century villa, Cinnamon features ornate wooden doors, vintage tiles, and lush greenery.

This charming cafe serves up delicious treats amidst an art-filled atmosphere, making it a haven for art enthusiasts and foodies alike.

3. General Items

Location: Gangadhar Chetty Rd , Bangalore

Ownership: Private Spandana Gopal & Malini Malik.

Architectural Touches: Occupying a former school provisions store, General Items maintains its original facade and rustic charm.

This unique retail space offers an eclectic mix of artisanal products, supporting local artisans and makers.

4. Raintree Cafe

Location: Near RBANM's, Bangalore

Ownership: Private

Architectural Touches: Nestled within a heritage home, Raintree Cafe features stunning wooden pillars, high ceilings, and a picturesque courtyard.

Savoring local flavors amidst this tranquil setting makes for a memorable dining experience.

5. Subko at Ajji House, Shantinagar

Location: Shantinagar, Bangalore

Ownership: Private

Architectural Touches: Ajji House, a ancestral home turned cultural space, boasts traditional Karnataka architecture.

Subko, a community-driven initiative, hosts workshops, performances, and exhibitions, fostering artistic expression and community engagement.

6. Dwija Art Gallery

Location: New Bel Road, Bangalore

Ownership: Private

Architectural Touches: This modern art gallery is set within a beautifully restored heritage building, blending traditional and contemporary elements.

Dwija showcases an impressive collection of Indian art, supporting emerging and established artists.

7. Milano Ice Creams

Location: New Bel Road, Bangalore

Ownership: Private

Architectural Touches: Occupying a vintage building, Milano's sleek, modern design harmoniously coexists with the structure's original charm.

Indulge in artisanal ice creams amidst this heritage setting

8. Glen Bakehouse

Location: Sahakarnagar, Bangalore

Ownership: Private

Architectural Touches: Glen Bakehouse is nestled within a restored heritage home, featuring warm, inviting interiors.

This popular bakery serves up freshly baked treats, making it a neighborhood favorite.

9. Muru Muru, Indiranagar

Location: Indiranagar, Bangalore

Ownership: Private

Architectural Touches: This quiet home turned cafe maintains its original facade, blending seamlessly into the neighborhood.

Muru Muru offers a cozy atmosphere, serving up delicious local cuisine.

10. The Brown Table, Sadashivnagar

Location: Sadashivnagar, Bangalore

Ownership: Private https://g.co/kgs/akDK3yU

Architectural Touches: Occupying a beautifully restored bungalow, The Brown Table features elegant wooden accents.

This farm-to-table restaurant serves up seasonal, locally sourced cuisine.

11. Copper+Cloves, Indiranagar

Location: Indiranagar, Bangalore

Ownership: Private https://copperandcloves.com/

Architectural Touches: This charming store is set within a vintage building, blending modern and traditional design elements.

Copper+Cloves offers an exquisite selection of artisanal home decor and lifestyle products.

12. Ganjam Mantapa

Location: Near Basavanagudi, Bangalore

Ownership: Private

Architectural Touches: This heritage venue features stunning traditional Karnataka architecture.

Ganjam Mantapa hosts cultural events, weddings, and exhibitions, preserving the city's rich cultural heritage.

13. Bungalow No 7

Location: Hall Road, Richard’s Town

Ownership: Private Veena Mohan

Architectural touches:

The house is a colonial bungalow of Gothic design, and its architectural features include monkey tops as sunshades, trellis work with wooden slats, Madras terrace roof and louvered windows.

Bungalow No 7 is used as a venue for wedding events by a firm called Rings and Roses. we heard it had temporarily closed so need to update this.

Others :

• Hermitage Malleswaram , Veg Restaurant, Nitin Polur & Umme Farnaz

• Junys Bakehouse Jayanagar Ria Beliappa

• Rogue Elephant/Ambara. Kanakpura Road Thiagarajans

• Ishtaa Veg Restaurant , Jayanagar

• Casa Cottage , Richmond Town

Conclusion

These repurposed heritage spaces in Bangalore not only preserve the city's architectural legacy but also provide a platform for artistic expression, community engagement, and culinary exploration. The govt needs to incentivize businesses and owners who use heritage spaces with tax sops, waivers and infrastructure support. By supporting these initiatives, we can ensure the continued accessibility of these cultural gems for generations to come.

A Tale of Two Cities - Mumbai & Bengaluru

How can Bangalore do more to preserve its dwindling heritage ?

Looking at successful heritage initiatives and measures taken by Bombay - Learning from Leaders.

Zoom Talk 17 Sept 2024 4 pm: A Tale of Two Cities - Blr & Bby

with Brinda Somaya, renowned archtect & conservationist

The moderator Priya Chetty- Rajagopal was keen to understand from the speaker

• How and where Bombay Heritage succeeded - Hindsight.

• What Bangalore needs to do now

• Templates for success

• Action points and go forward for Bangalore

Quick recap

The meeting focused on initiatives to preserve Bangalore's heritage, with discussions on the importance of documentation, collaboration with the government, and the role of architectural schools in contributing to the project. The team also discussed the impact of infrastructure development on historic parts of Bangalore and the need to save historic areas, with a focus on public discussion and involvement in city planning decisions. Lastly, they discussed the importance of organizing and empowering citizens to protect their city's heritage, and the need for more volunteers to be involved in their initiatives.

Next steps

• Heritage Beku to create a list of 20-25 key heritage buildings/sites in Bangalore to prioritize for preservation efforts.

• Heritage Beku to get more information & clarity on the ownership of heritage efforts or set up of Heritage Conservation Committee for Bangalore. At present it seems vested within the BDA , and not the BBMP . Without this granularity its tough to move forward .

• Bakul to prepare a short note on previous heritage documentation initiatives done with architectural colleges and propose implementation plans to revive them.

• Heritage Beku to explore partnerships with architectural colleges in Bangalore to involve students in heritage documentation projects.

• Priya to follow up with BDA Commissioner on listing government buildings as heritage structures.

• Heritage Beku to work on establishing a presence and formal role within the Bangalore municipal corporation for heritage conservation efforts.

• Alyia to explore collaborating with Visvesvaraya's grandson on initiatives related to his 160th birth anniversary next year.

• Heritage Beku to pursue partnerships with the Institution of Engineers and TICCIH on industrial heritage conservation efforts.

Summary:

Heritage Preservation Initiatives in Bangalore

The meeting discussed initiatives to preserve Bangalore's heritage. Priya highlighted contributions from Vijay Bhaskar, Alyia Krumbiegel , and Laxmi, who was assigned as a co-host. Priya welcomed the well known Brinda Somaya, an expert in conservation from Mumbai,(and born in Bangalore to share her experiences and insights to improve heritage preservation efforts in Bangalore.

Preserving Mumbai's Heritage and Conservation Efforts

Brinda discussed the importance of preserving and conserving the city of Mumbai, highlighting the role of a group of committed individuals from different backgrounds in the early 2000s. She mentioned the formation of the Bombay Environment Action Group (BEAG) and the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC), which played a crucial role in preserving the city's heritage. It was usually headed by a retired Chief Secretary, so navigation and impact were a given. Brinda also emphasized the significance of documentation in preservation, referring to the Pink Book (The Heritage Regulations of Greater Bombay 1995) with a 1000 buildings a comprehensive list of buildings and their characteristics. She noted that the MHCC is still functional, but its decisions can still be overruled by the Municipal Commissioner. Brinda also expressed concern about the demolition of grade 3 buildings, which she believes is due to the government's introduction of a repair cess caveat. She also talked about the Urban Design Research Institute ie UDRI and their role in research

Heritage Building Preservation Challenges in Bangalore

Brinda and Priya discussed the challenges of preserving heritage buildings in Bangalore, India. They acknowledged past failures and emphasized the need for a more cohesive approach, collaboration with the government, and a structured approach to heritage conservation. Brinda suggested focusing on a specific list of buildings to save and the importance of understanding the cultural, social, and architectural context of a project. Priya agreed and mentioned the need for a more structured approach, hands-on involvement, and collaboration with government entities. They also discussed the potential for positive change through collaboration and the importance of preserving Bangalore's unique architectural heritage.

Preserving Historical Buildings in Mumbai and Bangalore

Priya and Brinda discussed the preservation of historical buildings in Mumbai and Bangalore. Brinda highlighted the role of the government in saving and restoring historic buildings in Mumbai, and noted the lack of such buildings in Bangalore. She emphasized the importance of architectural landmarks in connecting people to a city, particularly in a city like Mumbai that is a hub for migrants. Her use of the word 'city markers' on heritage structures was quite impactful. Brinda suggested leveraging architectural schools in Bangalore to contribute to the project, as these students are the architects and planners of the future. Priya agreed, noting the presence of several architectural schools in Bangalore. Brinda also shared her past experience as the chairperson of the school of Planning in Vijaywadha, where she witnessed the students' impressive work in documentation and research.

Preserving Bangalore's Historic Areas and Infrastructure

Priya and Brinda discussed the impact of infrastructure development on historic parts of Bangalore, with Brinda expressing concern about the demolition of historic areas due to the construction of the metro. They agreed on the need to save historic parts of the city and emphasized the importance of public discussion and involvement in city planning decisions. They also reminisced about their childhood in Bangalore and the changes that have occurred in the city, discussing the preservation of historical sites and the ongoing efforts to protect them. The conversation ended with Brinda and Priya acknowledging their collective efforts and passion for their work, and expressing gratitude for the team's efforts and

and hoping for continued support and progress in their endeavors.

Heritage Conservation and Policy Implementation

The team discussed the importance of organizing and empowering citizens to protect their city's heritage. They agreed on the need to identify and protect important buildings before moving on to grading and listing. The group also discussed the complexities of implementing heritage conservation policies within the local planning area of Bangalore, with the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) being the key regulator. in Mumbai it was the BMC, and the forner Chief Secretary also felt that the BBMP would be a logical choice. They also discussed a potential low-hanging fruit project, a documentation project for architectural colleges, and the revival of the Abide initiative. The team agreed to prepare a note with functional implementation elements and to be in touch soon.

Volunteers, Collaborations, and Heritage Initiatives

Priya mentioned the need for more volunteers and suggested involving university students in their initiatives focused on industrial heritage conservation in Bangalore. Bakul will share the link to a song by Parvati Bal and Sapnam Virmani that was discussed. Alyia proposed collaborating with TIICCIHI , an organization focused on industrial heritage, and highlighting the 160th birth anniversary of the engineer who built the Krishnaraja Sagara dam. Priya suggested partnering with the Institution of Engineers for this . . She also planned to discuss leveraging NGMA further with Ammu for initiatives like talks and schemes and organizing a retrospective on Bangalore through photography or cartoons, potentially involving Paul Fernandes

Brinda Somaya was requested to continue to share her inputs and direction for Bangalore to which she agreed. The meeting ended with grateful thanks to the speaker and to all attendees.

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Listen to the Zoom Talk here :

Next steps : Industrial Heritage

Bangalore has always been known as a Science City. Its current image of being a vibrant, youthful, innovative and productive city owes its foundations to the vision of the Mysore Maharaja’s government, which transformed this sleepy cantonment city, expanded to keep watch on the goings on during the colonial era, into a throbbing centre for science and industry.

Visweswaraiah’s focus on building core infrastructure and encouraging industries to set up in the Bangalore areabegan with the establishment of Asia’s first hydro-electric power station supplying power on a large scale. The vision of subsequent administrators such as Mirza Ismail, brought plentiful power to Bangalore. The pleasant climate, the availability of educated labour and the availability of land encouraged both public and private enterprises to set up their establishments in Bangalore. State Government industries such as Mysore Electrical Industries and the Karnataka Soaps and Detergents continue that century old legacy, even though other pathbreaking companies such as NGEF and the Chrome Tanning Factory now remain only in the realm of nostalgia. Union Government undertakings such as HAL, BEL and BEML, operate still from Bangalore. In the private sector, Many industries were located within the city; Binny mills, Elgin Flour mills, Minerva Mills, Standard Brick and Tile Factory and the ITC Cigarette factory come to mind.

However, much of this industrial heritage of Bangalore has now been liquidated. Sadly, in many cases, no trace of the old industries of Bangalore remains; most have been replaced totally by residential apartments and office complexes. Some, like the NGEF, are being taken over to cater to the needs of the Metro, and other contemporary infrastructure.

We need to recognise industrial heritage and acknowledge its role in the history and culture of Bangalore. While an occasional museum may be built to preserve memories, such as the HAL Museum, Industrial heritage lovers will find it difficult to piece together a comprehensive picture of Bangalore’s role in India’s industrialization. Bangalore’s celebrated Visveswaraiah museum is inadequate to celebrate Bangalore’s extensive industrial heritage.

There is a dire need to begin and expand initiatives to preserve and celebrate Bangalore’s industrial heritage. Here are three ideas on which we need to move quickly.

Build a collective of enthusiasts around tech and industrial heritage:

Industrial heritage preservation now happens in silos by individual organisations, particularly if there are dedicated persons within the system who wish to devote their time and energy to this task. While the HAL Museum is an early and good example of this effort, there are other such efforts under way. The railways have announced plans of setting up a Railway historical centre at the old Nandi Railway Station, which is being restored. The Rail Wheel factory has plans of setting up a Wheel museum. The Karnataka Vintage and Classic Car Club, one of the oldest clubs of this kind in the country, has over 300 members and documented details of over 1500 vehicles, preserved by individual enthusiasts.

Yet, there are examples of Industrial heritage being neglected. Some still survive for the present,such as the original electricity receiving stations constructed over a century back, but how long they will survive is uncertain.

1. We need to bring together all custodians of such efforts, all museums that exist in this regard, as well as private enthusiasts and benefactors, to brainstorm on what are the plans for going ahead, to preserve Bangalore’s industrial heritage. A Seminar will be a good way to begin these efforts.

2. Initiate a documentation of industrial heritage: Following the seminar, we could initiate a process of documentation of industrial heritage of Bangalore. There are many individual efforts ongoing in this regard, usually undertaken in a low profile manner. However, archivers need to get together, know more about each other and a repository of what is there created. Heritagebeku can be at the coordinating level. Once archived, the stories can be told – of discoveries, their significance and what needs to be done to preserve them. A good example to follow is the one taken by enthusiasts to preserve ancient inscriptions in and around Bangalore.

3. Once interest is raised, collaborate on a few projects: Many projects could be begun to promote an interest in Industrial heritage preservation. Some of them are as follows:

   (a) Conduct an annual exhibition to bring industrial heritage enthusiasts together and showcase their efforts in their respective areas of interest.

   (b) Collaborate to undertake quality restoration of Industrial heritage artifacts.

Many restoration efforts, though well intentioned, end up being careless with not enough attention paid to authenticity, due to inadequate research and mistaking beautification for restoration. Solution is to go slow, be scientific and involve private enthusiasts in the effort to restore and maintain artifacts of industrial heritage. And as far as technology heritage is concerned, we must strive, as far as is practically  possible, to get old equipment to work in the way that they were meant to be. Old wind up clocks should be wound up and click. Old cars should run. Old steam locos must also hiss, whistle and run.

Preserve them by keeping them running..

Please email us at heritagebeku@gmail.com with your ideas and suggestions.