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Preserving historic buildings in Colombo

18 Sep 2021

By Uwin Lugoda Following through on its plans to make Colombo a historical and cultural hub for international tourists, the Government has taken yet another step in renovating iconic buildings. Steps were recently taken to begin work on restoring the Gafoor Building in order to preserve its antiquity. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Ministry of Urban Development and Housing Director General Prasad Ranaweera stated the project falls under both President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s vision of renovating and reusing Colombo’s old buildings. Themed “Preservation and Restoration Programme”, the project is set to beautify the city, attracting tourists to it. The Gafoor Building is one of many buildings currently being renovated for Colombo’s Heritage Square. Other buildings renovated last year include Grand Oriental Hotel (GOH), which reopened its doors on 18 March 2021, following a renovation project costing Rs. 225 million. Located on Sir Baron Jayatilaka Mawatha and Fort Bastian Mawatha close to the Port of Colombo, the history of the Gafoor building dates back to the Dutch era. First built 105 years ago in 1915 by Nurdin Hajjiyar Abdul Gafoor, a pioneer jeweller, the structure was a five-storey, 8,250-square-foot, block-shaped building. The building was deemed as one of Colombo’s value-adding sites, intervening itself to the design of the city. Due to its antiquity, the building was later gazetted on 4 October 2000 as an archaeological site under the Archaeological Ordinance. The building has also housed a number of unique institutions and businesses and was moved out from its initial site at Galle Face Hotel in 1947. According to Ranaweera, renovation work on the building first began in 2015, under the instructions of then President Mahinda Rajapaksa and then Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development Gotabaya Rajapaksa. However, he stated that these activities came to a stop with the change of governments, and since then, buildings like the Gafoor Building were neglected. “As a result, some old buildings in the city of Colombo were on the verge of collapse and there were reports of plaster floors inside some of the old buildings collapsing,” Ranaweera added. He stated that both the President and the Prime Minister have entrusted the Urban Development Authority (UDA) with the task of restoring old buildings in Colombo, including the Gafoor Building. The estimated cost of the renovation of the building is Rs. 620 million. Ranaweera stated that the renovation work is being carried out by the Sri Lanka Navy and the University of Moratuwa on the instructions of the UDA. Speaking to us earlier on the Gafoor Building and the “Preservation and Restoration Programme”, State Minister of Urban Development, Coast Conservation, Waste Disposal, and Community Cleanliness Dr. Nalaka Godahewa stated that historical buildings such as this will be renovated inside the Colombo Heritage Square. This Heritage Square will be one of three parts the city is being divided into, each with its defining characteristic/s. The core city is set to be split into three components: Commercial hub, heritage hub, and transportation hub. The Heritage Square aims to renovate historical buildings in the Fort area and create pedestrian corridors to connect the buildings, through which tourists can access them by foot. The concept is looking at replicating the walking streets of Barcelona, Spain, which is home to several tourist attractions such as Plaça de Catalunya and the Christopher Columbus Monument. Other historic buildings being renovated include the current Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will also be repurposed as tourist attractions. The current CID building is set to be turned into a tea museum, while the final decision on the Foreign Ministry building is still pending. Both organisations previously housed in these buildings have been relocated, with the Foreign Ministry being moved to the Battaramulla area while the CID is being relocated to land opposite the Telecom head office.


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