Ques 1 Document any architecture monument/heritage in India as per INTACH guidelines.

1) NAME
Present Name: BHAU DHAJI LAD MUSUEM
Past Name: treasure house of the decorative and industrial arts
2) PHOTO REFERENCE
a) For Buildings and Structures:

b) For precincts/ Landscapes/ Sites:

3) MAP REFERENCE

4) LOCATION
Address
91 A, Rani Baug , Veer Mata Jijbai Bhonsle Udyan,
Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Rd, Byculla East,
Mumbai, Maharashtra 400027.
 Approach
50m from David Sassoon Clock Tower

5) PROPERTY TYPE
For a Temple, the Property type will be as follows
Precinct/ Building/ Structure/Landscape/ Site
Subtype: Institutional

6) DATE OF CONSTRUCTION
PRECISE DATE – 1855
SOURCE OF INFORMATION - https://www.bdlmuseum.org/index.html

7) OWNERSHIP
PUBLIC/PRIVATE-
the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai,
the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation

8) PROPERTY USE
IN USE
PRESENT USE – MUSUEM
PAST USE – MUSUEM

9) SIGNIFICANCE
In 1857, when the Museum Committee decided to put up a grand Museum
building, there were no institutional buildings except for the Town Hall which
is now the Asiatic Society. For several years, while the Museum building was
being constructed, the original collection was housed there. The Grand
Renaissance Revival style, chosen for the building was considered the most
suitable to showcase the Empire’s might.
The Museum building was conceived to dazzle the citizens. During the
efforts to raise funds by public subscription, it was presented as a ‘Hall of
Wonder’, as most of the citizens had never seen a museum. The original
design was conceptualized by George Birdwood. The design included all the
basic features of the building visible today- a long hall, Doric pillars, galleries
on either side of the building and large windows for light and ventilation. The
design was sent to London for approval, and later modified by the local
British PWD engineer to rival the best in the world. However, the engineer
died before the plans could be implemented and Scott McClelland & Co.
architects completed the plans with further modifications though they
retained most of Birdwood’s specifications.
The Museum has a Palladian exterior. The interior is a rare example of High
Victorian design in India. The grand wrought iron palisades, staircase railings
and arched supports, as well as the Corinthian capitals and columns which
are the defining features of the building were imported from England. The
richly coloured details, the intricate woodcarving, the Minton tiled floors, the
etched glass and gold gilding make it a unique example of 19th century
architecture in the country.
10) ARCHITECTURAL DISCRIPTION
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE - Grand Renaissance Revival style

SITE & SURROUNDING – site is in front of the Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Road and
surrounded by the dense green bed.

Plan – linear plan, two storeys

FACADE –
The Museum has a Palladian exterior. The interior is a rare example of High
Victorian design in India. The grand wrought iron palisades, staircase railings and
arched supports, as well as the Corinthian capitals and columns which are the
defining features of the building were imported from England. The design
included all the basic features of the building visible today- a long hall, Doric
pillars, galleries on either side of the building and large windows for light and
ventilation. 

DECORATIVE FEATURES –
The richly coloured details, the intricate woodcarving, the Minton tiled floors,
the etched glass and gold gilding make it a unique example of 19th century
architecture in the country.
11) CONDITION DESCRIPTION –
SIGN OF DISTRESS –
The building required comprehensive restoration. Algae were visible in the
exterior façade and plant growth had penetrated deep into the building’s core.
The building suffered from a history of leakage and had to be secured against the
onslaught of monsoons. The plant growth on the external facade had to be
removed - a delicate operation that involved dismantling different parts of the
building, numbering each piece, and after removing the plant growth, re-fixing
the pieces. The broken terracotta details of the capitals and cornices, and the
balustrades were repaired.
STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS –
Internally the deterioration had led to separation of several of the cast iron
columns from the walls. The broken terracotta details of the capitals and
cornices, and the balustrades were repaired. And terrible condition of columns
and roofs.

ADDITIONS AND ALTERATIONS –

The squares and circles in the arched ceiling of the lofty central vestibule had lost
their gilding and become dark and discoloured. The tympanum earlier had
delicate fresco paintings which had been erased with paint and were not possible
 to retrieve.

REPAIRS AND MAINTAINANCE –

……………………………………………….

12) STATE OF CONSERVATION –

Good/Fair/Showing Signs of Deterioration/Advanced State of Decay / Danger of
Disappearance

13) REFERENCES –
https://www.bdlmuseum.org/index.html

PLAN
SECTIONS
14) LISTERS –
SHUBHAM SINGH BISHT
9643282926/shubhamsinghbisht98gmail.com
18/12/2020

15) REVIEWER –
AR. AJAY KAUSHIK
9467001600/