Visitors on a heritage walk at Ripon Buildings get a glimpse of the 111-year-old structure

Participants of a heritage walk held at Ripon buildings as part of the Made of Chennai event toured the structure housing the Greater Chennai Corporation on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Participants of a heritage walk held at Ripon buildings as part of the Made of Chennai event toured the structure housing the Greater Chennai Corporation on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
AKHILA EASWARAN

Participants of a heritage walk held at Ripon buildings as part of the Made of Chennai event toured the structure on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
AKHILA EASWARAN

Two days after Chennai Corporation Council, the primary decision-making body for the city’s local administration, discussed the shifting of the old council hall in Ripon Buildings to a new building to accommodate more councillors for a growing city, an enthusiastic group of residents visited the hall to appreciate its heritage.

As civic officials started explaining the heritage value of the 111-year-old building and the council hall, claiming that it was a replica of the London Council hall, residents hastened to capture images and videos. In a few seconds, volunteers lulled the boisterous residents, advising them against posting images on social media, turning the mood bittersweet. “I am happy because I visited the council hall before it was shifted. I am also sad that the heritage building is set to lose its prominent position in local governance,” said a visitor. 

Stressing the need for more spending on conservation and maintenance of heritage buildings, Thirupurasundari Sevvel, historian curator, Nam veedu namoor namkadhai, said many of the heritage buildings located near the Cooum river have given residents insights into the city’s past. “Buildings age like people do. Most of the heritage buildings in Chennai are structurally stable. But heritage buildings need a lot of support,” she said.

As the group of residents walked past the Victoria Public Hall, Prasanna, Architect Curator, spoke about how films were screened in the hall, attracting residents. Work on restoration of Victoria Public Hall started during the tenure of former Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi with funding from the Manmohan Singh Government’s JNNURM. But the work is yet to be completed. Once the heritage building is restored, the area is expected to become an attraction for visitors. “The GCC is planning for conducting regular heritage walks,” said an official.

The Hindu Festival of Chennai is done in partnership with Greater Chennai Corporation, Namma Marina, CMRL, Mark Metro, Greater Chennai Traffic Police, Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, Knowledge and expert partners: Nam veedu nam oor nam kadhai and Madras Photobloggers, Associate partners: Akshayakalpa, Ather, UP Tourism, Ortho One, Happiness partner: On The Streets of Chennai, Radio partner: Big FM.