Delhi: MCD moves proposal to conserve, reuse Town Hall

Delhi's MCD plans to redevelop the historic Town Hall into an immersive museum and cultural center, enhancing heritage and tourism.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) plans to undertake a project to conserve and redevelop the old Town Hall complex at Chandni Chowk as an immersive museum and interpretation centre, officials said on Wednesday.

The historic Town Hall, a 160 year old Grade-1 heritage structure, served as MCD’s headquarter from 1866 till 2012.

A policy proposal has been moved by the municipal commissioner for the project. The corporation plans to use the courtyard spaces for hosting cultural programs and setting up craft shops and a food court, officials added.The work will be carried out through a tripartite agreement with the MCD, Delhi tourism and private concessionaire.

Chief minister Rekha Gupta, in her annual budget speech last month, had announced the redevelopment of the complex as a ‘global heritage centre’ showcasing Delhi’s art, culture and cuisine.

The historic Town Hall, a 160 year old Grade-1 heritage structure, served as MCD’s headquarter from 1866 till 2012. It is a key landmark of the Walled city and a significant symbol of Delhi’s architectural, administrative and cultural legacy. However, the premises remained largely vacant and underutilised since 2012.

Delhi tourism has proposed redevelopment of Town hall under Union government’s scheme National Mission for Developing Fifty Globally Competitive Tourism Destination.

“The proposal includes archival displays, multilingual visitor services, education programs and guided walks,” the letter read. The proposed revenue generation streams include museum entry fees, heritage circuit packages, cultural event retail and food and beverage services.

The project will be carried out in four phases over three years,covering conservation planning, restoration, fit out and operationalisation. MCD officials said that the first phase (1-8 months) will include structural and conservation assessment, consultations and tripartite agreement. The second phase (9-20 months) will cover execution of conservation management plan and financial model; the third phase (21-30 months) covers completion, fit out of galleries, development of exhibition and training of operations staff. The launch and operation will be a part of phase-4.

Delhi tourism has sought approval for preparation of DPR, cost estimates, feasibility analysis and formulation of revenue model.

The Town Hall was modelled as ‘city center’ of cities in Victorian Britain. Its construction at Chandni Chowk was completed in 1866 and the municipality operated the iconic building for 145 years before shifting to the new headquarters at the Civic Centre on Minto Road.

Durbar hall or the original meeting room was used for ceremonial reception or holding larger meetings. The Durbar hall was reconstructed in 1950. A second meeting hall was inaugurated by Pt Jawaharlal Nehru on August 10, 1947. The building fell out of annual maintenance and repairs once the office was shifted to the Minto road.

Over the last decade, several proposals to turn the building into museum, hotel and restaurants were made. In 2024, a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with the IGNCA Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts for the restoration of artefacts and rare documents which are in MCD’s possession for 162 years. The corridors of the building and Durbar hall are falling off from roof, official added.