District administration proposes changes to restoration plan of John Hall

The district administration has proposed additional changes to the restoration plan of John Hall — a colonial structure at Civil Lines — that is scheduled to undergo renovation and conservation as part of a three-year-long memorandum of understanding(MoU) with a private company in the city

The district administration has proposed additional changes to the restoration plan of John Hall — a colonial structure at Civil Lines — that is scheduled to undergo renovation and conservation as part of a three-year-long memorandum of understanding(MoU) with a private company in the city.

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Deputy commissioner Yash Garg, who visited the site earlier this week, said that various ideas, including setting up a rainwater harvesting system, along with an underground tank and the installation of a vintage jet aircraft, were under consideration.

“Our vision is to restore John Hall in such a manner that it reflects the history of the time period when it was established. In recent years, it has been renovated but certain elements do not match the appropriate time period. Right at the entrance, there is a shed whose architecture does not match with the time period of the original structure. With appropriate steps, our goal is to ensure that the structure retains the essence of that time,” said Garg.

A proposal to install a dummy aircraft/jet at the premises is among the ideas that are being considered by the administration. “We are exploring the possibility of showcasing an old vintage aircraft on the premises. There are some constraints with space, but I have asked the team of architects to suggest alternative places on the premises where this can be implemented appropriately,” said Garg.

Gaurav Singh, additional CEO and regional head of Haryana Corporate Social Responsibility Advisory Board (HCSRAB), Gurugram, said that changes suggested by the deputy commissioner would be taken up for detailed discussion on Friday.

“Recently, the deputy commissioner and all stakeholders visited the site for review during which some new changes and suggestions came up. The open-air theatre that we were initially planning to work on has been removed from the plan taking into account parking hassles. We will instead have a recharge pit for water harvesting. We are exploring the possibility of installing a dummy fighter jet at the site since the site also serves as a war memorial,” said Singh. He said that the new changes were expected to get approval by Friday, following which conservation work will start. “Updated designs in line with the proposed changes will be put up before a committee tomorrow for improvement and approvals,” said Singh.

John Hall was built in 1925 in the memory of John Goble Brayne, the second son of FL Brayne, who was the deputy commissioner of Gurgaon in 1920. Over the years, it has come to occupy an important place in the administrative functioning of the city. Currently, the place is used by the administration for meetings and is open only for official work. The hall was renamed Swatantra Senani Zila Parishad Hall a few years ago and is presently under the ownership of the Zila Parishad.

In November 2019, the district administration had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a city-based firm as a funding partner for a three-year-long restoration project of the structure. Work on the site was to start from April 2020 but couldn’t take off due to pandemic-related delays. “We are hoping to start work from April after necessary changes are approved,” said Singh.