Chandni Chowk’s iconic Town Hall to get a new lease of heritage

The 160-year-old, iconic Town Hall in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk is set for a major revamp into a global heritage centre. Serving as the headquarters of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) from 1866 till 2012, the Town Hall complex will be developed into a major hub for museums, culture and tourism.

The building, conserved as a Grade-I heritage structure, remained underutilised since 2012. The Delhi Government signed a MoU with the MCD to redevelop it as a heritage centre to retain the character of the complex.

It is a key landmark of the Walled City and a significant symbol of Delhi’s architectural, administrative and cultural legacy.

The MoU was signed between the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), the nodal agency of the Tourism Department, and the MCD in the presence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta at the Delhi Secretariat on Sunday.

Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra, Delhi Mayor Pravesh Wahi and senior officials of the concerned departments were also present at the MoU signing ceremony held at the Delhi Secretariat.

“The Delhi Government is committed to preserving its historical and architectural identity while connecting it with modern tourism and cultural activities. Once developed as a global heritage centre, the complex will become an important centre for introducing tourists visiting Delhi from across the country and abroad to the history, culture and heritage of Old Delhi,” the CM said on the occasion. Under the MoU, the historic Town Hall, Press Building and Park will be conserved and developed as a global heritage centre.

The project is particularly significant as the Town Hall and its associated complex form part of the historic areas of Chandni Chowk and Shahjahanabad.

The MCD’s headquarters remained in the complex for a long time before being shifted in 2010 to the new Dr SP Mukherjee Civic Centre on Minto Road. Since then, a large part of the complex has remained largely vacant. According to the MoU, ownership of the historic complex, spread over approximately 12,180 square metres, will remain with the MCD. According to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the project aims to undertake the adaptive reuse of the historic building while preserving its original heritage identity. In other words, the building will be conserved in keeping with its historical and architectural character, while also being made useful for present-day tourism and cultural needs.

The proposed global heritage centre is planned to include a museum, cultural activities and facilities related to tourism. This will provide domestic and international tourists visiting Old Delhi with a new major attraction where they can experience Delhi’s history, heritage and culture within a single complex.

Located in a highly busy area with a large flow of tourists, near Chandni Chowk and the Old Delhi Railway Station, the complex has considerable potential for better utilisation.

Under the MoU, DTTDC has been entrusted with conducting surveys, carrying out a structural assessment of the building and preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project. Subsequently, the option of developing the project through public investment or the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model will be decided. A Joint Working Group comprising representatives of DTTDC and the MCD will also be constituted to regularly review the progress of the project. The initial term of the MoU has been set at 30 years and may be extended by another 30 years through mutual consent. Heritage material, archival material, artefacts and historical records associated with the Town Hall will remain with the MCD. The project places special emphasis on preserving the historical heritage associated with the building along with the conservation of the structure itself.

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 Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on August 10, 1947. The building fell out of annual maintenance and repairs once the office was shifted to 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.